Do you want a guaranteed, fool proof formula for how to not succeed in the music industry?  Stop trying.  It's simple really.  If you don't want to be successful with your music, then just stop.  If you stop right now and never write another song, never pitch to another opportunity, never book another gig and just get really, really determined to never make it, you'll probably succeed.... at not making it.  If you quit right now and never look back I can all but guarantee that you'll be successful in your efforts to not be successful.

On the other hand, if you don't want to stop, if you DO want to be successful with your music and you want the closest thing to a fool proof way to SUCCEED, then it's also pretty simple.  You have to keep trying!  Now I know what you're thinking, "But Aaron if I keep trying there's really no guarantee that I'll actually succeed".  My response, " So what?!"   If you keep trying,  you MIGHT succeed and if you stop you definitely WON'T.  So if you care about making music and want to build a career with your music why wouldn't you at least try? 

Perhaps there is no guaranteed path to success.  Maybe the best we can do is to simply keep trying, keep knocking on doors, keep writing songs, keep going.  Success might not come instantly, it might not come in the way you expect it and to be honest it might not come at all.  But.... It might, if you keep going.  If you stop, it definitely won't.

Here's another way of saying it.   There are two doors you can walk through.  One leads to definite failure.   The other leads to possible victory.  To me the choice seems obvious.  Like 50 cent says, "Get rich or die tryin".  Word.