Ahhh nice guys, need any books? If you all are getting together I'll swoop by and start handing out a bunch of skill books so you don't have to worry about working just to buy books. The other benefit will be that you can sell some of the books for cash instead of having to busk (lowers your health, wastes updates) or work a job. I'll start trying to hunt you all down in the next few days.
Raising Skills (under Priorities) "Improve Skill" (only if you KNOW a skill from a book or teacher)
"Learn From Master / Mistress (only if some one is teaching you and has told you to use this setting)
"Attend Classes" (which is the easiest way, just find a university from the city page under Education, sign up for a skill and make sure your priorities are set).
My biggest suggestion (AFTER doing the mothers / newbie tour) is to is to first raise a few of these skills then start touring.
For Song Writing Basic Composing
Basic Lyrics
(Side note: You don't need to write your own songs starting off, you can be a 100% cover band)
For Shows*GENRE SKILL* (Electronica, Rock, Blues, etc) If you don't train your genre skill up you won't be able to jam your songs to 100% which means no one will like you on stage.
Basic *instrument skill* (wind instruments, electronic instruments, stringed instruments, etc) If you can't play your instrument no one will like you on stage.
Full Instrument Skill (Guitar, Steel Drum, Turn Table, Piccolo, etc)
Advanced SkillsOnce you can actually write good songs and perform them decently it's time to get some stage skills. Stage skills vary from genre to genre, you can find out what skills you need when designing your show (the actions you can choose will tell you what skills they require). For example since I'm an Electronica artist my shows are special effects heavy and I had to learn skills for that (lighting wizardry, basic special effects, advanced fireworks and so on). Advanced skills help push the shows over the top forcing women to take their shirts off and men to pump their fists violently into the air.
Don't worry about skills like basic fashion, basic acting, basic sex appeal etc until you have your music skills high enough to write decent songs. The sooner you can start writing and playing your own songs on tour the better off you'll be.
Other advice, don't worry, don't rush, you won't reach the top in one year, hell probably not even after two years. Popomundo is a game of patience and self setting goals, if you're unable to have fun being a worthless unknown band for months at a time then it might not be the place for you. Of course you could always try and be a fire fighter or police officer, or get your self thrown in jail and start learning some criminal skills to burn places down and steal stuff. No murder thankfully as I would probably kill some one IRL if a noob came and shanked / shot my character.
I'm not the best player in the game and there is a lot of stuff I have no idea about (zombie hunting, quests, tribes) but I'll do what I can to help any one who needs it