The Music Business Has Changed. Here Are 10 Ways In.
Ten ways to find your people, prove your value, and build a career without waiting for an A&R appointment.
When I was coming up in New York, the music business had places you could actually walk into. Record stores. Record pool parties. Clubs, showcases, studios, and the occasional hallway where three people were arguing about a snare drum. DJs, artists, producers, engineers, managers, and label people crossed paths in real life.
I even managed to schedule meetings with A&Rs when I was a youngster who barely knew the rules. I learned by showing up, asking questions, working, making mistakes, and finding out how a record gets made from A to Z. It took focus, a little nerve, and a relentless appetite to get better. Sometimes it probably took a subway fare I should have spent on lunch.
Today the rooms are scattered across stages, studios, group chats, conferences, and phones. A viral clip can introduce a song to millions, yet an excellent artist can still struggle to get fifty people into a room. The pressure to have a hot take—or choose a political team to stay visible—can be exhausting. If you have something you believe in, say it because you mean it. An argument manufactured for reach is a lousy substitute for a career.
The road was never easy, and it still isn't. But here are ten things I would do now if I were trying to break into the music business—as an artist, group, producer, engineer, or manager.
1. Finish something worth showing.
A folder of promising ideas is a start. A finished song, strong live set, excellent mix, or well-run campaign is evidence. Pick the best work and bring it across the line: arrangement, performance, production, mix, master, credits, and presentation. A&R people and collaborators can hear potential, but they need to know you can deliver. Twenty-five half-finished demos are not a release strategy. Ask me how many hard drives I've seen.
2. Learn how the whole record gets made.
You do not have to perform every job, but you should understand the handoffs. An artist should know what a producer, engineer, mixer, and mastering engineer actually do. An engineer should understand the song and its audience. A manager should know what needs approval before release. Read the credits on Billie Eilish and FINNEAS records: the names of collaborators such as Rob Kinelski and John Greenham show how a celebrated recording is still a team effort. Know the people behind the sound, not just the face on the cover.
3. Make your introduction easy.
If someone asks what you do, give them one clear sentence and one excellent link. Artists and groups: three standout tracks, a compelling live clip, and a short bio. Producers and engineers: a focused reel, accurate credits, and what you contributed. Managers: the artist's story, current traction, plan, and a way to reach you. Put it on a clean site or electronic press kit with contact information. Nobody should have to solve a scavenger hunt to hire you.
4. Find today's rooms—and actually enter them.
Go to local shows, studio events, listening sessions, and showcases. In New York, watch the AES New York Section for audio events and A2IM for independent-music gatherings such as Indie Week. Music Biz hosts industry events, and eligible newcomers can explore GRAMMY U mentorship. Check the current calendar and whether an event fits your work before buying a badge. The point is not to collect lanyards. It is to meet people, learn what they need, and come back often enough to be remembered.
5. Build sideways, not only upward.
The person next to you at a small session may become tomorrow's artist, executive, or studio owner. Work with peers who are serious and generous. Trade skills fairly. Show up on time, prepare, and give credit. Q-Tip's path through New York's connected studio culture is a reminder that being in the room and learning from other musicians matters. Young Guru's career as an engineer and educator shows another kind of value: deep craft that travels through relationships. Study people like them for the work habits, not for a fantasy of one magic introduction.
6. Follow up like a human being.
After meeting someone, send a brief, specific note: what you enjoyed, what you can genuinely help with, and one relevant link. If there is no reply, one thoughtful follow-up is plenty. Do not send a 900 MB folder with the subject line “THE FUTURE OF MUSIC!!!” and then ask if they listened six hours later. Relationships are built through useful work and trust over time, not through volume of DMs.
7. Build a way to reach people again.
Platforms can introduce you to listeners; they do not guarantee you a lasting connection. At shows and online, invite fans to join an opt-in email or text list. Give them something worth opening: a new song, a behind-the-scenes story, a show, or an honest update. Producers, engineers, and managers can keep a respectful professional contact list, too. Ten people who answer and care are more useful than ten thousand followers who never notice the next post.
8. Plan the release before release day.
Decide who a song is for, what story you will tell, what visuals you can make, and where the artist can perform. Prepare the profiles, credits, short clips, and follow-up content. Spotify for Artists allows a pitch of an unreleased track to its editors at least seven days before release; YouTube for Artists offers guidance on Official Artist Channels, Shorts, and analytics. None of those buttons is a lottery-winning button. They are tools in a campaign that should begin before the song drops and keep going afterward.
9. Treat rights and paperwork as part of the music.
Agree on splits and credits while everyone still likes each other. Keep track of the master, composition, ISRC, metadata, licenses, and who is authorized to approve what. Songwriters and publishers may need The MLC for U.S. digital mechanical royalties; recording artists and sound-recording owners should understand SoundExchange's separate role in eligible non-interactive digital performances. A performing-rights organization handles another piece. Get qualified advice for deals. The glamorous part of music is not a spreadsheet, but missing income is even less glamorous.
10. Stay visible without becoming a character you don't recognize.
Pick a sustainable 90-day rhythm: finish work, meet people, release or show something, follow up, and review what happened. Count real signals—returning listeners, replies, ticket buyers, referrals, repeat clients—not just views. Learn from people who have lasted, whether that is Nile Rodgers moving between musicianship and production or Manny Marroquin continuing to refine his mixing craft. You can have convictions without turning every post into a fight. Your work and your word should still be recognizable when the current platform changes its algorithm again.
When I was young, I could walk into a record store and leave with a conversation that changed my week. Today that conversation might begin at a show, an AES event, a collaborative session, or a thoughtful message. The front door has become ten thousand side doors.
Find the ones that lead to your people. Bring good work. Be useful. Keep learning. Then show up again.
It is an honest road. Nobody promised it would be the easy one.
— Christos “Stos” Tsantilis
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