Band Together: Community Over Competition for Musicians (Episode 187)

You learned how to make music. Nobody taught you how to make a living making music.

Scroll social media and you only see the best: the killer solo, the big stage, the follower counts. You don't see the downtimes or the struggles. In Episode 187 of The Career Musician, Nomad gets real about that gap, and makes a call for musicians to band together for community, not competition.

If you are feeling stuck or isolated in your music career, this one is for you. It is part pep talk, part manifesto, and it ends with a practical plan.

Career means work

Nomad put "career" in front of "musician" on purpose. You can turn your passion into your profession. But that doesn't exempt you from the hardships. In fact, it means more of them. Music has become a commodity, and one that has lost value over decades.

We are not heart surgeons, he says. We are not saving lives. But we can enhance them, and that is a big responsibility.

"We may not be able to save lives, but we can enhance lives."

Nomad, 1:57

It is not about the followers

It isn't about how many subscribers you have, how fast you can play, or how sick you look on stage. We got into music because it hit us in the soul and the heart, not the head. Nomad admits he sometimes gets sick of all the hype he sees, and other times gets encouraged by the good stuff that breaks through the noise. His advice: push through until you break through.

Think about the moments that matter. A sibling who says your playing makes them feel something. A stranger after a show telling you what a song meant to them. Or the time a song hit you so hard it changed you forever. That is why we do this.

No musician is an island

Nomad knows the show makes an impact. He sees it in the DMs and in people echoing TCM lessons back. But he really knows because of the people who mentored him from afar when he was coming up, without any official arrangement. That changed his career, so he knows it can change yours.

We are communal by nature. Social media was supposed to connect us, but it can do the opposite when posts come off as braggadocious or insincere. So his call is to gather, share experiences, and lift one another up. And if you ever get your moment of fame, remember that with great influence comes great responsibility. Be grateful.

"Let us come together as a community. That's what I'm talking about."

Nomad, 10:17

No shame in the day job. Say yes.

Maybe music is now a side gig. Maybe you are still waiting on your break. That is okay. We all have to pay the bills and eat, so do whatever it takes, and don't let anyone shame you for your day job. Be grateful for it. Then say yes to opportunity, say yes to progress, and be kind to yourself. That is Humility and Objectivity from the ETHOS code: Energy, Talent, Humility, Objectivity, Savvy.

Structure beats slushing about

If you don't know where to find your direction, Nomad's prescription is structure. He loves modular scheduling: this block of time for this, that block for that. Even with one or two non-music jobs, squeeze in 20 minutes here, 10 minutes there, an hour before bed. Do it consistently and it compounds.

"Those consistent efforts will compound into amazing rewards that you could not have fathomed until you actually started applying yourself."

Nomad, 15:56

He is proof, he says. Just a regular dude from Long Island, Cuban Italian, whose father came over from Cuba with nothing and built everything for the family. If he can do it, you can. Work begets work.

The takeaway

Ignore the highlight reels. Find your people, lift each other up, be grateful for the work you have, and build in small, steady blocks. For a structured place to start, grab the free plan of attack (POA) worksheet and the Get the Gig guide. Make Music Your Business.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

Watch on YouTube or find every episode on the TCM Podcast page.