Column: Making a Living as a Musician

[AlanN]

A well-known mandolinist in a well-known circuit bluegrass band told me he earned $50K annually, in a typical year. Sounds like a lot, you say, for doing what many see as a fun hobby - i.e., getting paid to pick. Well, factor in the below:

- Constant road travel, during the prime months
- Dealing with the lean times, no easy task
- Irregular hours for sleeping, eating, exercising, down time
- Living, eating, sleeping with band mates
- Being a member of a headlining act means usually closing out the evening show - late night stage time, doing the record table after the show
- Riding late at night to the next venue, sometimes hundreds of miles away
- Caring for the bus, a huge effort and expense
- Being away from family, home life
- no paid holidays/company-sponsored benefits/401(K) matching
- If you don't work, you don't get paid

I see it as a young person's game; but, time marches on and soon (before you know it), one ain't so young anymore and going on tour becomes a drag. I remember reading an interview with Pete Townshend (The Who). He said "Oh God, now we have to go on tour!" Granted, a different level than that of a bg band, but many of the same stresses.

I know another mandolin cat who manages much closer to home - no bus, no constant touring - yet, he must hustle to make it happen. And he has the stable-job spouse. It still is not easy.

[allenhopkins]

Helping to run a couple small concert series, one in a rural village, the other in the "big city" (Rochester NY, that is), I work with a lot of local musicians, and a few touring ones as well. All in various kinds of acoustic/folk/bluegrass/old-time/Celtic music, not rock, jazz, pop or classical.

All the locals that I would call "full time," have another gig as well as performing; they teach instrumental music, or record other musicians in home studios, or work in music-related businesses like instrument dealers, music clubs, schools etc. Many have spouses or "partners" with full-time non-music jobs, who generally have the health insurance and retirement plans that the full-time musicians lack.

And let me say, not to tell tales out of school, that some of the full-time musicians also have wealth from non-music sources: inheritances, spouses/partners from wealthier families, similar situations. This is not to be snarky, just to say that these performers are somewhat cushioned from the risks of being full-time musicians.

I'm somewhat in that category, having a fairly comfortable retirement stipend, enabling me to spend my time playing a variety of small-potatoes gigs. (Got one in an hour, so I'll try to finish up...)

Last year I helped sponsor a performance by quite a well-known singer-songwriter, who's been touring and recording since at least the early 1980's, has many albums on nationally-distributed labels, has played extensively overseas (she was touring in Australia a couple months ago) and domestically. Many of you would recognize her name if I listed it.

She was telling me how glad she was to have become eligible for Medicare last year, since she'd been living without health insurance. Her economic situation was quite precarious, possibly due to living in high-cost NYCity, and she actually seemed quite grateful for the few hundred dollars our little Tunes By the Tracks Wednesday night show paid her. I wouldn't have expected the reaction we got from her, since to us she's a "big name" whose music we've listened to and enjoyed for decades.

Ain't easy out there, no matter who you are. Especially for acoustic musicians; that's been my experience, anyway.

[CES]

Charlie, the night we saw Rhonda and the Rage was exactly as you surmised: a tweener show for them. Weekday evening, and between two larger venues. Low pressure gig, relatively early finish, etc. I've also seen a couple of reasonably well-known BG acts (both get some airplay on BG Junction, FWIW) from within an hour or 2 of us that have played house parties in our area. Straight cash with nominal overhead, get home by midnight or 1, and often get food and beverages provided. One of the mandolin players told me those were his favorite gigs. Good food, fun with his band mates, a little freedom to experiment with arrangements or work out kinks in newer material given the low pressure environment, a little bit of scratch, and still home at a reasonable hour.

My location is a good one, and greatly appreciated, especially for bluegrass/acoustic music. I just wish it wasn't so difficult for the musicians I love hearing play and sing to make a living at it...

[OlDanTucker]

Beats me why society values one talent over another the way it does.
My College advisor recommended that anyone planning to make a living at any art should have a trade. Preferably one that pays well and is pretty flexible. That way you don't have to "sell out" to make a living. I tried the "professional" musician route for a few months in my 20's and found that not only did it pay poorly and was uncomfortable but I didn't have the ability to play the same songs every night for the rest of my life. As Ray Wylie Hubbard said once: "The secret to being a full time musician for many years is never learn to do anything else."

I admire those who do, extremely and would like to help support them in any way I can.

So it's incumbent upon all of us who want to keep this music going to:
--Get out and Support our local bands. Pay the cover, throw something extra into the tip jar.
--Buy a CD or two.
--Throw a House concert or two, and attend some others.
--Take a Skype lesson from someone you admire.
--Contribute to a kickstarter campaign.
--Attend a festival or a Music Camp.
--Talk to others, get them interested. Let businesses, churches and social organizations know you are there for the music.
--Contribute to organizations that support musicians needs, like HAMM in Austin.
--Join a Music Association of some sort and have some events.
--Support the music however you can!

[Teak]

Probably the same for any art form. The famous painters everyone's heard of, they didn't become famous by staying in their hometown unless they'd been born in Paris or something. They probably sacrificed a lot to pursue their art. Guess it all depends on what one's priorities & interests are.

And not just art.

During the gold rush, it wasn't the bulk of the gold miners that made money but rather those that supported the miners with goods and services ("pick-and-shovel sellers"). Wells Fargo and Levi's are both companies that got starts during the California gold rush and are still selling product today.

There are pick-and-shovel sellers in the music world and boy do we love talking about them!

[Mandobart]

...The reality is that art , sports, cooking, landscale, and other areas simply arent going to make much dough...

As Alan often points out, to the general public (and marketplace) any "fun" job looks a lot like getting paid to eat ice cream. Although I make a few hundred bucks a year on paid gigs, and I've been publicly performing music for over 40 years, I am not and don't desire to be a professional musician. I learned a few years back that the key to financial security is to develop a necessary skill, service or product that everyone needs, but generally sees as too hard, too dirty, too dangerous or too boring to provide for themselves. So I'm a power plant operator at a large electrical generating facility. I make far more than I ever expected, good pay and bennies, solid retirement plan, etc. I pay more in taxes each year than any musician I know earns. I work hard - 12 hour shifts, rotating from day to night. But on my days off....Its time for fun - skiing, biking, camping, and playing music. I dont expect to get paid to have fun.