for the pros: what do you make a year?

[Bobadohshe]

Amazing story Jazzooo. Your opportunity hit and my mantra of 'luck and hustle' which has led to the best opportunities in my life certainly was responsible for you capitalizing on your big moment. Well done!

[Bill H.]

But the opposite is true, people really respect and appreciate when you try.

 

Yeah I've noticed that. Mexican Americans in my life are extremely patient, and encourage me even though they know it's a challenge .

 

My last two classes involved conjugating irregular verbs I just can't do it this way - hell, I can't even do that in English! Maybe a conversational online course or something...

[Iconoclast]

This ENTIRE video is a MUST WATCH for anyone who is thinking about music as some kind of living. It probably deserve's it's own thread and if anyone wants to start one...feel free:

 

[video:youtube]

[RABid]

My info is old, but so am I, so.

 

In the 80's I had a good day job plus was making $400 a week playing 3 nights a week in a band. It was a good band playing in small town America. The coal business started to fail, and my day job along with it. The band also fractured and was going to have to be rebuilt from scratch. I decided to go for it, move to the city, and become a full time musician. I moved to Louisville which was the closest real city to me. Timing was good and I immediately took over keyboard duties in one of the top three cover bands in the city. It was full time work, playing 5 nights a week and practicing 3 days a week. The pay, $400 to $500 a week. The rest of the band thought we were doing well. I'm thinking "Damn, I was making this much while living with the parents AND holding down a good day job." After a couple years I knew something had to change. One friend went to Nashville, did well, and offered to help me get started there. One friend went to Vegas, got a good regular gig, and offered to help me get started there. I chose to go back to school and that was the last time I worried about what a full time musician made.

 

Last week someone tried to talk me into joining their band. Same small town that I was in 40 years ago. Salary? $300 for 3 nights a week. Things are not progressing for musicians around here.

[Iconoclast]

I'm fortunate enough to have a killer day job. I'm not a "pro" by any means but I do gig maybe 20-30 times a year and also do sound/recording/live production gigs.

 

I've never actually made any net profits by the end of the year and I don't think I even come close to taking my full deductions for my home studio and some of my equipment.

 

One good day at my day job would basically pay more than my revenue from music for the last year. Really, it's pitiful what musicians make and breaks my heart. The only real gigs that really pay are casino's and retirement community gigs.

[RABid]

Great story Jazzooo!

[RABid]

To make it worse, we are in the most expensive area of music. Guitarists can buy two guitars and play them for 40 years without needing to change. Drummers can buy a kit, the older the better, and never look back. Keyboardists are expected to have the latest and greatest ROMplers to cover anything. Keyboard contacts wear out much quicker than guitar frets, and are much more expensive to repair than drum heads. For anyone wanting to make a living in music my first recommendation might be "don't play keyboards."

[El Lobo]

... my first recommendation might be "don't play keyboards."

Learn to play flute really well.

[Groove58]

Guitarists can buy two guitars and play them for 40 years without needing to change.

 

The guitarists I know are more likely to buy (and sell) 40 guitars every two years.

[Sam CA]

Between 2001-2009, I did not buy any new keyboards at all. I only had one Triton Studio 76 and one acoustic piano. I used/abused that Triton on regular basis. I think I wrote something about this on Korg Forums a while ago. That keyboard paid all of my student loan...ALL 60K plus and more. People spilled drinks on it. I dropped it multiple times myself and the beast just kept working. By 2010, I didn't need to play anymore, so I sold it. My biggest regret in my keyboard life for sure. That synth paid for itself like 60 times over...I should've just kept it in the closet.

 

My point is, nobody ever told me I needed a new keyboard to get gigs. I just played and got paid for it.

[RudyS]

Jazzoo, what a great story! thank you for that!

[chigson]

Most of people I play with have a main job that pays well - and are doing music as a hobby (and dreaming of making money out of it, after rehearsals or on a smoke break).

 

 

Great story, Jazzooo! Thanks for sharing.

[drawback]

Ive stayed away from this thread having vowed for the hundredth time to keep it about gear, but I make a year to be 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 12 seconds.

 

YMMV.

[Jazzmammal]

Great story Jazzoo and a good read.

 

For myself I have the same story as other older guys here. I made a decent living in the 70's and early 80's then I gave it up. What I'm going to tell now that is more relevant is about my friend Eddie Greeley who died about 8 years ago. Eddie's dad was George Greeley who was a well known film orchestrator, he has credits on lots of 40's era movies. This is who George was:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Greeley

 

Eddie graduated from the UCLA school of music. In addition to being a really good schooled pianist he was a really good singer. He was one of those vocalists who could adapt his voice to be anybody he wanted. He could do Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack plus Ray Charles, Elvis, all those guys. I don't mean just sing the songs I mean he actually sounded like them. That's what got him all his gigs.

 

For years before he passed his primary source of income was retirement home gigs as a single. In So Cal most of the big facilities are corporate chains and he had the connections with 3 or 4 of the biggest ones. He told me he was making around $4,000 a month just from those gigs but he could be doing 2 or even 3 a day sometimes and driving 150 miles a day. He would also get called by some of the better well known corporate bands who could be flying all over the country for those gigs. I know one where he flew to Hawaii for some big function for a weekend. Those gigs were spotty but he could earn $1,000 for those plus expenses. I don't know his total annual income but I would guess it to be 50-60K ten years ago.

 

If someone is that good, can sing that well and has connections going back to childhood and from music school then yes, you can still make a pretty decent living even now.

 

Another guy I know casually, not good friends is a very good sax player that I've done just a few gigs with. His big thing ten years ago was he was on salary with Muzak. He made 50K a year for something like 5 or 7 years. He only had to show up in the studio a few hours a week to record. If you hear elevator music with lots of sax it's probably him and I have no idea how he got that gig. It allowed him to do all his original projects and to do tours with people like David Benoit. I never knew him well enough to get into annual income but if his base was 50K from Muzak he was certainly doing well enough.

 

To me these stories are the exception not the rule as far as making a living in music is concerned. Is it possible, of course. Is it likely you could fall into one of these situations, no. It really boils down to talent and skill, connections and good fortune better known as luck. Being in the right place at the right time. All of those things need to happen. Luck without the skill won't do it, skill without some luck won't do it, and above all family connections or whatever other connections is vital but even that still won't do it without the talent and skill.

 

A young player who really wants to make a full time living needs to do a serious self evaluation as to all these things. Of course now in the modern world maybe the best way is to get your DJ chops together and forget music school or singing.

 

Edit. Just remembered another good way to make a career out of this. Marry a good looking girl singer. I know two guys who did this. Both have duo acts and have been happily married for years. Tough to pull off on lots of levels but if you do it then it's called double the income, double the fun...

 

Bob

[JoJoB3]

A young player who really wants to make a full time living needs to do a serious self evaluation as to all these things.

 

Yes. Would you say said young player needs to "know their instrument"? (asking for a friend).

[MathOfInsects]

Ive stayed away from this thread having vowed for the hundredth time to keep it about gear, but I make a year to be 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 12 seconds.

 

YMMV.

 

That's only if you include the day gig.

[Jazzmammal]

A young player who really wants to make a full time living needs to do a serious self evaluation as to all these things.

 

Yes. Would you say said young player needs to "know their instrument"? (asking for a friend).

 

Of course, that's what I said. Talent, skill, connections and luck. What is that, kismet or synergy? Something like that. Whatever it is it's magic to the recipient. Or they're too brain dead to realize it and just think they made it because they're that good. People who are that good are a dime a dozen, people who are that good plus got lucky are rare.

 

Some think they make their own luck and that can be true in some cases. They work their ass off, become a killer performer so when the opportunity comes they're ready. Good advice but the problem is for the vast majority, that opportunity or that once in a lifetime connection or whatever never comes.

 

Bob

[TommyRude]

Zombie thread alert

[video:youtube]