Bassist Doug Ross: The Path Less Taken

How do you make a career out of playing music? This is one of the most common questions I get from the young, aspiring professional musicians I teach at L.A. Music Academy. It’s a difficult question to answer, because every pro musician has a unique story and occupies a unique niche in the business. Let’s face it: there really is no civilized job placement system for musicians! But that is not cause for despair. It only means that, like any other entrepreneur, you will need to be creative, flexible and open to whatever opportunities arise as you build your career.

And I do mean build. A career in music is an ever changing, growing, evolving thing. It sometimes seems to take on a life of its own, quite apart from your original intentions. I can’t tell you how your own story will play out, but the one thing I can assure you of is that it will not go exactly as you had envisioned! Mine certainly hasn’t. As an example of just how magically, alarmingly, unpredictably a career can develop, I offer my own humble story.