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A career in music rarely means engaging in the traditional model of full-time position with a single employer. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to the challenge of how to make a living and be a professional musician. For 21st century musicians, success is developing and sustaining a career which supports personal and creative goals.
Musicians who have created successful careers are self-managing their multiple roles as small business owners and performers. The use of arts entrepreneurship techniques allows these artists to remain the principal driving force of their career. Flinders Quartet and Speak Percussion are two local examples of the performer as manager model. Both ensembles are managed by their founding performers, Cellist Zoe Knighton and Percussionist Eugene Ughetti. Establishing this model as the framework for their career has allowed both Zoe and Eugene to retain ownership of their unique creative output.
