Do you make your income primarily as a musician?

Dave Stroud · From: Texas

I did a search and couldn't find a poll like this... forgive me if this has come up recently. I'm curious as to how many of you make a living as a musician, or have a different job and reserve steel as a hobby? I'm a college student majoring in mechanical engineering, myself.... But I sure love steelin in the evenings.

Dave Stroud · From: Texas

For polling purposes, assume the "past tense" if you are now retired.

John De Maille · From: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.

I've been retired for 5 yrs now, but, I always had a secure daytime job as a carpenter for over 40 yrs. As funny as it may seem, I also worked steadily in music playing almost as long. For several years I worked as many as 5 gigs a week! But, I never trusted the music business. There were no health benefits, no vacation time, no sick time and you never knew when you wouldn't be working. I could've gone on the road with a couple of acts, but, just didn't trust the insecurity. So, I backed up my music career with a full time daytime job. Strange how things turn out though, I'm now working with a local band, that, works around 40 or so gigs a year. It's all good! I love playing music.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

retired one year now after 45 years non stop. Although I played music for my entire life out in the clubs it was always "extra income" . I was never in a position to go out and earn an income from only music even though I was given that opportunity many times. Thought about it but it just wasn't in the cards.

I give major credit to those players who stuck it out whether locally or on the road and made a go of it, and survived it !
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Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years

CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website

Dave Zirbel · From: Sebastopol, CA USA

I've always been a weekend warrior...... Smile

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Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps

Christopher Woitach · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Other than a brief period as a cook, I have always made my living from a combination of performing and teaching music, usually privately. For the past 16 years, I've been an adjunct professor of jazz guitar at Western Oregon University, working one long day and one half day per week. I usually gig 10-15 times a month, playing in almost every kind of situation from big band plus strings to solo guitar. I'm very pleased in the last year to add jazz pedal steel gigs to the mix!
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Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com

Dave Stroud · From: Texas

I appreciate all the response. The purpose of this poll is to help me gain a true perception as to how the people here on the forum have chosen to incorporate steel guitar in their lives. I appreciate those who are able to make a living as a musician. My guitar teacher in high school went that route and was successful in raising a family and making enough income through different means. However, my father gigs on the side with him and works for a natural gas company during the day; I hope to do something similar. I'm much too anxious of a person to have more than a fair amount of job and benefits insecurity. And of course, supporting my wife and family take foremost priority.. I'm in the process of setting goals of where I'd like to be at with steel in 5 years from now, and I think it may be what John De Maille, Tony Prior, and others have done.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

don't give up your day job!

i voted played music for a living.
but i wouldn't recommend it for you.

Ken Lang · From: Simi Valley, Ca

For a while I made more money as a musician than as an engineer, but that changed. Now retired, I don't have to work unless I want to.
A friend, who chose to go full time musician, gets nothing in his old age. Depends on his wife, who is 78, to work.
Too sad.
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heavily medicated for your safety

Bill L. Wilson · From: Oklahoma, USA

Having tried to play music full time, in the '60's, I figured out real quick, that I was never gonna be a pro musician. So, I went to work in construction, played in a gospel band, worked in a recording studio, and got back into construction to provide for my family....Now retired, I play pedal steel, and guitar in a country rock band every weekend for spending money....I'm very fortunate to have my Lovely WIFE that works, makes good money, and that allows me to cut wood on our property, mow, work on guitars, mess around in the shop, and build stuff when I get a notion.

John De Maille · From: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.

Yup, I was always told, don't give up the day job!
The music business is funny that way. It's all roses and green pastures and then, without a notice, a drought arises. I, or any of my colleagues at the time, we're never as good as the Nashville pros, so the true realism of going there and making it big was at most, a tiny hope. Several of my friends tried it and wound up doing very menial jobs just to survive. A lot of them came back or traveled to another area to try and make it. Most never succeeded. I guess in a way, I was pretty lucky. I got to do what I liked to do and had a good career doing it. Now, as I said, I'm retired, but, I'm still doing what I really like doing and that's making music with my steel.

Dave Stroud · From: Texas

(removed)

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Half and half. Of course no Social Security from club gigs. That sucks. I guess I should have reported it, but the other guys, and club owners, didn't want me to report it.
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Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Making the jump to full time musician was the smartest thing I ever did. I have gotten to hear, see and know things that I would not know existed any other way. Plus there are doors open for me now that I am walking through that are fulfilling dreams I had as a child of sound and interaction. When things were really rocking for me, touring and recording in NYC, I felt like I was living the life of a king only I was coming into the palace through the back door. There is a very big difference between watching the World Series on tv and being one of the guys that walks out on the field. You may suck and strike out but you were there.

I am doing okay with money at the moment. That could change in a heartbeat. Most of my life has been lived in financial poverty but I prefer that to other sorts of poverty.
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Bob

Larry Jamieson · From: Walton, NY USA

Had my first rock band in 1965 - 1967, still in high school but making $25 to $50 per night playing music.
Worked as a grocery clerk, US Army soldier, college student, TV producer/director, and for the last 30 years owned and managed a music store, selling instruments and accessories and giving lessons. For most of my life I have played in weekend bands both to supplement my income and because I enjoy it. Officially retired now and still playing weekends. I would like to have been a pro for a living, but was not at that level on steel and needed a reliable job with benefits to take care of my family. I guess the music store sort of counts as having made a living from the "Music Business" for the last 30 years.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

I dropped out of college to go on the road back in the '60s, for almost a year. But I soon came to the conclusion that old age (if I ever got there) would likely be "financially limited" if'd I kept to just playing music. I saw too many famous musicians die too soon, broke (or nearly so), and I decided to go back to college and have the comfortable security of a good day-job.

We never know what tomorrow may bring, but for the time being...life is good. Smile

Joachim Kettner · From: Germany

My father was very worried about my future because it was only guitars and records that interested me in my teens. He suggested to study music, but being a hippie, I thought I could learn it by myself. Sometimes when depression gets me I regret falling in love with music, but not always, sometimes I'm even proud of what I can do.
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Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

luckily my dear mom told me to pay into ss every year even though i was below poverty level. since i did that for 10/20 yrs or more i do get a small pittance of ss now. musicians were definitely 2nd class citizens.....but 1st class partiers.

Rich Upright · From: Florida, USA

Hell no nobody makes a living playing music anymore, except for a couple of the Nashville Biggie's
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A couple D-10s,some vintage guitars & amps, & lotsa junk in the gig bag.

John Macy · From: Rockport TX/Denver CO

I am entering my 44th year of full time work in music as a player, engineer, producer and music business type. Some years playing comprised the bulk of my income and others everything else eclipsed it. In Colorado, except for some of my younger years touring full time, making it as a steel player alone would be a tough road. I have owned studios, worked for record labels and publishing companies, consult, design and sometimes install studios for artists, taught recording at a university and whatever it took to create incomes streams. I still play 12-15+ sessions a month, play a 100+ gigs a year and own two studios that keep me very busy. My wife and I both worked hard, saved and invested money and paid off houses so as things slow down we will be fine. I fully intend to work as long as I can (just produced a session in Nashville a couple of weeks ago where three of the seven players were over 75 years old--very inspiring!), so retirement for me will be under a headstone Smile

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I would hate to be starting out trying to make a living in the current state of the industry. If i were a young player starting out I would be finding a way to make myself valuable in every facet of the business to make a living, and think about down the road and start putting some away--it's amazing how fast it will add up. I have way too many peers that have a rather bleak future from living day to day...
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John Macy
Rockport, TX
Engineer/Producer/Steel Guitar

Joe Casey · From: Weeki Wachee .Springs FL (population.9)

I was cruising along with a good Day job and playing Music 6-7 nights a week and twice on Sundays then it got hard to get up each day. LOL so I quit the day job as plant maint manager for a large Toy and Game company and settled in on only Music..Which consisted of a 3 day DJ for a local Country station and 7 nights a week in clubs. I was 39-40 at the time. It was easy for me because I recieved an Army 60% Pension (disability from Wounds) and was making very good weekly music income.My disability consist of the loss of hearing in one ear from a head wound loss of 70 % vision in my left eye. My band was guaranteed 50 bucks per night and more at times and the Park Gigs were more than double that. I even had a club owner pay me a weekly salary which amounted to a very good weekly income to which I paid Taxes and continued my SS which at 78 is a nice income. I might add that I mostly only hired Full time players until my last sit down Gig. Even had some Nashburg pickers quit the road and join me. That was about 1984. I retired in 1990 with no regrets.Right spot at the right time.

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