“You Can’t Just Be a Bass Player” | Marcel Pusey on Building a Life in Music

Bass player, composer, producer, educator and music entrepreneur Marcel Pusey has built the kind of career that rarely gets talked about enough. Rather than relying on one gig, one band or one big break, Marcel has spent decades creating a sustainable life around music — performing with Bassistry, composing for television and media, developing music education programmes, working in music technology and taking his work around the world. In this episode of Now That’s Bass, Marcel talks about starting out playing rock and learning largely by ear, blagging his way through reading gigs, discovering jazz and fusion, and finding his place in London's music scene. But the bigger story is how he learned to make music pay without giving up the music he actually wanted to make. We talk about why jam nights were crucial to building his network, why musicians need to understand the business side of their careers, the importance of creating multiple income streams — and what happened when Marcel said yes to opportunities he wasn't entirely sure he was ready for. There’s also a gloriously painful story involving an orchestra, a piece in 7/8 and the moment his sight-reading bluff was very publicly called. In this episode: Why learning music by ear remains such an important skill What old-school learning gave musicians that YouTube sometimes doesn't How jam nights helped Marcel build his career Why networking works best when it doesn't feel like networking Creating multiple income streams as a working musician Why your band doesn't necessarily have to make money to be valuable The business skills musicians often overlook Saying yes before you're completely ready Dealing with imposter syndrome Why getting something wrong can still move your career forward Marcel's advice to young musicians: go for the goal, but stay flexible If you're trying to build a sustainable career around playing music rather than simply waiting for the perfect gig to arrive, there's a lot in this conversation. #NowThatsBass #MarcelPusey #BassGuitar #BassPlayer #BassPlayers #BassCommunity #WorkingMusician #ProfessionalMusician #MusicCareer #MusicBusiness #SessionMusician #BassLife #MusicianLife #MusicEducation #Bassistry