We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lane King a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lane, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I’m now almost 2 years into full time music work, having built up the necessary skills, foundations, & relationships over the past 6 years since graduating college. My time is currently split between writing instrumental music for sync licensing during the weekdays, and performing in some capacity over the weekends, usually with bands or artists using pedal steel, electric guitars, banjos, etc.

Since learning about the wide array of job types in the music industry when I was in college, I’ve been inspired to hone my skills in one or many of these areas. My music track in college also provided me with an education degree, and I used this for about 5 years teaching general elementary music, as well as band for middle schoolers. My main drive in the education system was to provide a positive and community-centered music experience for young people, so they could walk away feeling like music was for them as much as for anyone else.

During my teaching years, I was also writing music at home and playing live shows whenever possible, simply because I enjoyed doing these things. Along the way, I was able to sign on with sync music platforms and begin contributing material. I also picked up the pedal steel guitar, which has led to some interesting opportunities both in sync and live performance. Like starting a business, my journey began slowly and became more sustainable with time. It’s still characterized by the unpredictability of creative work, but that is just part of the excitement.

If I could share some advice with my younger self, I’d say to avoid getting mentally boxed in thinking you can only do one specific thing, such as education. Music is a wholistic part of our culture, and there are many types and styles of work that your skills could lend to.

Lane, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve always had a primary desire to experience and play music, beginning with piano around 4 years of age. I picked up guitar around 12, and most instruments I play every day are variants of these. I’ve always enjoyed the communal aspects of music just as much as the individual experience, which led me to things like jazz band & extra-curricular music activities from an early age.

Since discovering more of the business/industry side of music in college with the help of professors and teachers in college, I’ve seen music as something that can be a vocation as well, and have been learning about the ever-evolving industry since then.

For example, now I write music for film & television (and other licensing). This involves connection to feelings in life and in stories that I feel can be translated musically. Some of these ideas, whether they are writing/thought experiments or even work stemming from a custom scoring job, are sent in to my distribution platform (Musicbed) to be featured and picked up by clients. These can be individual filmmakers, film communities, or even large corporations who use the music for advertisements, short films, documentaries, etc.

In the sync world, it’s been fun seeing the places my music has found its way into, such as a cooking show in Australia, a short film with a public downtown premier in Netherlands, internet advertisements for books which document & preserve the life experiences of older family members, or various wedding videos.

In short, writing for film has been a way for me to help tell others’ stories in earnest, and helps to tell my own as well.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After college, I became a certified teacher and was excited to explore opportunities to work in the public school system, since I had benefitted tremendously from music in my schooling. I ended up working a 1-year band-director contract, which allowed me to instruct students by playing many types of instruments (brass, woodwinds, percussion, etc.) and provide an environment of community & belonging for any student who wanted to be involved. This temporary contract seemed to end its course a bit quicker than expected when COVID forced schools to become remote, making this communal music experience almost impossible.

I taught a few more years in the school system after this, applying the same values and providing experiences at an elementary level, realizing more and more with time that my desire to write and play music was exceeding the desire to teach in the public school system. I felt limited in time and resources trying to balance teaching with other musical ventures, and it became clear that composition & collaboration cold be more fruitful for me. When I realized this, I finished my last year of teaching before dedicating my entire work week to experimentation & music production. This has led to many experiences & opportunities that would not have been possible if I were still teaching.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

One book that has been a significant encouragement and resource is The Creative Act: A Way of Being written by Rick Rubin. The book has a lot to say about connecting to the art itself, which shapes how I think of marketing, networking, collaborating, and other aspects of the music industry. In short, the book has put words to truths and concepts known by anybody on a creative endeavor. I recommend this book to everybody, especially those who enjoy doing anything creative such as painting, writing, coding, engineering, cooking, singing, teaching, and the list goes on. One point in the book is that creativity is for everybody and is used in doing almost anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.musicbed.com/songs?artists=lane-king
• Instagram: @laneking1111

Image Credits
Sam McGhee, Dillon Campbell