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for the pros: what do you make a year?


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I'll just excuse myself and go on down the road to my little cottage by the sea.

 

I thought you lived in a van down by the river.

Had to tell everybody that, didn't you? Let me keep my harmless delusions.
These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise.
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A little history lesson. Back in the 70's I was a full time player in a local cover band about 25 years old and I remember making about $8,500.00. We played probably 80- 120 or so shows a year. In todays money that equals about $37,500. That equates to about $312-$440 per show. I know many musicians that work for $100-$150 a show and work 3-5 days a week with basically cover bands. I know of folks who tour with national acts that in years past made $500 a show. Unfortunately there are not many of those national acts gigs out there. Maybe this will help.

 

The sad part is some musicians are still playing for what we made in the 70's.

Definition of a musician:

One who carries $3000 worth of gear to a $100 gig in a $500 car!!!

I made a cool $60 last night at the pub gig. But i also got half of of drinks, so actually - I made $50.

 

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
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[quote

 

!!

I made a cool $60 last night at the pub gig. But i also got half of of drinks, so actually - I made $50.

 

I am jealous. And you were able to exercise by hauling gear around, getting in and out of cars etc. And all the cable work is equal to yoga.

 

I figure you saved $100 by not having a gym membership and for yoga classes

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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A crowbar is a mean thing to do to a perfectly good macbook.

 

you know what else is a mean thing to do? Call someone a troll who was only trying to generate an interesting discussion on a relevant topic.

 

Thanks to everyone who answered candidly. For the record, I job all the same gigs that everyone here does. I got lucky and landed a full time position in a major touring act. Been going on ten plus years. That gig will go one day, and when it does, Ill have to figure out how to live off regular jobs/teaching.

 

Grass is not always greener. The road cost me a marriage, and I already had a kid when I got the gig. Didint lose my marriage from banging groupies or becoming an addict, or any of those cliches. The one who had to stay at home just got fed up being alone. Day job and stable family life with a great hobby is a pretty amazing combo. Good on to those who have that combo going and appreciate how great it is. Dont ever lose sight of that.

 

Outkaster- its not a dumb thread. Youve admitted you hate your day job and play music to survive it. Its easier to find a less hateful day job than it is to get the dream gig, and if my experience counts for anything, even if you land the dream gig, the dream comes at a very real cost.

 

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to respond in a constructive manner.

 

p.s. with my support payments, my take home income is half of what I stated in my OP.

 

Well that is the crux of it. When you don't have the big gig there's no way if you don't diversify. You'll need a corporate/wedding group that plays at minimum weekly (you'll do much better as a band leader), a regular Tuesday or Wednesday night gig at a restaurant, take on students after school every other day, a church gig on Thursday night and Sunday morning, and/or bite the bullet and go back to school for cert to direct a band or choir. Then you can live the lower middle class life, support a wife and maybe a kid (two if you are frugal). It's better if she works too, preferably the same hours as you... if you work opposite hours you'll never see each other.

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Though the OP asked quite bluntly, I don't think it's a horrible topic.

 

I live in San Diego, an expensive city. I'm not going to put down #s. But I'll say that between doing 70 or so gigs a year with the best Top 40 band in town (yes I said it because I believe it), being LUCKY enough to have become the San Diego go to stadium organist for our MLB team, minor league hockey team and arena soccer team (bear in mind I only do 20 ball games a year, not all of them), writing the odd library cue and getting a placement here and there over the years, being able to fill in my schedule with solo piano work and jazz hits, having a steady church gig, getting called for sessions, having a small but wonderful group of students, living a modest lifestyle, being intentional with $ (I obsessively budget), and having a dual family income (wife is a speech therapist) which helps with benefits, it is totally possible to eek out a middle class living and put $ away for retirement, be on the path to home ownership, etc.. I'm 37. Any of this could change at the drop of a hat so it might seem like a 'fragile' situation. But hey if it does, I'll adapt the best I can.

 

Diversity has always been the cornerstone of what I aspired to as a keys player and it has literally made my life possible. And more fun.

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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Anyone who has figured out how to make a decent living playing music will automatically get my wholehearted admiration and respect.

 

This is how I feel for anybody who makes a living at music, sport, arts or anything that falls more so into the hobby / passion arena.

 

What actually shocks me is that there are people out there that go to music school or art school and think that there is more than a shot in the dark that they can make a sustainable living performing music or selling artwork.

 

Yes you can make money teaching, but that falls more into the category of a job and it IS WORK teaching students. As others have stated, you can take on students, run a church program, maybe compose sound scores for film etc. But getting paid strictly for performing ones music that they love on their own terms. This indeed is the dream.

 

I come from the competitive sports world and grew up with great summer jobs teaching tennis. But never in a million years did I think that competitive tennis could provide me a living. Yes teaching, running a sports program etc. might pay the bills. But not pure performance. Maybe it is the fact that you get a chance at a young age to go head to head with the best players in the country to realize just how few will make it. And yes I have beaten kids that did go on to become top 10 in the world, and still was very aware of the limited opportunity and extreme odds.

 

Yet the volume of music school programs that cost 20k plus a year and pump out thousands of students is out of line with market needs. 99% of these students will never make enough from live performances to justify the time and expense. The fact that there are even music schools to begin with kind of flummoxes me. Great athletes with promising NBA and NFL careers go to college and study something and then play sports in addition to school and are required to maintain grades in other studies. It is unethical to allow a college athlete to skate by on just their athletic ability with out getting grades in some other discipline. But why is it OK to graduate with just a degree in fine arts or music?

 

Last night I was watching Jacob Collier and truly astounded by his talent and musical understanding. There will obviously be a place for him in the music world. I don't think I could attain his level of talent even in 3 lifetimes.

 

So I will restate my opening line. If you can make it in music (or any of the arts or sports) in the capacity of performing live for people, I salute, I honor and I respect your achievement. You have succeeded in a profession where the odds are against you.

 

And yes it does suck that today's pay scale is a fraction of what it was in the 80's.

 

P.S. - My income from music, less than the cost of equipment and lessons, ie - net negative. Not going pro anytime soon. :)

 

 

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Yes you can make money teaching, but that falls more into the category of a job and it IS WORK teaching students. As others have stated, you can take on students, run a church program, maybe compose sound scores for film etc. But getting paid strictly for performing ones music that they love on their own terms. This indeed is the dream.

 

For some and at a certain stage of life. It's honestly not really mine; I like being close to home and I don't think I have the fortitude or drive to flourish under the spotlight of being an artist in my own right. I enjoy the different aspects of what I do: writing, different gigs, teaching. I'd be bummed if I had to do only 1.

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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Yes you can make money teaching, but that falls more into the category of a job and it IS WORK teaching students. As others have stated, you can take on students, run a church program, maybe compose sound scores for film etc. But getting paid strictly for performing ones music that they love on their own terms. This indeed is the dream.

 

For some and at a certain stage of life. It's honestly not really mine; I like being close to home and I don't think I have the fortitude or drive to flourish under the spotlight of being an artist in my own right. I enjoy the different aspects of what I do: writing, different gigs, teaching. I'd be bummed if I had to do only 1.

 

Ahh, good point! I got a degree in engineering and did that for 5 years out of College. Hated the monotony of the job. For the last 30 years I have sold Real Estate. The opportunity to go from the many different aspects of the job provides a great outlet for my ADD.

 

I can see how performing, teaching, writing all work together to add more value and appreciation of the total package.

Yamaha S90XS, Studiologic VMk-161 Organ

Small/powerful (i7, 32GB, M.2 SSD) PC controlled by 10" Touch Screen

Cantabile, Ravenscroft 275, Keyscape, OPX-II, Omnisphere 2, VB3, Chris Hein Horns, etc.

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For some and at a certain stage of life. It's honestly not really mine; I like being close to home and I don't think I have the fortitude or drive to flourish under the spotlight of being an artist in my own right. I enjoy the different aspects of what I do: writing, different gigs, teaching. I'd be bummed if I had to do only 1.

 

I completely agree with this. I have three hustles: I play out, I teach privately, and I teach college (not lessons). I need all three to make my bills, and it usually means that my shortest day is 12 hours, with some breaks in between on custody days so I can see my kids. But all day, every day, including those breaks for the kids, I get to do something I love. And I would get bored AF doing only one of them. My "career" is having multiple careers, and it suits my personality way better than any one of them would. Even freelancing, which can get in the way of performing as "me," is way more satisfying to me than playing in one group is. If I play four nights a week, it's pretty reliably with four different groups, and I prefer that.

 

I will never be rich and will never retire and will never own a Tesla S. But none of it ever feels like a grind, ever, and that's worth a ton to me.

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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[quote=CaptainUnderpant

Great athletes with promising NBA and NFL careers go to college and study something and then play sports in addition to school and are required to maintain grades in other studies. It is unethical to allow a college athlete to skate by on just their athletic ability with out getting grades in some other discipline. But why is it OK to graduate with just a degree in fine arts or music?

 

It's not an irrational distinction. To get a college degree in music you have to work hard, be organized, and use your brain a lot . . . all talents that can be applied in other fields. And I never met a flute performance major who said "I could have hit the big time but I blew out the cartilage in my index finger junior year."

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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Anyone who has figured out how to make a decent living playing music will automatically get my wholehearted admiration and respect.

 

This is how I feel for anybody who makes a living at music, sport, arts or anything that falls more so into the hobby / passion arena.

 

What actually shocks me is that there are people out there that go to music school or art school and think that there is more than a shot in the dark that they can make a sustainable living performing music or selling artwork.

 

Yes you can make money teaching, but that falls more into the category of a job and it IS WORK teaching students. As others have stated, you can take on students, run a church program, maybe compose sound scores for film etc. But getting paid strictly for performing ones music that they love on their own terms. This indeed is the dream.

 

I come from the competitive sports world and grew up with great summer jobs teaching tennis. But never in a million years did I think that competitive tennis could provide me a living. Yes teaching, running a sports program etc. might pay the bills. But not pure performance. Maybe it is the fact that you get a chance at a young age to go head to head with the best players in the country to realize just how few will make it. And yes I have beaten kids that did go on to become top 10 in the world, and still was very aware of the limited opportunity and extreme odds.

 

Yet the volume of music school programs that cost 20k plus a year and pump out thousands of students is out of line with market needs. 99% of these students will never make enough from live performances to justify the time and expense. The fact that there are even music schools to begin with kind of flummoxes me. Great athletes with promising NBA and NFL careers go to college and study something and then play sports in addition to school and are required to maintain grades in other studies. It is unethical to allow a college athlete to skate by on just their athletic ability with out getting grades in some other discipline. But why is it OK to graduate with just a degree in fine arts or music?

 

Last night I was watching Jacob Collier and truly astounded by his talent and musical understanding. There will obviously be a place for him in the music world. I don't think I could attain his level of talent even in 3 lifetimes.

 

So I will restate my opening line. If you can make it in music (or any of the arts or sports) in the capacity of performing live for people, I salute, I honor and I respect your achievement. You have succeeded in a profession where the odds are against you.

 

And yes it does suck that today's pay scale is a fraction of what it was in the 80's.

 

P.S. - My income from music, less than the cost of equipment and lessons, ie - net negative. Not going pro anytime soon. :)

 

 

I cant even imagine this dreary world where the pursuit of knowledge in the humanities is replaced by a system that puts out 1.8 million Bachelors degrees void of the arts. 778,000 Masters degrees in business? 177,000 doctorates in IT Management? There are students that are born to pursue degrees in areas that the market values monetarily more so than others. And there are those that are born to pursue the myriad of other wonderful and amazing things that humans endeavor to create and do.

 

Lets put it this way - schools accept, teach and award degrees to thousands of writers each year. They wont all become best selling novelists with Hollywood knocking on the door. All the programmers out there wont get the chance to develop Instagram. The business people wont all score an IPO like Facebook. The vast majority will live and work and earn a living, hopefully find someone special and at times enjoy their lives, at least a few days of the year? Your health, your happiness, your relationships - these matter most of all. Money is important, but its not a replacement for a life well spent (and whatever that may mean to anyone of us).

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Having my own autonomy and being able to survive playing music in NYC is priceless.

 

Its not about actual dollars and cents, but its about making a life in music at whatever level is in your true capability.

 

Everybody has a place in the music world, if you put music out in the world honestly and to the absolute best of your ability. Dont listen to the I should do (x) or the story in your head, and you can be happy.

 

What Im saying may sound glib and platitudinous to some here, but, actually living these words and fighting continued devaluation of your chosen profession is not for the faint of heart.

 

"I have constantly tried to deliver only products which withstand the closest scrutiny � products which prove themselves superior in every respect.�

Robert Bosch, 1919

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I have often said that the most amount of money I ever made annually was $12,000.00. After people look at me funny, I explain. It was 1981 and my first Holiday Inn road gig. We played 6 nights a week, 48 weeks per year. On weeks off I'd go see mom or my girlfriend. I was basically homeless, so I had no rent or utility expenses (hotel gigs came with rooms). I had no car on the road, so no gas / upkeep. My living expenses & gear costs were tax deductible, so basically I partied with that money. Simpler times...

 

I do make a living with music. Music for commercials / web videos by day, church music director on weekends, and gigs with 6 (!) different bands. A lot of hours, but I'm self employed and make a decent middle class income. But.... I recall about 20 years ago when all my friends had given up music for a career and had gotten real jobs, having this horrid feeling of "what have I done with my life?". Fortunately I made a good choice to follow my dreams. Very blessed.

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Not a specific answer to the question, but 3 of the players in my main band make their living from music. I also know some excellent full-time pro players who gig all the time, do recordings, sometimes tour, maybe give a few private lessons. None of these people are making a great living from music. They're all good and they all do music as their profession. But all of them sometimes play some very low paid gigs.
These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise.
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But all of them sometimes play some very low paid gigs.

 

Nothing wrong with that. Some of my fave gigs are those that pay $50.

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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But all of them sometimes play some very low paid gigs.

 

Nothing wrong with that. Some of my fave gigs are those that pay $50.

 

Whats the old adage again?

 

If the music sucks, the hang and pay had better be great

If the hang sucks, the pay and music better be great

If the pay sucks, the music and hang have to be great

 

Or something like that.

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I was lucky enough to recognize my mediocrity early and change direction career-wise. All the guys that I knew that stuck it out (in music) are all dead now....none from excessive lifestyle.
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I was lucky enough to recognize my mediocrity early and change direction career-wise. All the guys that I knew that stuck it out (in music) are all dead now....none from excessive lifestyle.

 

Ran out of cash for healthcare? :cry:

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Whats the old adage again?

 

If the music sucks, the hang and pay had better be great

If the hang sucks, the pay and music better be great

If the pay sucks, the music and hang have to be great

 

Or something like that.

I think it's easier to say, "the money, the music, the hang, you need at least two out of three."

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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For the OP, I'm not really a full time musician by any means. Church stuff is volunteer as it's a small congregation in a poor area, and there's no MD anyways, just rotating teams.

 

 

 

Most I ever made from music alone in one year was around $1900 (USD). But I'm also not in a band, and only have ever had a max of fifteen gigs a year (that year).

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

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To all concerned, this has been a very illuminating thread, so thank you.

 

Way back when, I had to make a career decision as to whether to pursue a living in music, or focus on something more pragmatic. My dear father -- who had been here before -- told be "music is a great hobby but a tough career".

 

The testimonials here prove him right, for the most part. I, like most folks here, have decent talent. But not amazing talent, nor the driving passion to conquer all mountains involved. And I give huge props to anyone who has chose this path not taken. You will always have my respect.

 

Like many people on this forum, the day job pays the bills (actually quite well), and funds the music hobby among other things. I have the gear I want, I have a dedicated rehearsal space, a vehicle to haul stuff around, and I don't get hyper about getting paid. I do this for fun, but the money isn't bad these days.

 

What's the quote? "Money doesn't matter, but it's a great way of keeping score". Amen.

 

As I approach retirement, I'm learning a few new things.

 

First, more time for music means better music. I can invest more heavily in the projects I care about. I continue to grow. I've fallen in with a few groups who play well, keep their s**t together, and get paid well when they play.

 

The income (while not life changing) is not inconsequential in the scheme of things. Last week I made over $1k but it kicked my a$$. April is a busy month where I live, maybe $3k all in? Not sustainable, though. Pays better than Social Security, right?

 

Most everyone who is approaching that age talks about a second career. Well, I think I've found one of mine.

 

Thanks for all the commentary. Really, really useful.

Want to make your band better?  Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band"

 

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Putting aside the odd nature of such a personal question from a complete stranger (I'll be starting my own thread where I ask if you're circumcised or not soon!), it is interesting to read these responses.

 

I have a completely different story than anyone here. This is going to sound like a brag and I guess it is, though it was the late '80s and I've told the story so many times that it's just my history.

 

I knew I was going to be a pro musician very early. I got pretty good early on--never a virtuoso or even close, but I was composing and performing original material with bands from the age of 10. Never wanted to do anything else, but even though I never stopped, I ended up selling promotional items which led to creative marketing and advertising full time...which enabled me to pursue only the music projects that blew my skirt up.

 

I recorded my first CD in 1991 and sold a few hundred at gigs (we had a LOT of friends). I did another and sold almost 1000 copies, thanks in part to great reviews in Keyboard and Electronic Musician. Dave Bryce might remember when Alesis called to ask if they could use a track of mine at NAMM to demonstrate some new ADAT-era recording system. Greg Mackie called me out of the blue and said "Tell me the truth--did you really just record this on a single ADAT and a 1604?" and then held the phone out to show he was blasting it in his factory. So I had some self-confidence but was always wondering how to sell my music in an original way.

 

In 1996, I had just finished recording 5 tracks in NYC with a killer lineup including Mike Stern and John Patitucci, my first truly professional session. Shortly after, I was in an client meeting with a product manager for an anti-hypertensive drug at a smaller pharmaceutical company. He said he needed 60,000 business gifts with his logo for physicians and asked me for my company's price. I said "Not very original, dude! How many coffee mugs do you think physicians already have? Why not give them something unexpected but cool, like a CD of a talented musician who deserves wider recognition?" He asked me "Who?" and I handed him the CD which he put it on a player in his office.

 

He listened for a minute and said "This is real music, not that library crap! But what if they don't like jazz?" to which I replied "But what if they DO love it? You'd be differentiating yourself from all your competitors by giving a gift that MEANS something, plus you'd be supporting the arts." I then improvised something about how Physicians were educated, sophisticated and well-off, which I hoped matched stats I'd read earlier of the average jazz fan at that time.

 

What happened next was pretty amazing, looking back. He was partially unconvinced but asked "How much for 60,000?"

 

I had never pressed for than 1000 discs at that point. But knew it would be cheaper in that quantity, and I also knew that CDs had a retail value of around $18. I looked him dead in the eye and completely faked an answer:

 

"$2.45 each."

 

He asked "Can I get our logo on it?" and instead of saying what a good salesman is supposed to say ("Would you LIKE your logo on it?") I replied "yes, but only on the back--keep it subtle, don't make it look like a cheap giveaway, but more like a work of art."

 

He said "What the hell, why not?" We wrote a contract right there and then I rushed out of his office and made an urgent phone call to a CD manufacturer. I was delighted to learn that the CDs were only $1.10! So this one order would make me a hero with own company and also a very nice windfall for me both as a sales commission plus what I called 'royalties.'

 

I flew home and culled 5 other songs from previous CDs of mine, and put them together with the final mixes of the new tracks. We pressed 60,000 units and the pharma sales force began using them the next week (I crafted a pitch for them saying "When it comes to anti-hypertensive care, you really don't want to improvise--stick with our product because it's proven to be blah, blah, blah...BUT, if you like improvisation, we've made this wonderful jazz CD for you featuring a talented composer deserving wider recognition..."

 

This was before everyone had email. The company received something like 100 typed letters from physicians commending them on the CDs and even offering to buy more as holiday gifts.

 

The product manager called me a month later and said "We need a second CD, same quantity." I put 5 new rough mixes from a recent L.A. session for my project featuring the late great Dave Carpenter on bass and Scott Amendola on drums, and found 5 other old tracks from previous CDs of mine.

 

They went over as well as the first one.

 

When the guy asked for a third CD, I looked at my catalog and realized that I only had 5 remaining tracks that would be appropriate for this audience. So I started calling some composers I knew to see if they owned their own masters. To my delight, people like Don Grusin, Carl Evans Jr and Fred Simon did indeed own some of their own masters, which all sounded amazing to me. So I licensed their tracks for a one-time sale, and paid them a royalty for every disc sold. Still plenty of money for me, but now I was spreading my good fortune to artists I admired.

 

I decided that my goal would be to sell music like this to companies full-time and pitched the president of our comp[any on my plan. Overnight I became the president of an audio division pf the marketing company, and our sales force of nearly 50 people each started pitching customized music CDs with real music, not that 'library crap' to AT&T, Exxon, Marriott, Xerox and other companies.

 

Over the next 4 years, I sold just over a million CDs. Sometimes I wouldn't even put more thane song of my own on a compilation; other times I'd make them mostly my stuff. But now I was working with cats like Peter Erskine, who contributed an original arrangement on a very cool holiday CD I produced so he got the royalty...we sold 200,000 units of that one, so I was pretty golden.

 

Meanwhile, and I never forget this--I had a growing stack of rejection letters from record labels saying "Sorry, your music isn't urban enough" or 'is too jazzy for today's market." Well, can't win 'em all. :)

 

Then Napster hit, CDs were devalued, and suddenly music became 'free' in the eyes of the public. My clients started asking "Can you get Celine Dion on one of our CD compilations? How about Prince?" They knew the music was out there floating around, and figured I could just give a call and say "Hey Celine--At&T needs 2500 CDs for a tradeshow--want to be on them?"

 

Even the ones who recognized the value of original music no longer saw the value in producing physical discs--they said "How about setting up a website where the physicians could just enter a code and download the music?" Believe it or not, by that time most physicians still didn't have personal computers--they were surprisingly slow adapters of new technology, so I resisted the idea. Plus I knew bupkis about the internet myself. Looking back, it might have worked but I saw nothing but headaches. My wife at the time worked for the same company and we had both gotten lucky and done very well, plus we lived pretty frugally so we could save for an early retirement.

 

We retired when I was 48 and she was 56. Much water has passed under the bridge since then--we moved to Mexico, bought a house (for cash, the way it's done here) and then built one with a nice studio, again for cash; then came breast cancer (a LOT more cash) with successful treatment but it kind of destroyed us. We chose an amicable divorce (more cash), we both got into new relationships (cash, cash, cash) and stayed close until she got sick again and passed away.

 

Our money was mostly in real estate and I still live in the first house we bought, but now with my wife of 3 years. Still my once amazing nest egg has dwindled a bit so I decided to start selling real estate part time to help fluff it up. I work about 10 hours a week at it, but I know how to sell and I love my town so it all works out.

 

And I still compose, record and perform with new bands and projects. Down here, typical pay for a club gig is the peso equivalent of $40-50 USD, but I also produce a few big concerts every year to raise money for non-profits and everyone usually gets paid around 10 times that amount for these gigs. Too bad we don't do them more often, but that's part of the draw, I think.

 

But this Friday, I'm debuting new material with my latin jazz band in advance of our new CD coming out, of which I will probably sell fewer than 100 copies. I'll collect about $80 usd from the door and tips, and I'm back to the position of "How can I sell my music?"

 

Sorry for the long story--I can make it shorter but I hope it was an interesting read.

Doug Robinson

www.dougrobinson.com

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Holly S---, yes, super story, thanks a lot for sharing...and you're right about he devaluation of physical value for music.....But when I say to my staff that I have 400 CD and even more 33t, they say I'm lucky because they spend hours in trying to find some in "new stores" that sell exclusively physical support....ok, not all, just two young guys out of 50....the other ones seem not to even know about what is a 33T....
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Jazzooo it was a great story - and a summary of the transition to the digital age from a personal perspective as well.

 

This is probably an odd question after all that, but how did you learn Spanish? Is it your native language? The reason I'm asking is because I've decided to take this on as an adult, but am struggling with it - just taking adult learning classes at the local community college. I'm always interested in how others have successfully done it - any tips appreciated! :thu:

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Well, I learned a little Spanish in high school and maybe even before that, but it was very basic and mostly wrong! When I moved down here, there was

enough of a gringo population, about 10%, that one doesnt really need to speak Spanish. I knew that I should learn, but all the musicians I was playing with wanted to practice their English so I didnt get around to it for a couple of years. Then I started taking lessons, one on one and in classes. It also helps that after my divorce, I had a girlfriend for whom Spanish was the best way to communicate with her and her family. The relationship with shit but I learned a lot. Now my wife is a bilingual Mexican, with gringo parents who have been here since they were kids. I speak a lot of Spanish every single day. Sometimes I can really express myself well and sometimes I sound like someone whos never spoken a word of Spanish. Totally sucks learning as an adult, let me tell you. But I do well enough now that I can hang in really any circle as long as people are not speaking too rapidly.

Doug Robinson

www.dougrobinson.com

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So my tips would include getting a divorce and getting with a couple of Mexican women :-) but seriously, just keep practicing, speak it as often as possible and dont be afraid to make mistakes. Thats the big thing that stops a lot of bring those down here, not wanting to sound foolish. But the opposite is true, people really respect and appreciate when you try.

Doug Robinson

www.dougrobinson.com

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