3 Tips From Jack Conte: “There’s no such thing as just being a musician anymore”

Jack Conte now has a strong track record of success as half of Pomplamoose, as a musician/videomaker and as founder of Patreon. Conte recently spoke with TechCrunch for a back to school series but, except for the passing use of "student musicians," the interview is not about student musicians at all. It's for musicians getting started who want to create a career on their own terms whatever path they ultimately take.

Here are 3 especially important tips from Jack Conte:

1) "Think long term."

"If you sign with a record label, they’ll do everything for you – which is awesome now. But when you’re 28, you won’t know how to make your own music and run your own business. If the label drops you, you’re toast! Learn every component, every aspect about being a professional creator."

2) "There’s no such thing as just being a musician anymore."

"Unless you’ve given up your business to a record label, there’s no such thing as just being a musician anymore. Successful musicians are entrepreneurs – they work hard, way beyond 9 to 5. They learn filmmaking and editing software to make their own videos, and they learn audio production software to make their own records."

3) "Professional artists constantly live at the intersection of art and money."

"Making money is half their job. Being a professional artist is 50% making art, 50% building a machine whose input is art and whose output is money. Half your job is to build that machine."

Check TechCrunch for more.

More:

• Patreon Receives $2.1 Million In Funding, Jack Conte Currently Supported At $6,153 Per Video
• Jack Conte's Patreon Unlocks SuperFan Revenue Streams For Web Stars

Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch) recently launched DanceLand. Send news about music tech startups and services, DIY music biz and music marketing to: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.