The First 5 Years in Audio: What It Really Takes to Build a Music Career

In Episode 366 of the Mixing Music Podcast, Dee Kei and Lu talk about what the first five years of an audio career really look like. From saying yes to everything, trying different lanes, and learning on the fly, to dealing with low pay, long hours, self-doubt, burnout, and the pressure to figure things out, this episode is a realistic look at the early stage of building a life in music. They break down the value of experimentation, humility, relationships, gear obsession, learning through mistakes, and why your path will probably look different from everyone else’s. The bigger message is that there is no single blueprint for making it in music, but staying curious, staying open, and actually enjoying the process matters more than most people realize.

You can listen to The First 5 Years in Audio: What It Really Takes to Build a Music Career online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The First 5 Years in Audio: What It Really Takes to Build a Music Career is an episode from Mixing Music | Music Production, Audio Engineering, & Music Business by @DeeKeiMixes.

This episode is 75:57 long.

This episode was published on Mar 24, 2026.

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