SURVEY: Career Changes, Pivots, and Stigmas — How the Pandemic Reshaped Musicians' Lives

Back in October 2020 — you remember 2020, right? — I ran a survey asking how the pandemic was affecting musicians’ lives and careers. One of the most surprising takeaways? A whopping 78% of respondents said they felt there was a stigma surrounding musicians changing careers.

Now, nearly five years later (only five years later?!), I’m curious: Has anything changed?

So, we’re doing it again. 126 people responded to the original Pivot Project survey. I’d love to get even more data this time, so please share with your friends.

This is for ALL musicians — not just those who changed careers.

That being said, if you have changed careers, launched a side hustle, or shifted gears in any way since 2020, there are some questions geared towards you towards the bottom half of the page. If you haven’t made any major changes and you’re still rocking your music career, just scroll past those and hit submit at the end.

Thanks for being part of this conversation. Let’s see where we’re all at now.

To take the 2025 Pivot Project Survey:

Please click here to take the survey (link will open in Google Forms).