10 Musician Stereotypes + Myths (a modern list)
Think of a musician.
What do they look like? What are they wearing? How do they act?
As you know, our perceptions of a group (or of a thing) aren’t always accurate. We’re constantly being influenced by personal experiences, interests, trends, news, culture, our social circles and so much more.
But shining a light on our ideas and beliefs can challenge any rogue assumptions or biases we may have. Because sometimes they’re subtle. And perspective growth is always good.
So I put together this list of music and musician stereotypes and myths.
Now let’s do this!
1. Modern Music Isn’t ‘Good’
Modern music is absolutely good. And older music isn’t better. It’s just different.
First, this assumption that modern music is somehow worse assumes that all modern music is known. But modern music isn’t just what’s trending on TikTok or getting the most attention. It’s much deeper than this.
Obviously.
There are million of songs from millions of artists that no one has ever heard — and many of them are incredible works of art.
So how can modern music be labeled as worse when most of it is still unknown?
Second, music is always a reflection of the current culture, technology, social issues and so much more. So whenever a new or different (musical) style emerges, it’s usually received with judgment because it’s inherently different.
But this doesn’t make it worse. It’s all art and a melodic form of self expression.
It’s like saying that the grandfather is forever better than the grandchild.
2. Using AI, Samples or Tech is Cheating
Whenever the status quo is challenged, there’s always friction.
There will always be new technology and processes for making music. This doesn’t make the musician cheaper. We work with what we have and choose the best vehicles to make our vision a reality.
AI, samples, technology and templates are not cheating. They’re tools.
Is a woodworker cheating because they use a circular saw rather than a handsaw? Of course not — they’re just working smarter and faster.
New tech allows us to make music easier and with less friction. There are less bottlenecks and more creativity because of that.
So using AI or prebuilt loops or plugins is not cheating. They’re just tools and another way to express musical ideas.
3. Musicians Don’t Have Business Smarts
If you’re a serious modern musician, you’re more like an entrepreneur.
You have a personal brand, you create marketing material (content) and you deliver a service while cultivating relationships with your audience. You have a website, goals and a balance sheet.
All this is to say that musicians have a lot of business smarts. We’re not just making music or playing gigs. We’re music entrepreneurs.
The core of a musician is creative. But business (especially modern entrepreneurialism) is a creative act too.
It’s a mixture of branding, design, authenticity, content, communication, value and product or service creation.
Since there are no gatekeepers in the music industry, everyone has sovereignty and equal opportunity. But you need to learn new skills.
You need to learn social media, marketing, content creation, distribution, brand management and release logistics. There are a lot of moving parts.
Modern (*independent) musicians are more like a small business than you may realize.
4. All Musicians Play Live Shows
There are many types of musicians and not everyone wants to (or needs to) play live music.
A producer is still a musician, but they may never play any shows. Someone who writes film scores is very much a musician — but again, they may not be booking gigs over the weekend.
And a songwriter can rise to fame without ever playing a live show by only using social media.
These are all examples of musicians who don’t play shows. Playing live is not a requirement to be a musician.
Not all songwriters or musicians even want to play live music. While fans may eventually corner you into playing shows, it’s technically not what makes a songwriter a songwriter.
Luckily, there are other ways to make money these days.
So with that, let’s keep moving.
Explore more:
➤ Songwriter vs. Producer
5. Career + Money Stereotypes
Did you know you can make money on the internet?
Obviously (a bit facetious there).
There are tons of ways to make money as a modern musician or creator. You’re not limited to the traditional paths (of playing shows, selling merch, teaching, selling your musical services or becoming famous).
You don’t even need to use your music to make money.
You can sell products online, create a course or membership, start a blog, etcetera — just so you can afford the complete time freedom to make music full time (even if no one ever hears it).
Making money from music is not what makes you a musician.
The options to make music full-time are endless and a career in music (or whatever) is more expansive and feasible than ever before.
So the idea that musicians are only ‘true’ musicians if they can make money from it (or get recognition for it) is bunk.
6. All Musicians Want Followers
I think a lot of musicians/creatives have a love-hate relationship with social media.
On the one hand, it’s an incredible opportunity to grow a fanbase and share your craft (regardless of location, connections, experience or background).
On the other hand, it’s exhausting and far from perfect.
But just because someone plays music and even shares it online with their friends and family doesn’t mean they want (or care) about gaining a big following.
For many musicians, fame isn’t the end goal.
While it’s nice to get recognition and support, a songwriter is a songwriter with or without the audience.
Social media has made this nuance extra fuzzy.
“You’re a musician and don’t use social media?! Blasphemy!”
Explore more:
➤ The TikTokification of Music
7. All Musicians Know the ‘Fundamentals’
I never formally studied music. I can’t read notes and I don’t know the names of half the chords I play.
But I know what sounds good and how to do what I need to do.
Musicians don’t always know fundamentals like music theory, history, reading sheet music or ‘proper’ technique. This is especially true for modern music.
We can create full songs without even learning the names of the 12 notes. Software, samples, loops and technology make this possible.
For example, Vochlea’s Dubler 2 can turn your voice into MIDI notes and drums. This is amazing and in my opinion, it’s intuitive songwriting at its best.
So being a musician doesn’t mean you know (or care about) the fundamentals. It’s helpful (no knowledge is ever wasted) but it’s not required.
8. Musicians ‘Look Like’ Musicians
In the beginning of this post, I had you picture a musician. Revisit that image.
Because while many musicians will probably match your vision, not all of them will. Musicians don’t always ‘look like’ musicians.
There’s this myth that all artists are eccentric and vintage and have a cool, unique taste for fashion and personality. Quirks look good on them.
But you know there are plenty of amazingly talented musicians who just look like stereotypical accountants or weekend BBQers in dad shorts.
Or like that old saying goes, don’t judge the book by its cover.
9. All Musicians Are Aloof, Hedonistic + Uncommitted
No single personality can represent a whole group.
So not all musicians are cool, distant, misunderstood, pleasure-seeking artists with commitment issues.
(although I do struggle to commit myself to any one thing…but I digress)
While I don’t think this stereotype is as rampant as the others, it’s still worth mentioning. I think it’s an idea that used to be more front and center. But with the popularity of introversion and the quirky artist, it’s been quieter.
Still, it’s worth the reminder.
A musician human can be artistic while simultaneously embodying any character traits they like:
Comedic
Serious
Scientific
Adventurous
Lazy
Ambitious
Sad
Happy
etcetera
10. Music is a Young Person’s Game
As a thirty-something year old myself, this is my favorite myth to debunk.
There’s no age limit on being a musician, reaching ‘success’ or going full time with your art.
Freaking huzzah!
RØRY released her first single at 36, Michael Fitzpatrick was 40 when he started his band and Jared Leto is in his 50s absolutely crushing it in music. And there are plenty more examples spread across social media.
It’s modern life and growing a fanbase is open and possible to anyone of any age. Just show up as you and start posting content.
It really is that simple.
Alright, that’s all I’ve got for you here. But I’m sure there are more myths and musician stereotypes that need some attention — so let me know in the comments what you got.
Otherwise, later ✌️
