Contemporary Freelance Musicians: Can You Make a Living in Music?

Steve Raybine

Blog #8:

Contemporary Freelance Musicians:

Can You Make a Living in Music?

Freelance musicians: if you haven't figured it out yet, you're in for a potential 'rocky road' trying to earn a living in contemporary music. What's that you say, Steve? You mean that there's more to just playing my instrument or composing my music in order to make money in the music field? Unfortunately, that's exactly what I'm saying to you my dear colleagues, friends and super-star wannabe's. Simply put, this is not a career for the faint-of-heart, but a career for the self-motivated; undeterred; multi-talented; persistent; goal-oriented (often times a bit unrealistic); business-savvy person who loves music to the core of their being and won't let anyone or anything stop them from pursuing music. Do you fit this profile? If not, maybe you should save yourself years of anguish and quasi-poverty and try a more stable and lucrative profession? I'm not trying to be mean, but just brutally honest--music is an extremely competitive, complex and difficult profession.

Honestly, the music business or music industry is one of the toughest fields that you could choose for your career. Music performance is ultra-competitive amongst the talented professional musicians, not to mention the marginally-talented amateurs. Also, it is often an occupation where logical outcomes (non-linear--not cause-and-effect oriented) can be a relatively rare occurrence, not to mention a financial drain on your savings. One is constantly investing money in multiple projects or necessities (recording your own CD's; music equipment; press materials; etc.) in order to further your career and reputation. Over the last nine years, I have easily invested over $100,000.00 in my music, which isn't chump change. In most businesses or careers, if you work a certain amount of time each week, your paycheck reflects the amount of time you worked. In the freelance music world, your work hours are generally erratic and your paycheck varies weekly, which can cause you and your family much financial distress. Is there a solution to this potential dilemma? Yes! I recommend considering having back-up plans, which may enable you to pursue your music while you augment it with one of the following plans:

Backup Plans:

1.) Be a music teacher, either vocationally or avocationally. Some people, such as myself, maintain their own teaching studio (I teach 40-50 students per week). Others, teach students in a music store or within an academic environment.

2.) Become a recording engineer and establish your own studio or work for someone else's recording studio. In both instances, you will have the opportunity of generating supplemental income, which is your prime objective (and recording some great music, too).

3.) Find work in some other music-related area such as music retail; DJ work (the world just can't have enough DJ's); music printing; music publishing; music advertising; etc. Hopefully, one of these areas will yield income for you.

4.) Get a "regular job" outside of music. I know many talented musicians that work a day job in all sorts of areas. By doing so, it will give you the financial flexibility of pursuing your music on your own terms.

I counsel all of my performance-oriented students to carefully examine the pros and cons of a career in music prior to entering college. I believe it's important to make a well-informed decision before investing thousands of dollars pursuing music performance vocationally. I also recommend that you speak with professionals within the music field that can give you guidance and information that may prove helpful when contemplating a career in music. If music is your choice, I wish you much success and a relatively steady paycheck. Don't forget: devise a back-up plan, because you may need one...or two.

Copyright 2009 Steve Raybine

All Rights Reserved

http://www.steveraybine.com/




http://www.myspace.com/steveraybine




http://www.facebook.com/pages/Steve-Raybine/56070941106




http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/raybine3




http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Steve+Raybine&search_type=&aq=f




http://www.smoothjazz.eu/index2.php?artist=85