Musician for a living?

Question

I'm only 21 years old

My passion for music has been since I was born. Mainly old school salsa, bolero , Cuban son , my Idol being Hector Lavoe. So I was thinking for a long time about becoming ( or atleast try the struggle ) a musician for a living..

I'm studying IT at college , it's not something I like , but my parents told me , get a Degree to fall back on , you can always make music but it's not certain you will make a comfortable living with it.

I dont know what to do. When I watch old video's of live musicians it makes me emotional . It's not that I HAVE to reach a certain point ( for example fame ) to be content with my music.

Although I would love to make a living as a musician , it's good to stay ..... "realistic". But it's also important for me to make a comfortable living , the nice house , cars ...

I dont what do do and I'm depressed.


PS : Today's music makes me sick. Those so called "singers" / musicians couldn't sing live to save their life

Answer 1

You might want to consider getting a minor in dance performance or do a double major with IT and dance. This will allow you to keep your dancing fresh. You can always dance at night or teach dance at night and work in an IT firm during the day. This will give you a better chance to make a comfortable living and keep dancing.

You need to find a balance in life. If you don't like IT, try taking some other courses to see if there is anything else you are interested in.

Keep on dancing, at least in your extra time, if it makes you happy.

Answer 2

Take up music for the fun of it. When you get good do it for laughs at parties, then may Friday and Saturday nights.

To be honest there aren't many jobs open Sun - Thurs

Most of the gigs are weekends and you might be off on weekends.

If you really get into it and have the money build a home studio and start producing music and see what happens.

You might end up like Emilio Esteban producing Gloria, the band and Shakira.

Then again you might now. All you'll waist is time and little money.

You probalby do that naturally anyway!

You know writing, which is one of the things I'm into, is a horribly paid profession. They pay BA Journalsits next to nothing on big newspapers.

They 5 cents a word to start

A first book gets you an advance of $500 or $1,000 for 300,000 words!

Well there was this computer programmer who was making 50K a year and he had an idea for a book.

It was all the naked parts in videos based on hour minute and second of time.

He wrote the book up with 5,000 titles and where you can find all the naked parts.

It became a best seller. Sold 20 million copies to date and he gets the same $1.00 per copy I would get.

Only with 20 million copies that means a lot more than if my book sold 20,000!

Needless to say he doesn't program computers anymore!

Now if yoiu produce a record or an artist and play on the tracks or not, but do it your way and make it work and it sells you make money.

If it doesn't sell it costs you the equipment (a comptuer, pro tools, a keyboard trigger, some percussion instruments, some mics, some room space and $2,000 to press 1,000 CDS. My God you can't even go to Cancun for a week on that kind of money!)

And it becomes an experience learning to make, press market and when you see your songs listed on some tear sheet being played even on college radio it is a good feeling.

I know, I did that for 30 years.

Starting pay for a club player is $50 a night and without a super act you aren't going to get more so you can expect to make $200-300 a week playing, which isn't much to write home about.

But if you do it part time as you can and work on making music at home and come up with something you really like, maybe the world will like it too.

If not, oh well

That's show biz!

By the way IF you do it right (and you should) yu get into the collectables business.

ALL the best mics went out of production in 1970.

That means they are limited in quantity and hotly in demand.

So a vintage 1959 Telefunken U-47 tube, which everyone wants, originally sold for $500 and today it sells used for $5,000

You shop around, find one for $3,500. Maybe find one in a yard sale for $25

Maybe you find a company that fixes them. You learn what a good price is. Yu find a broken one for $2,000 pay $1,000 to fix it up and you have a $5,000 mic for $3,000 and in 10 years when you decide to get out of the business maybe you can sell it for $6,000 or $7,000

Yu can also rent or lease it to artists, producers and studios, just make sure they have insurance or bond to repair it if it's lost or broken.

You only rent to name artists and producers.

You have some equipment, you put together a list, you wait for Alicia Keys to come around and rent it from you for a month for $500 (it's $100 a day at a studio)

A friend of mine does this.

You also make friends with artists and producers.

And you slip them a CD along with the mic when they come to pick it up or when you ship it.

Maybe they'll listen.

Maybe they'll like it.

Answer 3

My husband and I have made a very successful life for ourselves, in a similar situation to yours. MY solution is not YOUR solution, but perhaps this can help. He is a very fine pianist, I am a flutist. We play many chamber music concerts, gigs with live chamber music, and CHOOSE what and when we want to play. How? We have *day jobs* as school music teachers. Now, I know that teaching school is NOT for everyone - it is very difficult, and only LATER does it pay well (I alone make close to $100,00 a year now, with all my advanced degrees, etc.). But it allowed us to work 180 days a year, and have lots of time for our music. We can afford to take ONLY the gigs we like, and those that pay well - because we have a good salary, benefits like health and dental insurance, sick days, and a good retirement. We have ZERO debt, own a few properties, and have a lot invested. We are in our fifties, and at the end of this school year, we will both be retired. Then we can do our music full-time - and NEVER worry about any bills, etc. Your parents are giving you EXCELLENT advice. You IT job will allow you to buy fine instruments, a great sound system, and you can travel and study all over the world. Heck,m your job cna relocate you all over the world! AND - here is something else cool - you can BLEND you IT knowledge with music, by using all those cool digital software programs we now use! My son is 27, and is now getting his Masters Degree in Digital Music - he has an undergrad degree in Music Ed, and teachers HS by day - and does his own thing when he feels like it. He is also an incredible pianist and singer - his life is full and happy. He is married to another music teacher. That makes FOUR of us.

Let's look at the other side. I need to call players for a gig, so when that violinist and cellist show up, they are making their total living as players. They live from gig to gig, no insurance, no retirement, a low-income life. Sometimes you get that attitude *I majored in performance, therefore I MUST be a better musician than you!*. Baloney! If I want to spend a bundle on a new instrument, or lessons in NYC, or tickets to ANYTHING - I can afford it. HOW??? I blended by passion AND a realistic career. It is a shame that all the people who want to be performers and DESERVE to be performers, through talent, education, and hard work, CANNOT survive in our culture doing so - but that is reality. YOU have the ability to do wonderful things! These lists are full of no-talent whiners with NOTHING going for them - YOU have already gotten into a college that points to a future successful career - and if it gets tough, then tell yourself that this is WHAT IT TAKES to get what you need. Nobody said the path to your goals was going to be easy or STRAIGHT - but you are most definitely on the right path. I wish you all the luck in the world - but luck favors the well-prepared, as you know!

Answer 4

You had better live ( or move to) a heavily traveled tourist destination if you want ot work any more than 2 nites a week. Then, during the peak months, if you're good, you can probably work 4-5 nights a week. But only in the peak months. For example- winter is when everyone goes to Florida, and I know a few musicians that go there for the winter and work steady, then come back to MO in the summer when the tourists are hitting the lake. If you're willing to go where the work is, you can stay busy.

Answer 5

Producers can perform ALL kinds of magic in the studio - pitch can be fixed, also timing (I understand to be the biggest problem). Heck, you can do that with Garageband! Almost note by note can be fixed for someone willing to take the time to do so. And with megabucks from studios, that's highly probable. A family member saw Neil Young some years age and said he was too incapcitated to finish the set and shouldn't have been allowed on. Same relative said BEST shows ever were Michael Jackson, Rolling Stones, TIna Turner and Alice Cooper. Said these people totally respected their audiences and gave performances to remember.

Answer 6

A talented musician can succeed in today's music industry. Consider starting your own record label. There are certain traits that help. You must have motivation, drive, passion for music. Business skills help. Be able to analyze markets in each town. Gain computer skills to promote yourself. The industry is moving towards the internet for music. Find a way to get your music heard by large groups of people.

Answer 7

IT by day, percussionist by night? It can be done!

Hm, why did I think you're a conga player? For all I know you're a trombonist...

Anyway, I digress. To maximize your chances of becoming a professional musician in the style you prefer, you'll want to locate somewhere that has a lively music scene in that genre. New York City is always good, and for those styles Miami comes to mind.

Get out to clubs, meet musicians, jam, and try to get into a band, and see where it goes--all the while remembering that old maxim, don't quit your day job :-)

Answer 8

Can't you form a band on the side or does your school take up all your time and resources? Maybe you can just take a class or two just to get to know some of the other musicians in your school to network and jam with.