There is no magic shortcut for success in music (or anything). You have to work really, REALLY hard in this world but I would argue that the music business is one of the more difficult industries.

Sometimes people call and expect me to be able to propel them from newbie to star in 3 months. As most of us know, that is not the way things work. We are in the business of the 5-10 year "overnight" success story. It takes time to build an audience, develop your talent, and yes, you have to understand the business you are in too. All of this takes time and experience.

I once worked with someone where, due to some abnormal circumstances with format changes at radio, a record was positioned too aggressively for the artist's experience. Did it bring opportunity? Yes. But then something really interesting happened, the artist couldn't tell that how great those opportunities were are didn't take advantage of them. He didn't realize how great it was because he didn't have a reference point. He was too inexperienced to know better.

Being an artist in modern times is more than just playing music. You have to be present and actively involved in all aspects of your career so you are ready to walk through the door when one opens. Should you build a team? YES! But you still need to understand what the results mean and you need to know when it is time to change things up. You can't be successful if you expect other people to do everything for you. Take charge, be involved. You should always be the hardest working member on your team.