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Topic: What do you see in your future as a musician. |
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 6:40 am |
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I am raBidly  approaching 60. I have played for a living all my life on all sorts of instruments, but mostly guitar and bass.
Looking around in my locale, Atlanta, and having worked with many traveling musicians in the past year or so while playing Broadway shows and concerts I hear so many speak of diminishing opportunities to play live for a respectable salary. Being on the Board of Directors for my local Musicians Union I am always seeing the stats and figures from New York on the dwindling residuals and other payments that used to be a big part of the recording musicians wages.
If music is just something you love to do and you make your living doing something else..Bless you.
If you make the bulk of your money playing...whether it be live or in the studio or teaching how are you dealing with todays musical economic environment and what are some of the things that have helped you now and some of the things that your doing to help your future. When I say "you" I also mean your family too.
I have a very modest pension waiting for me from the Musicians Union for the recording I have done here over the past 35+ years. I have also been able to navigate the more higher profile/economic potential jobs in the orchestra pits and other reading jobs by working on that aspect of my playing.
The recording work here has pretty much dried up and the majority of it is Rap, which does not require much in the way of live players. The occasional " custom CD project" is still around for players to work on. The live club scene is sparse with the nightly pay rarely topping $100, even less for the jazz gigs. The wedding band scene is still decent, but mostly for young bands covering pop/rap/ and a few oldies things.
I really don't think I would pursue a total career in just being a freelance musician if I were starting out today. Would you? |
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Drew Howard
From:
48854
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 7:17 am
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Bill,
Hello and kudos to you for the amazing music you make. Your post is sobering. Even with negative factors you mentioned I would still, as a young man, dream of stages and studios. I'm not a full-time musician (50%) but am very busy. Don't know how respectable I am but I scratch out a living.
thanks,
Drew
Last edited by Drew Howard on 28 Jul 2008 7:23 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 7:20 am
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No, I wouldn't pursue music at all in this day and age.
My musical career is very close to being over. |
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Roger Edgington
From:
San Antonio, Texas USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 7:39 am
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| I'm playing quite a bit. As for the future I see mostly a bad back and knees. Hey maybe if I lose a 100 lbs.or so. I've played gigs since I was 14. So why stop now? I plan on playing as long as I am able and still enjoy it. |
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 7:56 am
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good post and a very good question, ...well, I don`t know..I stopped playing around 2001 when I got on with FedEx and started my trucking business. I made more money in those few years than in 20 years of playing music.But I never looked at music as my job or carriere, it was just something I did, it was natural to me to play music, I always did. I had to bankrot my trucking business last year for the reasons we are all very familiar with, and feel, right now I drive a bus for MTA localy in Nashville, job is ok, schedule sucks and pay is far from what I was used to, but you can`t beat the benefits, and with two kids I need those. I hear only bad news around here from my friends, bands don`t go on the gigs out of Nashville, some of the major acts supposatly canceling their tours due to high expences etc...music never was a thing where you can make it big or rich, except few lucjy ones, of course....where do I see myself as a musician..hmmm, since I hold my job now pretty much only because of the benefits ,I can move back to Europe and have the benefits like all the other people. Me and my whole family can get health insurance without any problem, working or not, also schools are free, so if I have some more kids it would save me a bundle on college expences..college is also free...so that`s the good part, bad part is Europe is very expencive and prices for homes are same if not higher than here and average income of one person can not fit the bill for it, living expences, period, are higher, food,gas, housing etc... I could go ahead and live in Croatia and work with the band from Austria or Italy or maybe Germany, that is an option...right now we are thinking about it, and if we decide to make a move it will be sometime next year... so, to make a long story short, here in US I don`t see myself making living playing music, not any time soon...in Europe ,maybe...and to answer your question, if I was doing everything all over again, yes, I would do the same thing, I got so much from music (not neccesserly only money) that thanks to music I enjoyed the most part of my life...I wouldn`t know how to live without a music or at least being around it....
Db
_________________
https://steelguitarsonline.com/ |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 8:18 am
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Good question..I am also approaching seasoned citizen status.
Goals: Play better , play smarter, don't over play, look good (clean + neat) don't talk politics.
Bands: I never turn down a gig as there will come a time when no one will call anyway and I don't want it to be tomorrow . Currently I am very fortunate as I do gig a few times each month with a few different locals.
Future: Not a road player, not a recording artist, don't even care about the big stages. Have fun with whoever I am out on the town with regardless of skill level. I don't discriminate, I make playing mistakes with great bands and entry level bands alike
IF I go out a few times each month thats fine by me, more than that I will miss Law and Order re-runs 
Since the young tender age of about 13, I have never NOT gone out and played music somewhere , I don't see me stopping until...uhh..I have come to a complete stop...or thereabout.. 
The only real difference between back then and now is quite easy for me to see, back then when I was between 13 and 30, I was hanging out with girls who were 13 to 30..now..uhh.."NOT"
Would I do it all over again,? Oh yeah, in a NY minute. The next time around I will move to NYC and become the "living the life" musician instead of just talking about it.
Last edited by Tony Prior on 28 Jul 2008 2:04 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 8:23 am
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I am hoping for a whole new career as a concert artist in classical music circles. No steel guitarist has ever attempted to do this. There are several people who are far more qualified than I am, but I'm the one actively pursuing it.
I've always said, my goal is not to introduce classical music to people who love the steel guitar, but rather to introduce the steel to people who love classical music.
I'm taking the first baby steps in that direction by participating in this concert on August 10 (see my post in the events and announcements section) where I'll be playing with 2 members of the L.A. Philharmonic. Presumably there will be other members of the orchestra in the audience.
The 2 ladies and I are talking about possibly adding a violinist and forming a chamber ensemble consisting of violin, viola, cello and steel, and playing in classical music venues.
Wish me luck. I'll need it.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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James Cann
From:
Phoenix, AZ
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 8:39 am
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| Full marks, Mike. Your altruistic-in-strictly- positive-connotation view and project become you, as it must any musician. Every good wish, and enjoy the experience. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 9:08 am
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I love playing music, but I'm really tired of the work of gigging. Ideally, I'd like to have easy access to a local recording studio and/or performance space where most of my gear would be set up. Hey, it could happen.
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-š¯•“š¯•†š¯•“- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 9:14 am
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| Damir Besic wrote: |
..and to answer your question, if I was doing everything all over again, yes, I would do the same thing,
Db
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Damir. Enjoyed your post.
The question is NOT whether you would do it again, but would you do it again if you were younger and starting RIGHT NOW and you were taking into consideration the musical/economic environment of today. |
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Greg Vincent
From:
Folsom, CA USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 9:39 am
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Traffic, aching back & knees caused me to throw in the towel. Pursuing a career in music ceased to be enjoyable.
If in my twenties again and starting out today, the gas prices might freak me out, but I still think I'd HAVE to try.
-GV |
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chas smith R.I.P.
From:
Encino, CA, USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 9:52 am
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I'm 60. There was a decade where I made a decent living playing on film scores and in the last 10 years that has dwindled to the occasional non-union session. Which is usually a phone call on what they want, I record it here, at my studio, and either burn a cd or upload it to a server. I really miss the "hang" that used to happen at the sessions, but the budgets aren't there anymore and it will never go back.
| Quote: |
| to play live for a respectable salary. |
That doesn't happen here, that I'm aware of, unless you're in the symphony. I was happy to get $25, beer and parking. One time, I was outside a club talking to the booker and he said, you have to understand that, each of us has 3 lists of the bands, that play for more than $100, for less and for free. Who do you think we call first. The best we ever did was weddings and the anthropologist conventions. Don't laugh, those people know how to party.
So, now I'm still playing with a "metal/art?" band called Tack, where after 8+ years and 3 albums we've worked our way up to some decent venues and $100 a man. Yee Hah. Of course they didn't show the "old man's" face, in the video, the bastards. And on the other end of the spectrum there's some country/truck drivin' stuff starting up again, for low bucks. How do you explain to a non-musician, the enjoyment of playing in bands, because it doesn't make any sense. At least, economically.
On the personal composition/recordings. I know what kind of music sells, but that's not what I do or what I'm about. The entire budget for the recording, mastering and art work comes out of my pocket. My accountant thinks I'm nuts. Then most of my airplay is in the UK and western Europe and actually, I get more air play in Russia than I do here. So be it, it's what I trained for, it's what I do.
If I was in it for the money, I wouldn't be in it. Fortunately, I can still make a living as a welder and a machinist. My retirement plan is simply death.
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| to help your future. When I say "you" I also mean your family too. |
One of the reasons I went and stayed with Cold Blue Music is, even though it's a vanity label, I own the masters and the publishing. If there is ever any money, it goes to my darling. |
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 10:03 am
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"The question is NOT whether you would do it again, but would you do it again if you were younger and starting RIGHT NOW and you were taking into consideration the musical/economic environment of today."
Fuggetaboudit!! |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 10:44 am
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| Quote: |
| The question is NOT whether you would do it again, but would you do it again if you were younger and starting RIGHT NOW and you were taking into consideration the musical/economic environment of today. |
Hell no.
Not unless I was gonna take it all the way and get an advanced academic degree in music. Then I could go teach real music at some middle sized college in some middle sized town in some beautiful part of the world and just play for personal pleasure. A couple of my picking buddies from the 60s have done just that and are pretty set for life - a tenure,benefits,travel,good steady money,etc.
The path I chose instead was a hippie lifestyle in the 60s and all that goes with it...though in those days you could live in a "band house",play 7 nights a week and make a living. That continued into the 70s when I moved to L.A. and switched to steel because there was too much competition on guitar. The theory I learned over the years was from playing in bands with guys who were better than me. In the 80s and 90s my playing matured and I got married,adopted a more adult lifestyle,went fishing a lot and was still making a living between steady gigs,my recording studio and videography biz. That was a happy time.
Now days there's almost zero club gigs,zero road gigs and what little recording that's taking place is HipHop and "R&B". Most all the country and americana recording has migrated to Austin and Nashville. The control room in my recording studio has become a video editing bay and the drum booth has become a storage room for instruments I don't have time to play. I make pretty good bread videotaping legal depositions around SoCal and work is picking up because when the economy is down,litigation is up - but because the economy is down,it's still not quite enough yet to get me off the edge of the financial cliff.
The way it worked out,I got it backwards. I took my retirement from the age of 16 to 61 and now that I know what the hell I'm doing and am a seasoned musician,it's time to get a day job,support my family and start saving up for old age.... |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 10:54 am
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[quote="Michael Johnstone"]
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The way it worked out,I got it backwards. I took my retirement from the age of 16 to 61 and now that I know what the hell I'm doing and am a seasoned musician,it's time to get a day job,support my family and start saving up for old age.... |
MJ. I think you just described my life also! |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 10:58 am Well... I'm not sure, but...
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| ...it won't include a Chinese Flying Pigeon bicycle. |
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John Steele
From:
Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 11:33 am
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After years of gigging around my day job, and regrettably having to say No alot, I look forward to it being the centerpiece of semi-retirement.
-John |
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 11:52 am
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| Bill Hatcher wrote: |
| Damir Besic wrote: |
..and to answer your question, if I was doing everything all over again, yes, I would do the same thing,
Db
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Damir. Enjoyed your post.
The question is NOT whether you would do it again, but would you do it again if you were younger and starting RIGHT NOW and you were taking into consideration the musical/economic environment of today. |
yes I would, as long as I didn`t have responsibilities like wife,kids and such...I never made any "real" money anyway, it was not ever ment to be my "job" it was a way of life for me... if I was 20 and single, hell yeah, all those parties and girls..who wouldn`t...
Db
_________________
https://steelguitarsonline.com/ |
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Dale Bessant
From:
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 12:42 pm
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The dream never dies.....just the dreamer....I only have music for my meager income and wouldnt have it any other way....I may be financially challenged but this is the road I have chosen...so be it!  .... I will keep on playing and creating until I can't keep up with a representable form of music or people start booing me, like poor Jessica Simpson 
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BMI S-10,3+4,Peavey Vegas 400,15"BW equipped,Goodrich 120,Zoom Studio rack mount-FX,Liberty Resonator,Fender Telecaster,JT-148 Jazz Box,Blueridge BR-180 |
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John De Maille
From:
On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 1:13 pm
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I always wanted to play music for a living. I tried it for a while, way back when,but, couldn't make a lucrative living out of it. I guess I could have if I were more adventuresome, but, I wasn't and I didn't. Nowadays, I'm content with doing a couple of gigs a year and playing a few steel shows a year. No, I'm NOT. I really want to be out there playing 4 to 5 gigs a week, like I used to. Sharpening my craft to a razors edge and playing to a live crowd every gig. That's how I REALLY FEEL ! Oh Well....
I know the time window has passed me by and can't be retrieved again. If only I ....... |
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Randy Gilliam
From:
San Antonio, Texas, USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 1:55 pm Music
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| Long Hours Low Pay Lots Of Driving And I Still Love Every Job I Get Too Play? Randy |
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Gabriel Stutz
From:
Chicago, USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 2:28 pm
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Well, I've decided to make a go of it. I came to music relatively late in my life compared to some of you guys that have been playing since you were in your teens - I'm 33. I started life off as a painter, playing guitar for fun. Then I happened upon a bass player that totally changed the way I looked at playing music which led me to focus on it. I've been "serious" about music for about 8 years or so, and have been making the majority of my money for the last 3 on steel. I have had jobs off and on to make ends meet (barely), but I plan to make my living with music. I am planning to start music school in the spring and see where it takes me. I will certainly be considering teaching as an option. I'm somewhat lucky being in Chicago. There are a lot of opportunities to play here, and I'm not even that great yet. In the future I would like to be able to work on film scores/session stuff, play club dates, and teach. I'd really like to integrate steel into genres it isn't commonly associated with (Mike I salute you). I have no ambition to be on the road for years at a time. I'm a home body.
Gabriel |
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Leroy Deuster
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 2:48 pm My Future
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I am a journeyman pattern maker I worked in the tool and die trade or as a machinist my whole life. That trade is not going forward; it is going backward like the rest of our economy. I just want to live and take care of my responsibilities. I would love to play music for a living and I am pursing it with the support of my wife, family and friends; but you guys are making me have second thoughts. Is there no work? Is there too many players for the available work? I am successful up here, doing some studio work and gigs. My goal is to come down to Nashville and play: touring, gigging and hopefully some studio work. Iā€™m not out to be a star. I just want to do what is in my heart, play music full time. I no longer have a day job. I am coming to Nashville to find a ride. I hope for sun shine and not a rainy day. I know you are all talking from experience and facts, but I can always go back to what I was doing. I have to try living my dream. Music, music, music.
God is ultimately in charge and steering this ship. I do not know what my future holds but I do know who holds my future. God doesnā€™t drive a parked car, so I am going to keep on moving and see where I end up. I am very fortunate to have my wifeā€™s support.
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www.myspace.com/leroydeuster
www.leroydeuster.com |
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Twayn Williams
From:
Portland, OR
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 3:43 pm
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| chas smith wrote: |
| My retirement plan is simply death. |
Yup Student loans to get my music degrees will ensure I have no money in the bank and will be unable to ever retire. And of course there's the fact that Social Security will be completely broke by the time I'm 65 (20 years). Thanks George 
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Primitive Utility Steel |
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Posted 28 Jul 2008 3:59 pm
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| Quote: |
| Social Security will be completely broke by the time I'm 65 |
day will come when this will look like a pretty good gig...
Db
_________________
https://steelguitarsonline.com/ |
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