Helping Music Artists build real careers
— without selling their soul.
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“A writer’s heart, a poet’s heart, an artist’s heart, a musician’s heart is always breaking. It is through that broken window that we see the world.”
— Alice Walker
Here are the posts that have appeared in the New Music Lives™ Group on Facebook this week...
• Luminate Releases 2025 Year-End Music Report from luminatedata .com—New From Luminate: It’s their annual look at the music biz, so you're all set to brave 2026. This year’s report covers the most vital trend shifts in how music is consumed and monetized. As always, the Charts included in this report are presented in partnership with Billboard. Luminate is Billboard’s exclusive data partner.
• Musicians vs Pastors: The Money Problem in Churches from Terence Fisher on YouTube—The global church and worship music market is one of the largest, most consistent live and recorded music ecosystems in the world—involving hundreds of thousands of paid musicians, millions of weekly performances, and billions of dollars in annual spending—yet it operates almost entirely outside the traditional music industry.
• An Unbelievable Mess’: Artists Are Stymied by Trump Travel Bans a Gift Article from the NYTimes—The travel bans—along with escalating costs and delays in the always-fraught visa application process—represent a looming crisis for the American performing arts sector…
• in partnership with UpToEleven and Matt Jacoby
What Eleven Does for You
Eleven Music Career Center provides one-on-one coaching and group learning programs specifically designed for musicians, bands, DJs, and producers who are serious about turning their passion into a profession. Through offerings like the Career Musician Program (a 12-week intensive) and the Career Musician Mastermind (monthly group coaching), Eleven guides artists through brand building, audience engagement, revenue generation, and the operational foundations every music business needs.
Who Eleven Helps Most
Eleven works with aspiring and early-stage musicians— including their parents— who feel overwhelmed by the business side of music. These are artists who want more than gig-to-gig survival; they want clarity, direction, and a real plan for making music their livelihood.
The Transformation
Artists who work with Eleven move from isolation and uncertainty to confidence and action. They gain the tools to understand their value, price their work appropriately, build genuine fan relationships, and create sustainable income streams. Most importantly, they stop feeling like they're "trying" to be musicians and start owning their identity as professional artists running real businesses—keeping 100% of what they earn while doing what they love.
About Matt Jacoby
Matt Jacoby is a drummer of over 30 years, entrepreneur, and digital marketer who founded Eleven Music Career Center with a clear mission: helping serious musicians build sustainable, independent careers without giving up ownership of their art or their income.
As someone who describes himself as "musician first, business coach second," Matt understands the unique challenges artists face. While he never felt cut out for life onstage, his deep passion for business operations and entrepreneurship led him to bridge a critical gap in the music industry— teaching fellow musicians the business skills they need to thrive independently."
Real People. Real Conversations. Real Results.
That's Eleven Music Career Center.
Eleven's step-by-step guides, community events, and personal support are designed to provide the practical steps and encouragement you need to avoid pitfalls and foster growth. Eleven doesn't just give advice. They provide progress.
Don't miss out on UpToEleven's cornerstone resource, Tap to subscribe to Matt's Setlist Newsletter— available every Tuesday, it's a weekly digest of essential career-tuning tips and a treasure trove of free resources to take your music journey up, up and away.
... and here's the more...
• for MUSIC ARTISTS— the TrueFans Manifesto 2026—Updated
• From Zero to $100K as a Musician | Here's Exactly How from Chris/Manafest on YouTube—Christopher Scott Greenwood, known by his stage name Manafest, is a Canadian Christian rapper and rock artist from Pickering, Ontario. He has won multiple awards for the GMA Canada Covenant Awards, GMA Dove Awards, and has been nominated for multiple Juno Awards. In this 20 minute video he traces his career from zero to success. "Going where the money is.”
• The REAL Reasons You Don't Finish Songs! from SongTown on YouTube—If you’ve got a hard drive full of “almost done” songs, this one’s for you. Clay Mills and Marty Dodson break down the real reasons songs stall—perfectionism, fear of failure, no process, and lack of focus—plus practical mindset shifts to help you finish what you start. No matter how small (to have fun!) or big your goals are, writing better songs is the answer.
• HOW TO LOVE THE MUSIC INDUSTRY from simonnapierbell.substack .com—… in general the music industry is a force for good. Bono calls it “the closest thing we have to a global conscience.” And he’s right. The music industry has frequently offered escape from rejection and abuse, given people a reason to matter, and allowed the voiceless to become the voice of their generation.
Thanks for reading. Give us your feedback.
And PLEASE, if you've got any Singer Songwriter friends, pass the AMP on, because... It’s Time... for a Change. Big Time. Past Time...
