Purpose - In recent years there has been a welcome growth of interest in learning how artists understand, engage with and respond to aspects of business practice such as marketing. In the case of music it has been suggested that artists are by no means universally motivated by commercial success, and in many cases find the practices of mass marketing repellent. However, there is general agreement that the study of attitudes of artists is still in its infancy, not just in terms of identifying the research agenda, but just as pressingly in identifying a range of appropriate methodological tools for understanding the phenomenon. This paper aims to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach - This paper describes a study where the focus was narrowed to a single genre (jazz), a single country (Poland) and a single artistic level (acts which have been successful both commercially and artistically). In total three biographical interviews were completed, involving four jazz musicians. Findings - The research found many points of convergence with earlier studies, in particular the primacy of the artistic ideal over commercial imperatives. The evidence of this study, though, suggests that jazz musicians can engage with markets through a variety of different methods, which are heavily influenced by their desired and actual artistic identities. Originality/value - This study sought to make a contribution to a growing area of research into musicians' identities outside the USA.