While there are certainly a plethora of often deserving stereotypes about how disastrous an idea it is to try and make a relationship work when both members of a couple work in the music biz, but contrary to popular opinion, industry relationships can not only function, but flourish as Ellie and Drew Holcomb illustrate.
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Guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix
Aerosmith wrote “falling in love is so hard on the knees,” but there is a lot more at stake than joint stiffness when romance blossoms in the music business.
Whether you’ve been in music for three months or three decades you’ve probably thought about the possibility of falling in love with another industry professional. After all, who else could possibly understand your passion for a business known for long hours and little to no guarantee of success?
If you have shared that idea with someone else in music, they likely warned you that falling for another person in the industry is a horrible idea. The history of entertainment is littered with the pieces of broken hearts from failed relationships between industry professionals. People in music are among the most passionate humans on Earth, but the stress and demands of the workplace often (unintentionally) leak into other areas of life. The struggle to find and maintain a healthy work-life balance is too much for many to bare as individuals, let alone as part of a couple.
But hope is not lost. For every broken heart in music, there are couples who make it work. Some musicians fall for one another, musicians who fall for business professionals, and business professionals who fall for other professionals. Some of these romances last a lifetime, but none do so without a lot of hard work and effort.
We receive a lot of questions about romance in the music business. People ask us whether or not love in the workplace is a good idea, and even if it is — how do you make it last?
There are numerous answers for every situation, but we choose to believe that love between music professionals can be an amazing thing that can create happiness and inspiration for many.
To learn how to make love last, we turned to Ellie Holcomb, musician and spouse of Drew Holcomb, to see how they have continued to pursue careers in music and build a family over their decade-plus together. Here’s what we learned:
You can learn more about Ellie’s music and marriage in a recent episode of our podcast, Inside Music. Check it out:
James Shotwell is the Director of Customer Engagement at Haulix and host of the company’s podcast, Inside Music. He is also a public speaker known for promoting careers in the entertainment industry, as well as an entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. His bylines include Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, Nu Sound, and Under The Gun Review, among other popular outlets.