EP74: Musicians Are Entrepreneurs

EP74: Musicians Are Entrepreneurs

February 21, 2026 · 18 min · Episode 75

About this episode

This episode discusses how the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs apply to musicians as they navigate their careers.

An entrepreneur is defined as someone who starts or owns a business and is willing to take on the related risks. As a musician, your business is your career, and while you might not have employees or an office to keep afloat, you are a service provider running your own business. In a Harvard Business School Online article, “10 Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs,” (https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/characteristics-of-successful-entrepreneurs) Kelsey Miller (https://www.kelseymiller.com/) delivers a list of attributes that, if coincidentally, unquestionably apply to playing music as a profession. In this episode of Music Life and Times, we take on the list and discuss how each characteristic applies to making a living as a musical entrepreneur.

People in this episode

Host: Kevin Bales

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard Business School Online

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