The music business is not much different to any other business. Your output is your product and you need to sell it! If you want to do this as a career, you need to turn a profit; spend less than you make; understand finances and make smart decisions.

Creativity. Whether you are a covers act or an original act, you need to be consistently offering your audience a product they can buy into, one that makes you stand out in a crowded market (although you should still not view other artists as competition).

Basic things like tracking money in and out and taking care of your equipment are essential. Obviously, the more you spend, the less you will have to live off. As a guitarist myself, I find it hard to resist buying and trading, however, keeping a log of what you have going in and out can certainly help you to make more sensible choices with regards to your spending.

Treating others well, being able to negotiate fairly and being able to converse properly with others. These are all traits that are going to see your business succeed.

You should also try your best to leave emotion out of your business decisions. Be prepared to walkaway from people (or things) that no longer contribute positively to what you are trying to achieve.

Separate yourself from your product. Don’t get personally offended if somebody is not into it, as it’s not an attack on you. And as with every product (other than air and water) it is not going to be essential for everybody.

You should be hyped up about your product. Be careful not to oversell but if you’re not buying into it, then why should anybody else?

If music is something you want to make a career out of, it is going to take time, hard work and require you to make difficult decisions. If you are not making money, then music will always be a hobby. This may be the plan, but always ensure that you are aware of your end goal.