Want To Become a 6-figure musician? Here’s how…

Have you ever wanted to monetize your skills as a musician but struggle with how to actually get paid to do what you love?

If so, you aren’t alone.

For years I did everything from playing bar gigs, to touring, to busking on the streets, trying to make it as a  “full-time” musician.

The challenge with going full time as a musician is most creatives only focus on one side of the coin (making the music), and completely ignore the other side (the business)

But the problem with that is…

Luckily, I’ve discovered the solution to this problem....

To become a 6 figure musician, without burning out on underpaid gigs and trading MORE time for money, you need to:

• Have commercially great music 
• Have a growth mindset
• Have a simple home studio
• Have systems in place so people can pay you

I know, it sounds too good to be true, but once I realized I didn’t even have to leave my house to make...

Patrick Clark has been a working musician for nearly a decade. He used to make his living performing at bars, restaurants, weddings etc. On average, he would perform close to 200 shows a year and earn about $30,000 doing so. 

When the pandemic hit, he, like many musicians, lost almost all of his income and he realized he was going to have to diversify his income streams. This also just so happened to be when he discovered Produce Like A Boss and started developing his production chops. 

Patrick spent the last couple of years dipping his toe into music production but recently took the plunge and went all in. He just graduated from our Home Studio Boss VIP program in August and...

That's not including the income he generated from live performances, royalties, and the various other income streams from his music career. That is pure Home Studio Boss Profit!

Patrick is such an advocate for the systems we teach that he has actually joined our team here at P.LAB. Whenever he's...

If trying to turn music into your front hustle makes you feel like this guy…

Example of how working harder doesn’t = more value

 Don’t worry, I’ve been in your exact shoes, and it’s not your fault.

There’s a mainstream “story” that’s been fed to us for years that paints the picture of the starving artist who works a crap job and suffers for their art until some Record Label big wig comes to the rescue, funds their entire career, and makes them a star.

We’ve been indoctrinated to believe that some gatekeeper is going to let us into the cool kids club, give us some sort of “deal”, and that’s when we'll finally “make it”.

Even when you go to music school, while you might get an amazing education teaching you theoretical principles, they fail to teach you how to actually make money as a musician.

So, it’s no wonder there are so many artists starving for their art.  

All...

You know what really grinds my gears?

When people spread misinformation about how to monetize your career as a producer.

So, today I want to clear up some of the biggest myths and misunderstandings that people, unfortunately, believe when it comes to going pro as a producer.

You might have heard one or more of these myths around the internet or from friends who aren't experts…

But I'm here to tell you, they're nothing more than words that people use to hold themselves back (and sometimes people use them as an excuse to never take action!)

Myth #1: You'll have to put in your 10,000 hours before you can get paid to produce

First of all, that 10,000-hour rule is so misrepresented that even Malcolm Gladwell (the creator of the idea) has said he's tried to distance himself from it. 

The reality is that, yes, 10,000 hours, on average, is the time it takes to master any one skill set.

However, there is an entire spectrum of work that you can get as a producer before...

How I built a 6-figure business as a producer, one step at a time

Whenever I meet somebody new, the conversation usually goes a little something like this….

Them: So what do you do?

Me:  I’m a musician.

Them: Oh that’s nice!  What do you do for work?

Me:  I’m a pro musician

Them:  I mean what’s your actual job that pays the bills?

Me:  I’m a pro musician that makes a living producing from my home studio for various projects for film/tv/commercials, and for clients all over the world.

Them:  {Looks at me confused}

Whether it’s my fiance’s parents, somebody I’m meeting at a public place, or new acquaintances , nobody really comprehends that there’s an entire industry of professional musicians that not only make a great living, but that we’re doing it from our home studios…

…and that we’re quite possibly the very people behind some of the TV shows, commercials, and...

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is today."
-Chinese Proverb

This might sound crazy but…

I truly believe that in this day and age, having a home studio is just as important as having strings on your guitar.

And I think the pandemic showed us that working from home is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Which is why right now is the best time ever to build your home studio and start your production company. 

3 Reasons Why Now is the Best Time to Start a Production Company 

1) A Financially Smart Move for Music Producers

Starting your production company is now more cost effective than ever before. 

If you have a laptop, you could build a functioning home studio for under $1000 and be production-ready in a weekend! 

I love the saying “use what you got until what you got pays for what you want”

Case in point: My first home studio consisted of a used interface ($300), a used mic ($200),  and a wonky used...

The ONE Question Every 6-Figure Producer Needs to Ask Themselves:
^{_{AKA Why I stopped chasing “record deals” to find true happiness as a songwriter}}

I got kicked out of the house when I was 15 years old.

I’ve been on my own ever since, always struggling, always hustling, and always living in survival mode.

I’ve lived with friends’ parents, on people’s couches, and even in my car at one point.  

I was always that friend that my more successful friends always had to pick up the tab for if we went out to dinner.

I always had “hand-me-down”... well… everything…

…from furniture, to clothes, to makeup, you name it.

And I wouldn’t even think of buying myself anything new until the duct tape that held the old thing together was falling apart.

Still, my big “why” in wanting to build a successful career as a musician was so much more than just wanting financial freedom. I wanted to be a 6-figure...

Check out this video of us producing a sync ready track in 1 hour!

While a lot of talented people want to get their music into Film & TV, believe it or not, a lot of them are wasting their time!

What often happens is they invest in a course that teaches them how to get their music into film/tv or they spend a whole lot of time and effort trying to get a library to return their emails or a music supervisor to listen to their ONE song.

Here’s the thing though.  It takes so much more than ONE song, or heck, even FIVE songs, to truly break into the exciting world of SYNC. This is a career, and it takes an investment of time as well as a LARGE catalog to break into the biz.

To make the most of the sync opportunities out there, you’ll have a much better chance at that if you produce your own music (and can make necessary edits requested by the client).  At bare minimum, you should at least be able to record yourself to a degree that enables you to collaborate...

Alas! The Holidays are upon us!

Have you thought of a gift to give your loved ones yet?

I personally prefer hand-made, custom gifts. They just seem much more thoughtful and memorable, don't you think so?

Have you heard of Custom Songs?

Songfinch is a business where buyers, looking to gift a top-notch custom-written song to a loved one, submit their request on their website alongside their preferred genre, the mood, and occasion for the song. 

Not only do they cater to their thoughtful customers, but they also provide hundreds of jobs for songwriters, artists, and producers all over the world!

On our latest podcast and YouTube episode, I sat down with Jake Tuton, Director of Artist Talent at Songfinch. 

I asked Jake how Songfinch vet their artists. Is there any golden set of standards that we should know about?

Here are the 3 main key points that Songfinch looks for in an artist:

1. Can you write songs? Are you someone who can write songs based on the information...

You are what you eat,

You sound like what you listen to!

When we first start playing music we do it purely out of passion; we stay up late playing guitar on the edge of our bed or sing that crazy vocal run over and over until we’ve finally nailed it! We have music inside of us that we can’t wait to get out.  

We put in the work to learn our instruments, write freely from the heart, and ideas pour out of us.

But where do the ideas come from? What shapes our sound?

THE ANSWER:
Our influences! 

It’s the albums & songs you played endlessly on your bedroom floor.

That music you heard throughout your life, but especially growing up, that is now embedded in you. It was your input and it became your OUTPUT. I’m sure some of your first songs sounded almost like copies of the artists you listened to growing up, I know mine did...sorry Pantera. And though you’ve (hopefully) grown past copying other people's songs you still sound like what...