Neil Portnow, current President of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) and former West Coast V.P. of Jive Records, was asked how he got started in his music career. He states that there is no real road map for a career in music. It is not like following the yellow brick road and the end destination will be predictable.
Portnow says his breaks came through being open to opportunities as they came along naturally. He took a lot of advice, networked and knocked on a lot of doors. Portnow states that someone desiring a career in music needs to be incredibly resilient, get used to a lot of "nos" and have the inner strength and compass to know that they are good and stick with it.
--Good advice for a lot of life's humps and bumps.
