The 7 Stages Of Being A Professional Musician 

I laughed SO hard at the "crash and burn" section. I don't think you've ever really grown as a creative person (in ANY field) until you experience the "I might be a genius" to "I might be mentally disabled" transition. And it tends to happen pretty quickly.

Damn. I'm about to turn 25, I have a bachelor's in Music Composition and when you answered the question "what will you do if it doesn't work out?" "I guess I'll just die" is basically what I would answer too...

I'll bet $100 that I'm the least competitive musician. There's no way any musician is less competitive than me. I challenge you to prove you're less competitive but I bet I'll win.

Friendly Amendment from a 57 year old who is rediscovering musical joy: Stage 8 is where the greater influence of your endeavors (both musical and social) comes back home to you to remind you of your further relevance in the larger cultural context, and where your freedom to experiment is not only highest, but your feedback of "social draw" from your life is immediate and supported in a much more authentic way. It is the actual "Fulcrum of Parasociality" and is the most balanced of your journey thus far - neither self-deluded nor clouded by the delusions of others regarding your notoriety. "You kids get off my lawn!" gets replaced by "Thank you for enjoying my lawn, come back anytime so I can tell you my story about it, and you can tell me YOUR story about it!" :)

I'm 47 and for the most part this was spot on. Thanks for the laughter 😁

I'd say a lot of hobbyist musicians just live that Stage VII life from the get.

Can't wait for your reality/existentialism series!

I'd more so call myself a music professional than a professional musician. I'm 56 now and feeling more creative than ever, doing so many interesting projects I'd never imagined and enjoying the benefits of the many years of wonderful experiences. My music career has not gone according to the plan of my teenage self, but my wife and I do make a decent living creating art together (she's a choreographer and visual artist). I wouldn't say I've been through all your 7 stages or in that order, every "music career" is different. I'm just grateful to be having so much fun and feeling so inspired much of the time. My advice? Surround yourself with beautiful artists and collaborators and you can't go wrong. You might not get rich and famous, but you'll be happy! Thanks as always for the great subjects and thoughtful approach.

The other day i checked who are the artists I listened to the most on Spotify over a span of more than 5 years. You are 2nd place, that is crazy consistent. and I'm not even 30 years old. You are a big inspiration for many producers of my age.

This video is going to become required viewing for all of my students who are planning careers in music. Brilliantly executed as is your usual standard!

If there is something that "the internet" has taught me over the years, is that anything can happen at any given time. Of course, it's pretty improbable that your career will turn around again, and you see a sudden "rise to fame", but it's not impossible... if you are pretty talented, but people simply don't know yet to fully appreciate the scope and depth of what you compose, the rise can still be something in your future. Especially to someone that composes what you compose... ;) I sure hope you keep doing what you do best, and that you can get through life without caring too much about money. Surely, one day people will say "Remember The Flashbulb? That guy was awesome... only now we fully understand the depth of what he did..." :) best of luck to you, Benn

ngl, 11:10 that advice is SO simple, and it really is, but I really needed to hear it and I'm really grateful I found your channel from Venus Theory. Sir, you have restored the creative juices I thought I had tragically lost with your funny words

I was never able to break out of the "local musician" part of my "career" and while I've managed to squeeze out a few albums that I'm proud of (and some that I am working on now) It has always been an uphill battle. I'm 39 now and I'm hoping to, at this point, sell enough albums to keep my hobby funded. My job and personal life was always such a hinderance to my studio time and i sometimes regret getting a full time job instead of dedicating myself more fully to music. But here I am. I came so close to submitting something for your contest but I just couldn't find the time to get it finished. I look forward to your future videos and to dropping the link to my album for the discord folks to pick apart in the future!!!

I earned 28p (about 35c) on spotify last month. I’ve been playing for about 35 years.

Those are also the seven stages of being a professional software engineer. A friend of mine's in his 70s. He was in Dr. Hook, which should give you a pretty good idea of when in his life he became irrelevant as a professional musician. For the last 35 years he's been working in a music store, selling guitars, getting paid modestly, and enjoying the security of having employer-provided health insurance. He makes music every day. (He commutes by bus, and sits in the back of the bus playing his guitar into his phone.) Every so often he gigs. He doesn't have the slightest hint of ambition. He's in his 70s, for Christ's sake. I know few people who are as happy with their lives as he is.

Fantastic video Benn. I feel like you're elegantly speaking to multiple audiences here, those considering or already on this journey, but this also helps bring some clarity (dare I say closure?) to those of us that maybe followed other paths in life and always wondered, "what if?". Such a profound bit of content man. Please know that you are proving to be every bit as relevant in my middle-aged life as you were back in college when I used to park the car out in some green space somewhere, throw on some Pale Blue Dot, and look to the stars for the meaning of life. Now it's just taken a different, evolved form.

Wonderful! Thank you. “The chances of you being the most determined or talented part-time or hobbyist musician becoming successful is extremely slim. The chances of an all-in professional musician becoming successful is inevitable. You’re not betting on fate, you’re just wrestling with time now.”

This video really inspired me to finish my debut album. I've been working on it so long that any attempt at releasing it makes me fear that it will be beneath me in 6 months based on the knowledge and skill I've gained. But this made me realize that this part of my career is one of the best parts and the creative energy flowing through me will overcome any technical shortcomings. Thanks again.

I’m a little late to your channel, but i really appreciate the reality check you incur on here so often. Its really great to hear someone successful, yet not famous in the classical sense or even having a charting song, talk about this kind of stuff. Its really valuable for us that are trying to eke out an existence in the difficult music industry of today

If you're all in "You're not betting on fate you are wrestling with time." My experience in a nutshell. The truth is that most people make great music, it's whether you have the work ethic and time management skills to do all the things. Most don't.

As a professional meditation/mindfulness teacher, I found all of this incredibly useful. I think this applies to many creative professions. It's just good all round advice in the form of a career's table of contents. You're in inspiration to more than just musicians.

When you showed the photo of Mark is the moment I realized why I even clicked on one of your videos. I lived in Humboldt for 10 years and knew the Mucca band very well. I knew I had met this guy before but I could not remember where for the life of me! Great stuff here, Benn! I remember helping Mark move all the Mucca gear into a new studio and can confirm that Mark did like giving work to musicians!

I just realized that you’re ‘The Flashbulb’. I’ve had your music on all of my devices for many years. My favorite track is ‘Warm Hands in Cold Fog’. That song has literally brought me to tears, which is the highest compliment I can give. Thank you for all that you do. Subscribed!

I feel like that as a hobbyist with days-long creative outbursts and then weeks of barely touching an instrument in between, I go up and down a lowkey version of this scale every time I make a song :D

Thanks for sharing!

I needed this... holy smokes I'm between 3 and 4 right now. Thank you.

Priceless. Thanks again Benn.

This gave me an existential crisis.

dude, you're ace, like a lot of snarky viewers/producers i started watching this through my own filter of BS and by the end was agreeing with every damn word. nice job!

Always appreciate your insight and candor, Benn!

This video is a checkpoint for musicians of all ages. I'll be starting stage I soon :) I hope that all of this is worth it.

Insightful. Thx, Ben

Bruv, thank you for the reminders. This is; Good as Gold.

wow, fantastic. thank you for posting this

This was wonderful, thanks

This is a really, really good one. Thank you Benn!

Really enjoyed that, man. Thanks for sharing.

Great video! Thank you for making this.

This is awesome, thank you for making this

Thank You for your music and videos!

Fantastic video! Well said.

Apsolutely fantastic, thanks Benn!

Very interesting take, thank you Benn,

The flowers for Algernon analogy is brilliant! I needed this video, excellent timing :)

This is really cool, love to see things like this. Helps me prepare myself for the road ahead

great video!

This is very relatable! Thank you!

Thank you for sharing your experiences, it was incredibly reassuring to hear it laid out like this :)

I think I'm in that Crash & Burn stage right now Actually, I'm still not even quite there, in that I've yet to break into the professional music scene, but I respect how skilled everyone is and feel so scared to reach out and try to put myself out there. Lots of self-doubt right out of college lol

Thank you so much for this! So insightful and delightful.

This is one of your best videos yet. Thank you

Oh my gosh. This is the best video I’ve seen on RU-vid. Thank you Benn!

nice video Benn!! it's really helpful :)

hey Benn, this just may be my favorite video of yours

This is the first time I've had to pause a video halfway through and share it with my musical colleagues as fast as possible. Absolutely brilliantly put. Thanks for keeping it real and hilarious! Amazed at how relatable your experience is. More power to you, thank you so much for this

great video,, the last graph joke is brill! thanks from Ireland

this is SO good and SO true (and wise and nice). thank you mate ❤️

u made me cry ... it feels good!

Loved this, never took the plunge to pro but I was right on the brink 25 years ago. Still not sure if I dodged a bullet or missed a great opportunity. At 50 I still love making music and love the fact that I can be completely free with experimentation, though that last graph was a kicker🤣

Honest, refreshing and real! Thank you for this video :)

you are a musical genius. love your music so much

This is important and meaningful work, thank you Ben

awesome observations in this video. you really narrowed it down to the main points, thank you!

Thanks Benn. You truly are one of the best creators of this platform I could find. V.

Thank you for this Benn. I found your channel when I needed it the most. I will repay this in one way or another in near future. Cheers

Thank you. This is an outstanding video with the right balance of humour and content.

Such a great video, and such good wisdom. Thank you!

This is so well written and produced. Thank you so much for your wisdom and the expert arrangement of concept. Godspeed!

Ben, your videos are so good. There's much to be learned. Thanks for posting this

As always, Waaaaaaaaaaaaay deeper and well thought-out than I expected. Dude, you're the king of underselling. I don't know how often I pass on one of your videos because the title sounds so meh, but then when I do watch one of those videos, I immediately after go and watch at least one more

the content of your videos has always been substantive and engaging, thank you for this!!!

That was extremely honest and heartfelt. Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your wisdom. You’ve made a really big impact in the musical world, and I hope that you reflect on your career in a positive way even if there are ups and downs.

this is a very honnest look into your life and i appreciate you sharing it. Namaste

Such a brilliant and needed piece of wisdom. You are a good human being. I follow you because of that, the music is just an added bonus.

This video is just what I needed.

This video is one of the most beneficial I've ever watched. Thank you.

I've heard it said many times in my days..So I say it here "Nothing is as refreshing as the truth"...Thank you Ben!!

Thank you so much for posting this. I've never been very prolific but in my specific niche I'm somewhere between step 5 and 6. It was nice to hear everything you said and gave me a little calm and appreciation for the process and others lives.

O M G SLAP THAT BASS . I m in love with this channel. Just Subscribed 🙏

This was heartfelt

Cheers bruvva…u r a legend🤘

I’ve been following your music for over a decade. You (The Flash Bulb), Wisp, and Aphex twin are my favorite artists by far. I love your music. My favorite songs you’ve created: Cycles, once weekly, interior SD, walking irrevocable, undiscovered colors, taste my solitude, lawn wake II, dirt bikes and street vendors, come horn, passage D, and eleven ways to end the pain. If anybody reading this hasn’t listened to the songs I mentioned above, go and listen to them all. They’re all absolute gold.

Excellent, transparent, and honest words Benn! Much appreciated. I am a musician who has went through many stages as well, as many others my age have. In fact, the most success I had in the music business was with a group based out of Chicago called Blackmaker. Hard rock and southern influenced rock band. We had many albums, mostly self released or on independent labels. The unfortunate demise of our group was getting signed by a Major. An album that never saw the light of day. That was our ceiling, it crashed, and we became disheartened and eventually after legal battles, getting out of contracts, etc. called it a day. With that being said, that experience taught me alot about how to conduct myself in the business world today, and the types of offers and situations to look out for or to embrace. I still take chances of course, haha, but my decisions are a little more focused. I too am a multi-instrumentalist, electronica artist, pop, hiphop, producer, mix and mastering engineer. I am still building my business this many years later. Basically had to start back from the ground floor at the age of 40. I now have a family, and my priorities have changed. I have offers to do some road work, but am much more choosing when I accept. I do most of my work from home, most of my clients are from every city but my own. As the city I live in doesn't foster much of a scene in my field. I just primarily wanted to thank you for your honesty and hard earned wisdom. I always tune in to your videos, as they are very informative. Keep doing you. 👍

This video felt like a therapy session for me. I needed to hear some of these things. I believe you were spot on with everything you said. I’m definitely somewhere in between 6 and 7 right now.

Really appreciate your honesty and humility 👍 your honesty is both reassuring and refreshing

thank you for everything you do to help musicians that look up to you. this is one of your most reassuring videos by far hahah. after watching had to put on The Fear of Vision, cry, and think about how im exactly where i need to be with my career and that all the ups and downs are just a part of the journey

Yo Ben I really really really love this video! thanks for the content and the vulnerability + honesty. You're an inspiring musician and content creator🙏 I hope maybe at some point you could share your experiences and your opinions on being a multifaceted musician/creative since there's more and more people doing different jobs at the same time I'm for instance being performing artist and an engineer just as an example. Keep up the good shit!!!

Thanks for sharing what you've learned. This is a really beautiful video that can apply to all creative jobs.

Wow. Probably the most insightful musical broadcast I've ever seen since ... age 14 (when there were none and I was saving to by a Boss Dr 110 😎). I discovered you looking for a new reverb pedal , but I've since enjoyed you output and found that you're just a beautiful human being along the way. kudos for bringing this into the world ☺️🙏

7:30 yep I can definitely relate. Thanks for talking about it so openly

So inspiring. Thank you

Hi Benn, thanks for a great video. I just graduated with degrees in saxophone and composition and wanting to make that next step and move from my small state of Idaho. Moving to a city is somewhat intimidating but that humbling stage you talked about made that leap seem more doable. Thanks for the great videos- you got a new patron.

Absolutely phenomenal video dude, thanks for being so willing to share your decades of experience with the world.

I discovered your music about half a year before you released Arboreal iirc - so I was 12 at the time - and I've always consistently listened to everything you released since then. I guess that makes you the artist I've been into for the longest. Not even my interest in the beatles lasted that long. Hearing this reflection on your carrer makes me nostalgic, not in the sense that "The Flashbulb is someone I used to listen to" as you mention, but nostalgic because I associate different parts of your discography with different moments of my life. I can think of quite a few amusing life experiences that, one way or another, only happened because of your music - and that's with me living here in South America, not having any chance of attending any of your concerts.

Awesome video Ben! I think this will give a lot of people clarity. Also I laughed a lot at the graph near the end lol I want to be a career musician because contrary to all the other jobs I've tried so far, it is the one thing I feel I could do indefinitely, that will always keep me invested, thinking forwards and working hard, that will challenge me constantly and encourage me to surpass my limits. Ever since I was young I drew a lot of purpose from music, for so long I dismissed it as a dream and sort of just let it rot in the back of my mind while I did other things... That hurt me more than I could have imagined, I thought it would go away eventually but it was always there it would just sort of linger around me in a taunting manner. Recent events have brought me to a certain realization, that I cannot just let this pass me by. I'm only just starting to learn truly how hard this is going to be, that I currently have almost no idea what I'm doing and how much I still have to learn as well as what it's going to cost me, but that said (and call this ignorance possibly) I really don't care if It ends up costing me everything, because I'll hate myself if I don't put absolutely everything I have into it. And even if down the road I fail and have to go back to the regular work I usually do, I'd probably just save up for a while and then start all over again, repeating that cycle until I finally succeed or my life ends, simply because it won't stop calling to me. I'm not confident enough yet to say I'm a professional musician, far from it. I can't get anything I've made so far to sound how I imagined it (hell, some of it I can't even stop from clipping all over the place lmao) and I am often frustrated and disappointed with the results of the many hours it takes me to write and produce a single piece of music, I also discovered I'm not as good at playing guitar as I previously thought! But in spite of it all, the little time I've spent doing this so far has been more rewarding, educational and invigorating to me than all the other working years of my life combined.

just having gotten into music a year or two ago and wanting more than anything to become a professional musician, this video was really impactful. thank you.

Good advice for any career in my opinion. Stay humble, there is always something else to learn!

I know I'm never going to go professional (I'm a few years older than you and I can't get past a 4 bar loop), but I enjoyed this video nonetheless. Honestly, I think many of the same stages apply for my industry (tech). As for the shadow ban, I'm subscribed and your video popped up soon after it as posted. I do believe you're shadow banned though, as I watched a LOT of music production videos before I was finally suggested one of yours. Which is weird to me because you've got one of the best channels of any I subscribe to.

Thank you for making this - sobering to say the least.

Fantastic insight, and a roundup & relatability to the final stage of music making with total freedom, contentment & acceptance. Music cures, music gives an escape, music gives life.