| "Making it" is achieving the level of performance or production
activity that satisfies your craving for music and its benefits.
"Making it" is when you break even and start making a profit.
two definitions. pick the one you like.
It has always been true that it is insane to go into music as a
career. Assume you will starve, go into debt, fail to make a "name"
(what's a name? recognition? Who's recognition? That club owners
know your name? That your Q index for television personalities
is high?) fail to get gigs fails to be called into the studios,
fail to get an orchestra chair, fail to get a record with a major.
Then work 120 hours a week to make those things happen. Harder
than you're working now (and I know many of you work very hard here).
And have innate charisma onstage, and develop your singing (the
most difficult instrument) and other chops, and business skills
(remember how Ken went to the library and read all the business
books to help him get the seed money for DEC? You do that.)
and publicity/public relations skills, and photographic skills.
Do it all, hire people when you can afford/justify it to do those
things if you're convinced they'll do it better.
But do it only if you have good evidence that people are totally
nuts about your music.
Tom
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If you want/need to make money don't become a musician. But,
remember, the crime isn't dying with dreams unfulfilled...the
crime is having never dreamed. I often question how many dreams I
dare not entertain in fear of losing gainful employment.
Fulltime musicians have fun making music, too. They have to.
That's their only reward.
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| This is a discussion we've had many times in MUSIC.
It's about as multi-faceted a topic as you'll ever find. If I have
been able to scratch one ounce of common opinion out of it, it is that
when you face this decision you must be:
1) Pragmatic and realistic about your chances of success.
(BTW, I don't care who the hell you are, if you figure your
chances are "good", you're fooling yourself buddy!)
2) Truthful in your evaluation of how you'd feel if you don't
"make it". Will the music alone satisfy you, or do you have to
live comfortably to be happy.
I guess what I'm saying is that dreams are fine as long as they are not
confused with reality.
db
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| Lets look at the Cover Bands for a minute. If you decide to play
the Ramada Inn / xxx Hotel circuit, you can survive, but, it may
not be the lifestyle that you really want. An agent can get you
into this chain & you'll play someplace for a week / 2 weeks /
month / 3 months, then you'll move on to a different club. If you
chose to do this, your better off (financially) as a single or a
duo than anything else, and you have to be able to play lots of
different music (since the people that hire you won't want to hear
any heavy metal or punk) - espescially old standards (Misty, Your
Cheatin' Heart, etc). They usually provide some form of acccomodations,
and food (up to a certain amount), then pay you. Some places (depending
on the traffic at the place) spend upto $2000.00 per week, but,
more often it's more like $700.00 for 7 nights straight. If you
keep your expenses to a minimum, you'll probably average $200.00
spending money per week (out of the original $350.00 mentioned above).
The SKI resorts here in Colorado like to work 2 weeks on/2 weeks
off with the bands, and a good agent will set up the arrangements
to make sure that you will be working somewhere after your 2 weeks
are up. Figure, that you can live off of this, if the room, and
some of the meals are covered.
I play in a cover band, but, I don't do weeks very often. I find
that private parties (weddings & the like) pays between $150.00
to $500.00 for one night, and I can't see playing for 5 to 7 nights
and killing myself for the extra bucks. We play at the SKI areas
also, and get free room & meals too, but, one or two nighters are
easier on us.
I figured out that If the duo that I'm in worked in the best playing
lounge here in Colorado Springs (at the Broadmoor Hotel - no room
or food provided), we could make just over $28,000 a each for 50
weeks worth of work. At the lowest paying place that we've played
(Tavern On the Green - No food or Room either), it would come out
to around $8,000 each for 50 weeks. I assume that there is a midway
point where I should shoot for, and that says around $18,000 per
year is possible, just playing Cover tunes. I Do mostly weekends
& earn between $4000.00 and $5000.00 yearly with the band (but I
do use this business effectively & take all legal deductions for
the Band - Yes, I pay taxes on this also). None of the above numbers
include the Tax that you will have to pay on your income, but do
count in the 15% I pay to my agent for finding the work.
Jens
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