how easy is it to make a ordinary living in music?

[BigonaBianchi]

Here is what an American friend of mine just told me (he sang on a few of my tunes):

i pick up payed sessions sometimes.nothing at scale mind you,
50,75 dollars for a tune.

that's for coming in and making a few passes on the tune,and
then yer outta' there.what,maybe an hour?

ya go in listen to the tune,and make ye passes. to me,it's
a plus if ya dont have to work the band or artist.things go
waaaaay smoother and quicker.


as for doing the same thing on line,i've never done that.
it seems like it would depend on the situation.

i mean it's like,you'de have to get the sessions first.
the only reason i get as many as i do is because i play
(like most of us here)a bunch of different instruments,
and i sing too.and i'm also comfortable outside my main
and favourite genre or style.

here in Memphis,there some incredibly hot musicians,so
session work is hard enough to get as it is,so what i
do get is mostly by luck and reputation.

getting back to doing it on line.

if i could do it maybe 3 or 4 days a week,at 3 songs
a day.shoot ya'all,i'de never lay another piece of tile
again.

once again though,where do you pick up those kind of
sessions?

I have a mate in LA who does sessions for studios there when the bands with deals guitarist cant cut it he gets a call from the producer who'll send over a pro tools file and instructions on what to play...he does the business and gets paid by the hour...he has to destroy the files , has no rights to his performance and the performance credit goes to the prat rockstar guitarist who couldnt play!

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I don't think I'd want to make a living from it anyway. As things are, my band have a 24 track digital portastudio and our own PA, and we can play what we like and record when we like. Nobody tells us to write more hits and if we don't like a venue, we don't play there again. We're never goinbg to be more than mildly famous in rural Herefordshire, but that's fine by me - we're having a lot of fun and earning enough to keep buying our own gear and having the occasional slap up meal on the band.

 

[MarkF]

Teach it instead. I have had drum and guitar lessons (I am still crap at both) and always had problems with "too busy" teachers trying to fit me in.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

...nought wrong with that...I have seen GOOD players give up because their 'passion' became their job and when it's your job it becomes just as much of a drag as any other job can be when the pressure is on and the ONLY reason the pressure arrives is because of the money men....I reckon most musos were origionally in it for the fame, not necessarily the fortune...unfortunatly 99.9% of them get used by the money men who see music and musicians as nothing more than another commodity. If you understand that from the kick off no problem, but most youngster dont see past the stars in their eyes. Like AC/DC said...'it's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll'.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Like AC/DC said...'it's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll'.

... back in the days when they were good.

 

[papercorn2000]

See about 4th down in order of business...
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/businessBulletin/bb-09/bb-01-05f.htm

 

[Rhythm Thief]

See about 4th down in order of business...
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/businessBulletin/bb-09/bb-01-05f.htm

Good stuff! Note " ...AC/DC, whose founding members, Angus and Malcolm Young, moved from Scotland to Australia and joined with Bon Scott, another Scottish émigré ..."
They were a great band when he was the singer. They lost all their humour when he died.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I have several friends who are professional musicians, but I know several equally talented people who gave up or decided one something different along the way. Perhaps the most talented musician I ever knew now works as a hospital orderly ( I think). One make his living teaching music, writing music for music libraries, TV and adverts (in that order of job security). There are two people I knew who are still gigging, recording and doing okay, but they will never be more than a cult band. They made enough money from when a DJ mashed up one of their songs which then got used (and is still being used) by a major car company, though...

Making a living in music in some way is possible, but making a living as a gigging recording musician is really f*cking hard

 

[BigonaBianchi]

...all it takes is one hit song though...ask Noddy Holder..or Roy Wood which songs make up the lions share of their pensions

 

[another_dave_b]

...all it takes is one hit song though...ask Noddy Holder..or Roy Wood which songs make up the lions share of their pensions

Does that still hold?

I seem to recall David Bowie saying that in the future musicians would have to look to live performances for money, as there wouldn't be any from recorded music sales.

 

[vernon]

Does that still hold?

I seem to recall David Bowie saying that in the future musicians would have to look to live performances for money, as there wouldn't be any from recorded music sales.

Think of all the performances of 'Merry Xmas Everybody' and 'I wish it could be xmas everyday' that are played on the radio and piped music systems during the festive season plus the Xmas compilation albums that get sold.......

 

[Aperitif]

Think of all the performances of 'Merry Xmas Everybody' and 'I wish it could be xmas everyday' that are played on the radio and piped music systems during the festive season plus the Xmas compilation albums that get sold.......

Yes. Let's 'do' Noddy now!