Can Anyone “Make It” in Today’s Music Industry?

The 20th-century days of vinyl records, tape decks, CDs, Tower Records, and MTV have given way to our 21st-century age of MP3s and music streaming, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, TikTok, and Ticketmaster. While certain people and certain companies in the music industry are making more money than ever, working musicians are finding it increasingly impossible to pay the bills and make a living from their art. In this episode of Working People, we speak with all four members of veteran Chicago rock band The Empty Pockets about the work that goes into being a professional musician, and the realities of working and trying to make a living in the music industry today.

Additional links/info:

• The Empty Pockets website, Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube channel, and Spotify channel
• Josh Solomon, Hypebot, “We stopped waiting to be chosen and mailed 100,000 CDs instead”
• Jules Taylor Music website, Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube channel, and Spotify channel

Featured Music: 

• Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song

Credits: 

• Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

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