If one doesn’t understand the return, it’s impossible to understand the risk.

Making art and making money are two different skill sets. One must understand them as separate from one another. While they may overlap, they are different skills. Also, just because someone is intelligent doesn’t mean they will make money. Intelligence and the ability to make money are two different skills. They can also overlap. But if their differences aren’t recognized, intelligent people will not earn as much as they can.

Music and its business is a great example of people confusing the business and that music is a business. Without this core understanding, there is no true awareness that the product is the focus of both entertainment and music.

Business matters must be aligned to generate the appropriate profit for the risk taken to participate in art.

Without understanding the core details of the business, the art will always have diminishing returns — especially but not limited to the financial side.

The reason music is not a viable industry as it currently exists is based on its economics. It’s based mainly on speculation and subjectivity. Any business based on that is not a viable competitor when it comes to profits and margins. Few succeed in the business of art because of the lack of stability in the value of supply. While…