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Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts  Volume 7, Issue 2 
http://artivate.org  pp. 41-43 
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Copyright © 2018, the author    
  
 
 

BOOK REVIEW 
The Entrepreneurial Muse: Inspiring Your Career in Classical Music (Oxford U Press) 
by Jeffrey Nytch 
Reviewed by Jeremy Peters, Wayne State University 
 
 As colleges and universities graduate scores of eager classical musicians, many face the 
harsh reality that their coveted chair in a major symphony orchestra or immediate career as an 
operatic soloist hasn’t quite materialized. Historically, music schools have done little to prepare 
students for this reality. As such, a growing number of colleges, universities, and educators are 
making strides at closing the gap between the necessary artistic training and the worldly 
experience that young musicians need as they begin their post-collegiate careers. By borrowing 
from the domains of business and education we can devise curriculums to help our arts graduates 
be practicing artists. 
 The Entrepreneurial Muse: Inspiring Your Career in Classical Music is another tool we 
now have in our toolbox to make up for some of the curricular deficits that have emerged and are 
more aware of thanks to the clarity of the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project’s (SNAAP) 
2017 Annual Report: Arts in Alumni in Their Communities (Skaggs, Frenette, Gaskill, & Miller, 
2017, pp. 6–10).  Career training is an ongoing concern, and as advertised on the cover, Nytch’s 
book makes strides towards bridging the gaps identified by SNAAP.  

In his book, Jeffrey Nytch challenges his likely audience of up-and-coming classical 
musicians and takes specific care to break down preconceived notions of success and failure, 
using a series of small pushes or challenges early on in the book to get skeptics past their 
“hostility to the dreaded E-word” (pp. 3, 182). This book systematically dismantles assumptions 
that classical music students are likely to have with respect to product, storytelling, market 
forces, basic economics, and other business topics, while covering many tried and tested 
frameworks and skills. In order to have readers practice these skills, there are helpful exercises at 
the end of each chapter that synthesize the main points Nytch hopes to convey. Further, the 
author uses very helpful examples through the book that are relatable to his intended audience, 
helping to translate from the common language of business and entrepreneurship to something a 
bit more understandable by artists, such as his coverage of Thomas Ward’s creative mechanisms 
(Ward, 2004 in Nytch, pp. 45–46). 
 Nytch makes great use of case studies and examples to cover major points such as the 
differences and balances between intrinsic (or artistic) and extrinsic (or market) value, a key 
takeaway that readers obtain, which is often overlooked or underemphasized. Nytch hammers 
this point home with a poignant statement:  

Rather than being antithetical to the “pure” expression of art, entrepreneurship acts as an 
extension of creativity to every aspect of the artistic experience we create for our 
audiences. Applied well, entrepreneurial thinking empowers both creators and 
performers/presenters to devise new and compelling ways to reach their markets – and 
unlock value for their art in the process. (p. 84) 
 

 Segueing to the process by which individuals consume goods and services, and how 
groups of individuals demand the same, there is a non-technical, but deeply helpful discussion of 
the basic microeconomic forces at play within classical music. The book takes this even a step 
further, explaining inchoate (basic) and latent (hidden) demand with respect to works of art and 



Peters            Book Review: The Entrepreneurial Muse 
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cultural institutions, and relative utilitarian and hedonic (emotional) consumption. In covering 
the possible tradeoffs between artistic integrity and entrepreneurial success, the overarching 
theme of balance is taken further. For readers, having been assigned the book or having chosen 
to read it, it is not enough to half-heartedly attempt to enact some of the skills in the book. Just as 
artistic excellence is the defining factor for musicians, both in terms of technical capability and 
interpretation, so must the “excellence extend beyond the art.” The author makes a strong 
argument to this end, insinuating that musician-entrepreneurs “insult your customers if any 
component” of your offering is imperfect (p. 147).  Based on his previous coverage of the inertial 
effects of demand generation, and how difficult it can be to motivate consumers (even those 
theoretically interested in what you are offering) to actually act, the argument becomes crystal 
clear. Why struggle for artistic excellence if you only deliver marginally on your entrepreneurial 
offering for your customers? They won’t be pleased with the results, and neither will you.  
 As the book comes to a close, a more philosophical discussion occurs, with the last 
chapter purposely asking a question on many classical musician’s tongues: “Can 
entrepreneurship save classical music?” (p. 153). This chapter attempts, successfully, to get at 
existential challenges facing classical music performance, including key demographic concerns 
that classical music organizations have largely ignored. Particularly memorable are discussions 
of socio-economic concerns such as transportation access that amplify downward attendance 
trends, and important takeaways for performers with respect to the holistic experiences we need 
to be delivering to our audiences. 
 For all of its successes, Nytch’s book has a few drawbacks. A major one is the use of the 
term “traits” throughout the book, which, given the historic use of the word in business 
psychology, tends to suggest that individuals are born with a certain set of aptitudes which make 
them entrepreneurial, opposite of the point he tries to make. Rather, the use of “skills” is more 
appropriate, with the language signifying that entrepreneurship is activity-based, teachable and 
not pre-disposed, as Neck, Greene, and Brush (2014), Gartner (1988), Sarasvathy (2008), and 
others have shown. Some traits may exist, but individuals can learn skills and overcome those 
with ability. Perhaps this is a finer point, but this use of language, in light of the book’s goal of 
translating entrepreneurship for classical artists, is a concern which should be addressed in future 
editions. 
 Given that most classical musicians will not pursue formal education in business, The 
Entrepreneurial Muse: Inspiring Your Career in Classical Music is a laudable compression of 
and resource for core business topics and is not only insightful, but a pleasure to read as well. 
This places the book a level above most other texts and makes it a valuable addition to the career 
preparation repertoire of music schools. Nytch’s book aligns, in many ways, with a general 
business education, and at minimum is a helpful reference guide for classical musicians 
attempting to make their way in a world with fewer and fewer institutional opportunities to 
perform and support music-making. If partnered along with or inside of an artistic training 
curriculum that supports it, the learnings could be transformational and help new generations of 
classical musicians embrace the power of the entrepreneurial method to renew and revive the 
artform that they and we hold so dear. 
 

References 
 

Gartner, W. B. (1988). “Who Is an Entrepreneur?” Is the Wrong Question. American Journal of 
Small Business, 12(4), 11–32. https://doi.org/10/gdj3qb 



Peters            Book Review: The Entrepreneurial Muse 
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Neck, H. M., Greene, P. G., & Brush, C. G. (2014). Teaching entrepreneurship : a practice-
based approach / H.M. Neck, P.G. Greene, C.G. Brush. Edward Elgar: Cheltenham : 
Edward Elgar, 2014. 

Nytch, J. (2018). The entrepreneurial muse: inspiring your career in classical music. New York, 
NY: Oxford University Press. 

Sarasvathy, S. D. (2008). What Makes Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurial? (SSRN Scholarly Paper 
No. ID 909038). Rochester, NY: Social Science Research Network. Retrieved from 
https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=909038 

Skaggs, R., Frenette, A., Gaskill, S., & Miller, A. L. (2017). Strategic National Arts Alumni 
Project - 2017 Annual Report (Annual Report). Bloomington: Indiana University School of 
Education. Retrieved from 
http://snaap.indiana.edu/pdf/2017/SNAAP_Annual_Report_2017.pdf 

Ward, T. B. (2004). Cognition, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 
19(2), 173–188. https://doi.org/10/cfkpnn 

 
 
 

 


