Beer League

How Long Does It Take to Make It in the Music Industry? (Wrong Question.)

I was in a composer group online recently when someone asked a question I've heard a hundred versions of over thirty years in this business.

What are the timeframes? How long should it take? When do I know if I'm on track?

They wanted a yardstick, something measurable… a benchmark that would tell them whether they're winning, on pace, or falling behind. And the other members of the group kindly offered a variety of answers.

I weighed in with my thoughts, but it felt like the questioner didn’t quite get what I was aiming for… almost as if they wanted some clear and obvious answer they suspect is being gatekept by industry insiders.

Here's the thing about yardstick questions : they feel like they're about specifics and data, but they're almost never about the raw info. I think they're about anxiety… and that anxiety, if it’s possible to examine it honestly, is usually coming from one of two places.

Either you suspect you might not have what it takes, and you're hoping the data will reassure you.

Or you know you have what it takes, and you're frustrated that the world hasn't confirmed it yet.

Both are real, and very human. But neither one gets resolved by a predictable schedule.

I have a saying I've used for years, mostly in private, because the public version just kinda always hits wrong (even when you mean it right, with empathy).

Beer league hockey exists for a reason. Not everyone has the skills to play in the NHL.

Which can sound harsh, I get it.

Until you think about what beer league actually is.

Beer league is where people who genuinely love the game go to simply play hockey. They play hard, it matters to them. There’s real camaraderie. They experience real wins and real losses. It's not a consolation prize. It's a completely legitimate reason to lace up one’s skates and make not-insignificant investments in equipment, for the rest of your life… or as long as you can stay upright on the ice… and love every minute of it.

The problem isn't beer league. The problem is when someone with beer league ability is training like they're going to the NHL, spending at that level, building their identity around that trajectory, and nobody in their life has sat down with them and had an honest conversation about where they actually are, what they actually want, and what might be possible for them and their future.

That conversation, done with care, is one of the most valuable things another person can offer you. And it almost never happens, because it's uncomfortable, and because the music industry (like a lot of creative industries) has developed a culture where the "supportive" response is always encouragement, and honest assessment reads as gatekeeping.

But I don't think that's support. I think that's just easier and avoids some uncomfortable conversations.

I've been in this business for over thirty years. My company operates at the pro level, with music in movies, All Time syndicated TV shows, on ads for the biggest brands, in viral campaigns and acclaimed videogames. I've built catalogs, sold them, and built “the next one” a few times now. I've watched careers develop slowly, watched “star” talent explode overnight, and watched people give up and walk away. And the pattern I've seen, more times than I can count, is this :

The people who "made it" (whatever that means for them) weren't necessarily the fastest or the most talented. They were the ones who had an accurate picture of where they were starting, a realistic sense of what the path actually looked like, and the self-awareness to keep adjusting. And they kept their head down, focused on the work and not someone else’s roadmap.

The people who had the hardest time weren't the ones who struggled. They were the ones who were working from a map that didn't match the road ahead, and nobody had told them.

So here's what I'd actually say to the person asking about timeframes.

The timeframe question isn't wrong… it's just the second question. The first question is :

… what does success actually look like for you, specifically, given your actual skills, your actual resources, and your actual life?

Not the generalized answer. Your answer.

Because the honest truth is a very few people are capable of being megastars, some people could be artists that become the face of a brand, and others should be building toward getting their work into other publisher’s libraries. Some might be ready to build their own brand and catalog. Others are going to miss playing in front of people, and should be thinking about building a sustainable, meaningful, well-compensated career at a different level of the industry. And some people should be making music they love, on their own terms, with friends or solo, without trying to monetize it at all.

None of those paths is a failure… but none of them are right for everyone, and probably only one of them is right for you. And you deserve someone in your corner who will help you figure out which one that is, instead of just handing you a yardstick and wishing you luck.

The goal was never to make music your mortgage. For most people, it doesn't have to be. The goal is to know the difference between a dream worth chasing professionally and a love worth keeping for its own sake, and to have someone honest enough to help you figure out which one you're actually holding.

That's not gatekeeping. That's just respect.