Harvard to Music

[songwriter54]

My name is Joseph. Trying to get production skills + a more musical lifestyle. Have a few options. Would appreciate suggestions.

About Me:
Just graduated Harvard as a History major. Pianist for 18 years. Songwriter (pop/rock) for 10. Write every day. Worked with with Cakewalk and Pro Tools for years. Never got good with production (engineering/mixing/mastering).

My Dream:
I want a musical life, in which I frequently write/produce pop music at a high level.

My Original Plan
Harvard. Thought the degree would give me the income/freedom to massively commit to music upon graduation.

The Problem
I landed a job. Finance. Pays well. Good hours (for finance). But I’m drained. No time for music. And hate it (along with every office job I've had) though I appreciate that it's paying the bills.

So in order to (A) become a production whiz, and (B) get tons of spare time... I came up with a few options:

OPTIONS


1. Music Grad School
• Berklee
• Steinhardt
• Academy of Arts etc.
Concerns: Poor use of $60K. Won’t get the skills. Won't get the career. Nightmarish reviews on Google.

2. Internship/Shadow in Studio
• Like what this company sets up: Recording Connection: Audio Engineering & Music Production School
Concern:
• Seems difficult to land these.
• Again, Google reviews tell me it's an inefficient way to learn

3. Take a Different Job
• Maybe there's some field where I'd have more time/energy.
Perhaps working with sound. Mixing for TV or something.

Question
Any recommendations?


Thank you so much for any responses. Will read them carefully.

Best,
Joseph


Edit: Mentioning the degree not to be entitled. Just have an unusual set of choices (perhaps a broader selection of dayjobs) and obstacles (debt).

Edit 2:
To clarify, I'm not concerned about making music a job (yet). Just want to be doing a lot of it, and well. And looking for some kind of bootcamp that works. Some massive commitment to get the production skills.

[Shan]

Originally Posted by songwriter54

I landed a job. Finance. Pays well. Good hours (for finance).

I myself wouldn't leave that to start from the bottom trying to make a living in today's music industry.

Originally Posted by songwriter54

Concerns: Poor use of $60K. Won’t get the skills. Won't get the career. Nightmarish reviews on Google.

You've already done your homework and know the answer. The 60k would be better invested in something that will give you a better return, but you already know that.

Shane

[Stereo Missile]

I'm sure you know this already, but trying to actually make a living in the music business is really, really hard, and it's only getting harder with each year because of where the industry is heading. That's not to say that it's impossible, but I would highly recommend that you keep your job (or another proper job) and build up your production skills, get some proper music work under your belt before you decide to take the plunge.

I would suggest you think about what kind of work you want to do in music. Then figure out who are your clients going to be and how are you going to get paid. Then work out who your competition is and have a look at who they are and what they are doing, and how they are getting the work. Then make a plan about how you are going to get the work (this is the hardest part). Then make a plan about how you are going to do the work and deliver it at the quality level that your clients expect, and at the price they are willing to pay.

I don't mean to sound too negative about it, just encouraging you to really think it through, it's a very difficult career choice. I know, I've been doing it for 23 years. I love my work, I'm so lucky to be able to do something that I love so much and make a career out of it, but with the industry heading the way it is at the moment I have to say I would urge caution. The business of recorded music has been getting worse year after year since around 2000 and there is no sign of the bottom yet.

A good career in finance will buy you a lot of nice studio and music gear to play with. And it will make it easier for you you to do a lot of other things that you may wish to do in the future - wife, kids, mortgage etc.

Of course many of us, myself included, have ignored exactly this wise advice!

:)

[TOM@METRO]

Spend as much of your free time as you wish on music. Keep in mind, success could take years to realize. In the meantime... Don't quit your day job.

[Craig F]

there is truth in the old joke: How do you make a small pile of money in the music business, start with a big pile of money.

write as much as you can, pitch when ever you get the chance

[chrisdee]

Similar situation here, but I like my day job and would not trade it unless something really big and safe would happen. Something tells me you can't have both in the music industry.

I to reccomend keeping your day job and try to find time to make music and keep learning in your free time.

[JFreak]

And whatever you buy, choose the best you can afford. I've found that "temporary solution" usually means +10 years.

[songwriter54]

Appreciate all the advice. Just edited the original post. 'm not so concerned about making music my fulltime career. I'm concerned about (A) getting the production skills (Finding some kind of bootcamp that works), and (B) Crafting a lifestyle where I have time/energy for music. Perhaps the only way to do this is making music my job. But that's not my priority.