Perhaps the way to make money from music is to make music, i.e. live performance. There is one catch - you have to be good to be hired. It's competitive. The ability to play a blues scale does not guarantee a job.
Perhaps the way to make money from music is to make music, i.e. live performance. There is one catch - you have to be good to be hired. It's competitive. The ability to play a blues scale does not guarantee a job.
I have been playing live as a semi-pro (because I held a day job) for 45 years. Part of the current problem getting work is I’m not a young person any more and I stopped following mainstream pop after grunge hit. So I work in niche genres like blues, folk, “Americana”, etc. The pay has largely stayed stagnant since the first day I performed for money. There are music clubs I have played at for four decades and they pay all the acts the same amount of money which has not changed at all over time.
My nephew in his late twenties plays in a touring metal band who have been unable to turn a profit after five years of scuffling even though they pack rooms, mainly theaters and some festivals all across the US. He still lives with my sister, his mom, because he can’t afford to rent an apartment. Every penny the band earns is rolled back into promotion, recording and touring expenses, etc.
The pandemic was the last straw for me because over half of the venues I worked at regularly all over New England have shuttered. All the pro friends who I grew up with on the circuit are still scraping by despite touring, releasing recordings and playing in as many different acts as they can.
Since I likely won’t be physically able to play within the next ten years, I can continue performing and cover my expenses. If I didn’t have savings and Social Security, I’d be homeless. I really hope it gets better for the upcoming generations.
Perhaps the way to make money from music is to make music, i.e. live performance. There is one catch - you have to be good to be hired. It's competitive. The ability to play a blues scale does not guarantee a job.
Herb, you are right about the catch.
I have been playing live as a semi-pro (because I held a day job) for 45 years. Part of the current problem getting work is I’m not a young person any more and I stopped following mainstream pop after grunge hit. So I work in niche genres like blues, folk, “Americana”, etc. The pay has largely stayed stagnant since the first day I performed for money. There are music clubs I have played at for four decades and they pay all the acts the same amount of money which has not changed at all over time.
My nephew in his late twenties plays in a touring metal band who have been unable to turn a profit after five years of scuffling even though they pack rooms, mainly theaters and some festivals all across the US. He still lives with my sister, his mom, because he can’t afford to rent an apartment. Every penny the band earns is rolled back into promotion, recording and touring expenses, etc.
The pandemic was the last straw for me because over half of the venues I worked at regularly all over New England have shuttered. All the pro friends who I grew up with on the circuit are still scraping by despite touring, releasing recordings and playing in as many different acts as they can.
Since I likely won’t be physically able to play within the next ten years, I can continue performing and cover my expenses. If I didn’t have savings and Social Security, I’d be homeless. I really hope it gets better for the upcoming generations.