The award-winning, multi-genre musician, Yamaha Master Educator and author of five books including “The Game of Innovation” is on a quest to help musicians, artists and educators thrive.
“When I was in school, you almost felt guilty if you secretly admitted you didn’t want to live a life of poverty. It should be enough to do your art,” he says.
Following a passion for piano and composition, Cutler attended top music schools seeking to become a professional. One day before college graduation, he asked a primary mentor for career advice. The response he received was shocking.
“We had spent hours on end poring over musical concepts. But now, all I got was a blank stare. Then my mentor said, ‘I don’t know what to tell you, David. I’m sure you’ll be fine.’”
“That was a devastating moment,” says Cutler.
In the months that followed, Cutler read every book on the music business he could find, only to discover that most did not provide a clear, realistic blueprint for artists like him. Simultaneously, he noticed that friends, teachers, students and colleagues were facing similar issues.
Following a challenging period, he looked inward to develop a strategy: applying lessons learned from music to other areas of life. For example, he could arrange a tune. Could he also arrange a marketing campaign? He was passionate about music learning. What if he devoted the same level of commitment to personal finance, business models, and entrepreneurial perspectives?
Cutler ultimately published The Savvy Musician in 2010, the first book of its kind to target classical and jazz musicians with practical information on topics such as product development, branding, marketing and funding. Rather than providing a dogmatic how-to methodology, this text taught readers to build a prosperous career through bold, audacious strategizing.
While many of the lessons are still relevant today, Cutler understood the book needed to be updated after fifteen years.
“When I started writing The Savvy Musician 2.0, I thought it would become a second edition. But I quickly realized how much the world has changed. I had also evolved so much, both pedagogically and philosophically, through my work at the University of South Carolina, leading ‘innovation GAMEs’ for wide-ranging organizations, and my own artistic projects. It ultimately became clear that this needed to be a completely new book,” says Cutler, “more of a sequel.”
The Savvy Musician 2.0: Amplifying Impact, Income and Inspiration is a comprehensive title centered on what it takes to succeed as a musician today, regardless of career path. Its subtitle highlights three concepts Cutler believes are key to achieving positive results.
I developed a kind of success formula called ‘I3,’ which indicates the Venn diagram intersection of three essential concepts all starting with the letter ‘I:’ impact, income and inspiration.
— David Cutler, author, The Savvy Musician 2.0
“I developed a kind of success formula called ‘I3,’ which indicates the Venn diagram intersection of three essential concepts all starting with the letter ‘I,’” shares Cutler. “True, there are so many ways to live your life. What works for one person may not be right for someone else. But these elements are essential.”
The core pillars are impact, income and inspiration.
“Money (income) is not everything, but it is critical if you want to buy an instrument, raise a family, or eat lunch every once in a while! Hopefully, as an artist, you’re driven to make a positive difference (impact) on the world around you,” explains Cutler. “Most people initially pursue music because it’s something they love (inspiration). It is essential to maintain that passion.”
“To achieve success, a critical threshold of all three must be achieved. Better yet, if you do things right, they can be linked and go up together!”
Because few conventional career paths inherently provide this trio of objectives, success typically requires a fourth ‘I’ — innovation. You must create your own, distinctive path. The savviest musicians embrace flexible, creative problem-solving, which helps them thrive in an ever-changing industry and world.
“Innovation often requires looking at someone who doesn’t do the same thing you do and adopting their ideas. You may learn more about what it takes to thrive by studying a car dealership, amusement park, or sports team than a comparable musical entity.”
The Savvy Musician 2.0 features more than a hundred real-world stories drawn from interviews with a diverse range of individuals and organizations. These narratives appear throughout the book, offering actionable, transferable strategies for music professionals at any stage in their careers.
“The Savvy Musician 2.0 fills out my shelf of groundbreaking books by David Cutler. It is not only a must-read, but a must-library for all musicians interested in greater achievement and impact,” says Dean Tayloe Harding, USC School of Music.
Published by Oxford University, The Savvy Musician 2.0 is available in paperback and e-book from booksellers Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Cutler’s website.