A Practical Guide to Becoming a Successful Musician

The music biz is a tough industry. Sure, every artist wants to "break out" and “make it,” but very few do. Why? As music industry experts, we here at Noisey have gathered up some helpful, real-world tips from music veterans and pros in this handy guide to having a successful music career. Follow this advice and watch your career "take off!"

Want people everywhere to hear your song? Just put it in an Apple commercial. Apple is the biggest company on the planet and the commercials for their products are iconic. Remember that U2 one? Of course you do. So just do what U2 did and put one of your songs in an Apple commercial.

Ever notice how the most successful artists always seem to also have Grammys? Coincidence? We think not! Having some Grammys will really open doors for your music career.

Millions of people listen to the radio every single day. Play your song a bunch on there and people will listen to it and want to buy it.

Look at all the top acts right now. Katy Perry. Bruno Mars. Beyoncé. What do they all have in common? They all played the Super Bowl! Remember: the Super Bowl isn’t just about football anymore. Play the Super Bowl halftime show and millions of people around the world will see you perform! Ka-ching!

Remember that show MTV Cribs where famous musicians would give tours of their extravagant homes? Well what’s one thing all of their houses had in common? No, not swimming pools or basketball courts. Gold records! When you sell 500,000 copies of your album, they’ll just give you one! So get some of those and hang them up on your walls.

Look at the list of bands this guy’s produced: Metallica, Eminem, Weezer, the Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, Black Sabbath. The guy is a certified hit-maker! Why isn’t every artist working with him?

You ever see a successful band playing in some tiny dump? Didn’t think so. Play the bigger venues like Radio City Music Hall. Or MSG. Billy Joel plays there every single month and look at how successful his career is!

Online. Uh… ever heard of it?

Kanye is a huge artist and producer. How do you think Kanye got to where he is? Work with him and find out.

Everybody’s always talking about the MTV VMAs the morning after it airs. It’s a huge cultural event. So make sure you’re one of their performers. That way, people will talk about you. Just common sense.

If you look up the reviews of most hit records, they usually have five-star reviews. In the music biz, stars are good. The more stars, the better. So if five is the most you can get, why not get all of them, right?

Sometimes you get so caught up with the music that you forget: fans are good. Fans buy your albums and come to your concerts. So make sure you have a lot of them at all times. It’ll pay off, trust us.

The Beatles, The Doors, Nirvana, Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, Green Day, Lil Wayne, Jimi Hendrix, U2, Elton John, Ozzy Osbourne, Lady Gaga, Prince, Billy Idol, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Eric Clapton, Justin Timberlake, Blondie, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Jay Z, Bob Dylan, Marilyn Manson, Michael Jackson, Willie Nelson, Bob Marley, Aerosmith, Phil Collins, Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Billy Joel, Alanis Morissette, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, Pearl Jam, AC/DC, Taylor Swift, Soundgarden, Lauryn Hill, The White Stripes, Courtney Love, Whitney Houston, KISS, The Beastie Boys, The Clash, Kid Rock, Pink Floyd, Buddy Holly, Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin… noticing a trend here? Hundreds of successful artists have discovered the secret of Rolling Stone and have graced the influential music magazine’s cover over the years. Some particularly smart ones have even been on it multiple times. So if you’re looking for huge mainstream success, you’re gonna wanna get your picture on their cover at least once.

Dan Ozzi is also available for hourly career advice sessions. Follow him on Twitter - @danozzi