Success Happy

What is a legitimate way to become successful in the music buisness?

I am a younger musician...I play guitar, enjoy singing, and have been training and performing for several years at various communitiy events where I live. I wish to pursue music as a career in the future and was wanting to inquire as to how I might go about doing so in a lucrative way. What are the steps I would need to take if I wanted to pursue a career as a professional recording artist and/or studio musician? And if that is not a good possibility...what are other ideas as to how I might have a successful career in the music business?

Public Comments

1. Make a cd. Upload it to the internet, give it away, make another one. That's how you break into almost any business. Make something free, and if people like it, try to sell the next one. Keep trying until someone notices. I would love to become a soundtrack composer, so I'm writing music for a friend who's writing a game. If nothing else, we can use this experience in our resume'.
2. Play every single oppurtunity you get! I know it dosen't sound great, but this was the advice from "Blue Lou" Marini, Peter Erskine, and other jazz greats when I met them. First, get good at your instrument. There is no subsitute for a good teacher! Then, play everywhere you can! Anytime there is a band auditioning or a concert you can play at DO SO! This is a way to make a name for yourself!
3. in this new 21st century, you should showcase ur talent online on sites like myspace, youtube, or etc. Many artists have been successfully exposed to the music industry this way