A professional musician is a person who makes a living by playing or writing music. Professional musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music. Professional musicians can be instrumentalists, singers, composers, songwriters, conductors or recording artists. In addition, there are many music genres a professional musician can be into. It could be pop, rock, jazz, hip-hop, rock and ballad, country, there are just some examples. But in the classes of musicians mentioned, the most recognized and coveted for is the recording artist.
Almost all who desire to be or is already a professional musician would definitely want to be a renowned recording artist. The best of these professional musicians command very lucrative lifestyles and are known all throughout the world. The degree of success of a recording artist is measured in the number of records he has sold throughout his career. There are some recording artists whose songs and album sales continue long after they are way past or have retired from their professional musical career. Elvis Presley and The Beatles are two of the most famous, with record sales reaching more than a billion records.
But for all the glamour and fame of being a recording artist, take note though that he is still a musician, a professional one. Music is his art medium, his way of expression. The essence of a professional musician is expressing himself through music; this is what makes him what he is.