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OT: Least/ lowest paid keyboard/musicians 2018-19


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This might be something to brag about.

 

I can open my records to an audit. I know what they will say; "WTF are you doing ? "

 

;)

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

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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Are we talking just about how much we gross for gigs/royalties/sessions, or are we also subtracting how much money we spend on gear, travel, recording, etc? Because if it's the latter, let the race to the bottom begin!

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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Hey Sam, I tried to make it simple. Your top line or gross for 2018 and/or 2019.

 

Expenses, gear, net profit.. eeeew. I can't imagine the tidal wave of red ink

 

I sense I am still # 1 !

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

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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I want to know the highest paid karaoke DJ. (KJ?)

 

I am good with #'s as you can see. suppose I could figure that out - the wealthy Karaokiest.

 

Maybe I should work on lip syncing to WAV files ;)

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

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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$0 as a keyboard player. Several times more than I ever made playing keys live as a DJ/KJ - with other added benefits ;) So yeah... it's been kind of a weird ride for a guy who thought he'd never do something like this. I'm slowing it down a lot this year though, for a bunch of reasons... two or three nights a week mostly.
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I disagree, Greg. If you bring home that MODX8 this year (or whatever other model you are lusting for) you should report this as -$1600. ;)

 

Good idea ! But I did not want to bore you with trivial details- my red ink #

 

I have helped Guitar Center and Korg USA with my generosity- but what they report is up to them.

 

Anyway, how low can you go ?

 

I think thats another post topic- throwing money and credit cards around.

I don't believe I would be #1 given what I have read.

 

 

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

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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As I remember it, the IRS wants copies of Receipts and depreciate our equipment over the expected years of use to write it off. Back in the late Seventies and into the Eighties I worked the Hotel Circuit as a solo entertainer for 3 years. I had a bunch of equipment that I had bought and paid for before I went full time. I had to buy a trailer to move my gear up and down the coast, and bought a window van to pull it. I was making between $400 and $500 a week, and working every week. I had an agent that kept me working, and of course he got a reasonable commission.

 

Every year I showed a LOSS to the IRS when I filed. This went on for 3 years, and finally I get a letter from the IRS to take my take information and other financial records and pay them a visit. Yep, I was being audited. As it turned out, the IRS agent was not a big mean guy at all. After reviewing all my records, he found no creative Tax evasion. At the end of the Audit he said "How are you living? You're not making a profit. Do you have a place of residence? How are you paying your bills?" Actually, that was a very good question. My brother was living in the family homestead, he had a decent paying job and he was paying the bills. Sometimes I was on the road for months without getting "home", so it was not like I was there all the time mooching off my brother.

 

But the IRS agent was right, I was losing money every year and the IRS would not allow that to continue indefinitely. He said he could not force me to call it a career, but what about my future? He was right. It was OK as a hobby but I wasn't paying living expenses and pulling my weight.

 

The Music business is not really a business if you lose money every year. The IRS doesn't care provided I pay some tax and make better equipment buying decisions,

 

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

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What was the credit card ad?

 

New Yamaha, $1600

New VST, $99

The joy of making your music... priceless. ;)

 

[video:youtube]https://youtu.be/M

 

 

 

thats a good segueway. The ad could be re-written and re-recorded to fit us keyboard types

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

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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As

 

But the IRS agent was right, I was losing money every year and the IRS would not allow that to continue indefinitely. He said he could not force me to call it a career, but what about my future? He was right. It was OK as a hobby but I wasn't paying living expenses and pulling my weight.

 

The Music business is not really a business if you lose money every year. The IRS doesn't care provided I pay some tax and make better equipment buying decisions,

 

 

Mike T.

 

Hey Mike, I can't remember making any band $ in the 70's. I gave up cover bands etc long ago, when I was 24. Chicago was a rough scene, many crooks.

 

Many decades later, [ 2005}, I started a resale business on Amazon and caught some good luck with net profit for some years.

 

But towards then { 2012- 2015] it fizzled out and had similar IRS tax stuff as you. As a finance person I kept good records.

So I lived the downward spiral and finally went ' hobby' after 2015.

 

I am great at making Zero, that is 0000 $. which is my light hearted O/p.

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

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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I never tried to make any money in the music business......and I succeeded mightily.
Legend Exp,NC2x,Crumar Seven,KeyB Duo MK111,Nord C1,Nord C2D,Triton Classic,Fantom G7,Motif ES,SonicCell,BK7m,PA1x pro,VP770,TC Helicon,Leslie 3300,MS Pro145,EV SXA250(2),Traynor K4,PK7a,A70,DM10 Pro.
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I never tried to make any money in the music business......and I succeeded mightily.

 

you could brag about that somehow.

 

Like you, I never tried to be rich and famous, and I succeeded at not trying

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

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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The fact is, as I got older, I found it more difficult to move my equipment around by myself, I had to rent a U-Haul trailer after I gave back the trailer that I bought to move my stuff. I decided to get a day job and try to work Private Parties, Veterans Clubs, and only take the gigs where my music fit and I could make enough money to cover my expenses and pay a few bills, Can't get "roadies" where I live, at my age, most everyone I know is at least as old as me.

 

It got to the point that I wasn't getting enough worthwhile jobs to keep it going, I had to practice a lot to stay sharp, so I decided to call it a career. I've worked some day jobs since then and that was better than making music my first priority, it just didn't pay the bills. Its great as a hobby and during down time, I can relax and play music.

 

 

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

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In 2018, played 13 gigs. I don"t keep records, but probably made $1600.

 

Gigs probably average seven hours with travel. Working on material at home is about two hours a week. Maybe twenty rehearsals of three hours (almost zero travel time for rehearsals).

 

A little more than $6 an hour.

 

:-/

 

If I added in the hours for the jump blues project that has yet to gig (health scare with the sax player put that on hold, but should get going again soon), would make $6/hour look pretty damned good.

 

Not quitting my day job, for sure!

aka âmisterdregsâ

 

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In 2018, played 13 gigs. I don"t keep records, but probably made $1600.

 

Gigs probably average seven hours with travel. Working on material at home is about two hours a week. Maybe twenty rehearsals of three hours (almost zero travel time for rehearsals).

 

A little more than $6 an hour.

 

:-/

 

If I added in the hours for the jump blues project that has yet to gig (health scare with the sax player put that on hold, but should get going again soon), would make $6/hour look pretty damned good.

 

Not quitting my day job, for sure!

 

No one is competing for my #1 position.

 

But there might be a contest for # 2 ;)

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

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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Aren"t we all waiting for someone to admit to 'paying to play". That would bring the money into the negative side, for a clear winner.

 

For example paying for a week long rock band camp. No wait, that"s more likely to be found on the Guitar Forum!

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Aren"t we all waiting for someone to admit to 'paying to play". That would bring the money into the negative side, for a clear winner.

 

For example paying for a week long rock band camp. No wait, that"s more likely to be found on the Guitar Forum!

 

the comp side is touchy business from what I read. Realistically, in many professions, comp is touchy.

 

Anyway, music to me is a passion. I can afford to be light hearted about the bare knuckles business side.

I am retired and have no dependent chilluns who need the latest iPhone and Xbox games.

 

FWIW, I approached a few local wineries about performance , lets say 2 hours. They both said they only

bring in acts who are commercial, have a guarantied drinking following. The venue owners said that

they don't want their guests to get lost in listening to good music. They want them to drink drink drink and dance

around.

 

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

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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I was in a band in the early to mid-80s that was smack in the middle of pay-to-play in Hollywood / Sunset Strip (this was all original music). I don't remember all the details, but we played the Roxy, the Whiskey, Country Club, Troubadour. You had to buy tickets to play these places. Something like a 100 tickets, somewhere between $10-20/ea. So basically you were paying $1,000+ to play at the club. You then were expected to sell those tickets to your friends, and you kept the $$ - - IF you could sell them.

 

Early on, we got a manager who fronted the $$ for the tickets, and we would hustle to sell them to our friends and fans. At the beginning, it was like ummmm, kind of debilitating. And I guess yes - we were in the negative, so for that stretch, we take first place in this contest.

 

We were all dirt poor (except for one rich guy). But we had enthusiasm, and by some stroke of luck we started to have no problem selling those tickets, and we started to fill the clubs. I think at some point, we didn't have to buy the tickets anymore as we had a draw, and we were actually making $$. Then other bands would open up for us, and they had to play the game of pay-to-play to get on the bill. A weird and seamy thing going on behind the scenes that was being played by the club owners and band managers. We tried to ignore it and focus on our music.

Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands

Tommy Rude Soundcloud

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This year I got my first ever paid gig so I'm sitting pretty.

I'm doing far better than y'all and raked in the princely sum of... $83.

...Canadian dollars that is. That would work out to about $60 USD.

Nord Stage 2 Compact, Yamaha MODX8

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This year I got my first ever paid gig so I'm sitting pretty.

I'm doing far better than y'all and raked in the princely sum of... $83.

...Canadian dollars that is. That would work out to about $60 USD.

 

I am jealous. ;)

 

If I made $60, thats the 1st payment on a MODX8, financed thru Guitar Center for 24 months.

 

I know, such a planner :D

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

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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