WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MUSICIAN AND A PIZZA?

 "What's the difference between a musician and a pizza? A pizza can feed a family of four."

The joke is kind of funny. But it doesn’t match reality. Music is a business like any other. A billion-dollar market, competitive, often brutal, and extremely difficult. But it’s also a market where many people make a living — and live very well.

Yes, there are musicians swimming in money. Living comfortably, building wealth, creating solid and profitable careers. They’re not rare, and it’s not an exception. It’s part of the system itself.

The problem is that, because of jokes like this, a certain prejudice against the profession has been created. As if it were inevitably synonymous with failure. And because of that, many talented people may have believed it. They may have stepped back, given up, or never even tried. Talents that perhaps never got to develop because they bought into that idea.

Is it difficult? Very. It’s a tough, uncertain, and demanding path. But there’s also money, market, and opportunity. Music is not charity. It’s work. And for those who understand the game and stay in it, it can be extremely profitable.

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A moment to share (2019): once I was invited to play at a small gathering of friends in a bar on a Saturday afternoon. The bar was closed for a birthday celebration. I think there were about 15 people, and when I arrived, everyone had already been drinking and was quite lively. While I was tuning my instrument (resonator), I overheard a woman saying to someone, “a musician is an engineer who didn’t make it”, fully aware that I could hear her. I found it very disrespectful.

Anyway, I played the entire setlist. It turned out to be a nice event, and people were very receptive.