Making a living?

[Xir0n]

What's the best way to make a living as a musician? I have no desire to do anything else with my life.

I know I can make about $40 an hour giving lessons, but aside from that I would like some kind of information as for how to go about 'making it big' if you would. Any pointers or tips?

And don't give me any of that 'follow your heart' stuff. I'm looking for solid tips as to what I can do to help insure my place in the ears of millions of people world-wide.

Thanks?

[Vertigo]

Get in a band with a really hot lead singer and a gimmick.

[-deathboy-]

produce hip hop.

[Vertigo]

Apply to roadie/guitar tech for your favorite band, do that for a couple years while watching and learning all the songs... and then when their guitarist inevitably leaves, audition.

[Mark Carras]

First off take at least two years ofbusiness school with some accounting. Then start your own label and release your music your own damn self. Labels will rape the hell the hell out of you.

Also save as much as you can! You are young, so take two years and get two jobs. Put everything away. It will cost a ton to really make an impact, so the more you can save the better. If you can save at least 75 thousand I can put you in touch with the same people that work Judas Priest, Slayer, and Megadeth. ;)

[Vertigo]

Search craigslist and your local papers' websites every day under jobs using the search term "music" till something cool pops up?

[MistressSpin]

If you want to be a full time musician and nothing else, COVER BANDS.

And/or Tribute bands.

Cover bands make a couple hundred bucks a night if they are good enough. Hell, some of the bands over here make $1500 a night simply because of the music they play (Tejanos).

Unfortunately, being in a cover band takes as much time and dedication as being in an original band......a lot of musicians can't handle the stress and end up eventually sticking with one or the other.

:shrug

[-deathboy-]

my boys cherry cherry (neil diamond tribute band) make $2500 a show.

so let's recap.

1) become a roadie.

2) save your allowance.

3) produce hip hop covers of neil diamond.

sounds like a plan!

[Amon]

Follow your cock!

[Mark Carras]

If you want to be a full time musician and nothing else, COVER BANDS.

And/or Tribute bands.

Cover bands make a couple hundred bucks a night if they are good enough. Hell, some of the bands over here make $1500 a night simply because of the music they play (Tejanos).

Unfortunately, being in a cover band takes as much time and dedication as being in an original band......a lot of musicians can't handle the stress and end up eventually sticking with one or the other.

:shrug

I think he wants to do original music. That is why I say save up a ton of cash and take as much business and accounting classes as you can. It can be done, but you need to kick things off with as big of a push as you can. That takes a ton of cash, some good contacts, and solid consulting.

He says he wants to take four years to prepare. In four years he can save up enough to do things right. Especially if he lives with mommy and daddy while he is saving. :cool

[Xir0n]

I don't actually have to take the business and accounting classes, as I have a lady who is going to school for that. Also, we have about $17,000 saved up already. :-D

That way I can focus as much as possible on improving my writing skills and guitar skills as well as my voice. I've even invented a new style of music that isn't something Xcore, so I hope it becomes that new sound that the world has been looking for. I just hope it catches on.

I think I have an idea as to how it's all gonna work... Let's just hope I don't have some kind of terrible hand injury.

[Mark Carras]

I don't actually have to take the business and accounting classes, as I have a lady who is going to school for that. Also, we have about $17,000 saved up already. :-D

That way I can focus as much as possible on improving my writing skills and guitar skills as well as my voice. I've even invented a new style of music that isn't something Xcore, so I hope it becomes that new sound that the world has been looking for. I just hope it catches on.

I think I have an idea as to how it's all gonna work... Let's just hope I don't have some kind of terrible hand injury.

You should take some as well. Or at least have her walk you through a little of it.

$17,000 is a damn fine start! A couple years ago a contact told me that a bare minimum for the promotion of a independant release would cost about $60,000. That is just for promotion alone so the total cost is about double that once you consider a decent recording, a name producer, a name engineer, a name artist for the cover art, duplication, distro, and everything else. I love that you are planing four years ahead. You are already doing so many things right you just might have a chance. :thumbs

[Xir0n]

Heh. I already have a firm grasp on the world of business and I know all about accounting. But how would I go about getting $120,000? I'm a full time student.

[Mark Carras]

Heh. I already have a firm grasp on the world of business and I know all about accounting. But how would I go about getting $120,000? I'm a full time student.

Same way you got $17,000, but with more patience.

Work a job and start giving guitar lessons as much as possible. Live with mom and dad. Put $2,000 away per month.

This all can be done cheaper. Heck, you can release a cd for $5 and have international distro. The question is if anyone will pay attention.

Record everything with Garage Band through a really good Mac computer. Then sell it through CD Baby. All of that is basically free. Then get a $2,000 "global" ad from FixionMedia.com to promote it. Then you will have SOME pay attention.

So it can be done for as cheap as your budget demands. The question you have to ask is how much of a "roar" you want to come in with. How much of an impact to you want to hit with. I know of a band that spent around 10 thousand to get their own cd out. They didn't even make a blip on the radar screen. It was a good cd too. They just didn't spend enough to really hit hard and strong.

So do what you can. Save what you can. I can tell you how to get the most out of it. Just know that the more you save the better your chances at being noticed by enough of the metal public to have a real carrer out of it right away.

[Xir0n]

Well... It's not really the metal community that I entirely want to address. I have a very unique style which appeals to nearly every audience. Any ideas for that?

And also, any ideas as to how to get Guitar Lesson business rolling? I can make some top notch dollars that way, but I need some help figuring out how to get a large clientèle.

[Mark Carras]

Well... It's not really the metal community that I entirely want to address. I have a very unique style which appeals to nearly every audience. Any ideas for that?

Well, that is why you need as much money for promotions as possible. The bigger your target audience the more money this will cost.


And also, any ideas as to how to get Guitar Lesson business rolling? I can make some top notch dollars that way, but I need some help figuring out how to get a large clientèle.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/ ;)

[Bradzilla]

If you just want to make a living as a musician, become a studio player and rent yourself out to anyone in need of players for a recording. You'll need to be very versatile and knowledgable in music theory. If you're looking to make a living playing the music you write, follow the example of Jeff Waters and Jon Shaffer: find the best players possible, teach them your songs, put out an album, tour, tour, tour, tour, tour, put out another album, find new people if need be, then tour some more, and repeat. And also, don't get caught up into thinking that "living off the music" and "getting rich playing music" are the same thing. Most importantly, you stand the best chance of making a living playing if you are playing a style similar to what is popular at the moment. The vast majority of metal bands out there can't make a living off the music because there just aren't enough fans to support them.

[Mark Carras]

And also, don't get caught up into thinking that "living off the music" and "getting rich playing music" are the same thing. Most importantly, you stand the best chance of making a living playing if you are playing a style similar to what is popular at the moment. The vast majority of metal bands out there can't make a living off the music because there just aren't enough fans to support them.

Very true. It takes a very big push to kick a band to "pro" level quickly and the more "Metal" you are, the harder it is going to be.

I also totally agree with the whole tour, tour, tour, thing. :thumbs

[Xir0n]

I am already a studio player, but I require to gain a lot of money through my music for a higher, music related purpose. Top Secret.

[Xir0n]

Very true. It takes a very big push to kick a band to "pro" level quickly and the more "Metal" you are, the harder it is going to be.

I also totally agree with the whole tour, tour, tour, thing. :thumbs
Eh. I've actually invented a new kind of music. Everyone I've played it for seems completely in love with it. :-|

[Mark Carras]

Very true. It takes a very big push to kick a band to "pro" level quickly and the more "Metal" you are, the harder it is going to be.

I also totally agree with the whole tour, tour, tour, thing. :thumbs

Eh. I've actually invented a new kind of music. Everyone I've played it for seems completely in love with it. :-|

I know. I was just replying to Brad. Being unique and original can make you a ton of cash if it becomes the next big thing. The problem is that the first one to do it is almost never the one who makes it big playing that. Look at Lacuna Coil vs Evanescence. Lacuna Coil came way before, but they make less money. Look at Ramones vs every pop punk band from the 90's. Ramones came decades before, but didn't make near the cash. Those are some of the more lucky examples. Inventing a new style is not a guarantee that you will make it huge, no matter how great that new style is.

The trick is that all these artistic types didn't start with a huge push. Then a big label comes in, puts together a band that can copy the style, and then pushes them until they have a platinum record.

Now it doesn't a million to make sure you get the credit and the cash. Just enough so that the majority of the hard rock public knows about you before the suits can get their clone on MTV. Four years should be enough time to save enough money to make this happen. ;)

[Xir0n]

I'd love to see someone clone it. That'd be fucking sweet and/or hilarious.

[Xir0n]

I'd love to see someone clone it. That'd be fucking sweet and/or hilarious.
Allow me to clarify why that'd be funny.

1.) The extreme lack of keys and normal planning is something that comes from my mind, I hear it in my head and then I play it. Logically it makes very little sense, but it sounds damn good.

2.) Vocally it's nearly impossible to nail without knowing exactly what you're going for. Seamless transitions from register to register are necessary and they need to be obvious, which is very rare in most singers. I got lucky.

3.) Stylistically speaking, it's like EVH meets SRV meets Dave Mustaine meets Mattias IA Eklundh meets King Diamond meets Average White Band... Eh?

I dunno. It's hard to explain exactly what it is. But however my mind pieces all of these things together is just completely amazing to me. It makes me quite happy that I've always had music in my head, I just now started listening to it. It's more intense than thrash metal but more fun than funk. I guess it's just another kind of alternative rock? But all of my influences are metal and classical... Eh. I can't wait to start recording, I've never really been so excited in my life.

Unfortunately, I'm not releasing a single track for the next four years for obvious reasons.

Also, I'm not trying to be a pompous dick in any way. I would really love to see someone else perform this kind of music. It's really fun.

[Mark Carras]

I'd love to see someone clone it. That'd be fucking sweet and/or hilarious.

I am sure it will happen. I just want to make sure you get the credit and cash for being it's inventor. ;)

[Bradzilla]

If you're gonna play in a way no one's ever heard before, you need to invent some new instrument or addition to an existing instrument that's necessary to play your way, then patent it and rake in the cash when your style becomes huge.

[Mark Carras]

If you're gonna play in a way no one's ever heard before, you need to invent some new instrument or addition to an existing instrument that's necessary to play your way, then patent it and rake in the cash when your style becomes huge.

I think The Heavils already tried that with their "Meanies". ;)

http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=29513

http://www.myspace.com/theheavils

[tbhride]

It didn't work for Motograter :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motograter

[Xir0n]

If you're gonna play in a way no one's ever heard before, you need to invent some new instrument or addition to an existing instrument that's necessary to play your way, then patent it and rake in the cash when your style becomes huge.
Or I could sing in a way that no one can copy?

I should shred with my cock.

[Bradzilla]

Or I could sing in a way that no one can copy?

I should shred with my cock.
I dunno about the cock thing, but if you can sing in an utterly unique way, and find a way to patent it so other people have to buy something to help them sing in that way so you can get rich off it, then yes, by all means.

[Xir0n]

I dunno about the cock thing, but if you can sing in an utterly unique way, and find a way to patent it so other people have to buy something to help them sing in that way so you can get rich off it, then yes, by all means.
Hmm... Invent a voice manipulator you say? I like the way you think!

[SLASHer]

Or you could just do it the Guns N' Roses way. It's the way I' going to do.


1. Meet people who hate the current music scene
2. Start jamming
3. Develop a heroin addiction
4. Get signed and record a debut album
5. Wake up one morning and your album will be number 1!



If only this could work during this day in age.....

[Bradzilla]

And if you could do that without the heroin addiction then all the better. :thumbs

[SLASHer]

And if you could do that without the heroin addiction then all the better. :thumbs

Haha, that was a joke. No one needs that.

[Mark Carras]

And if you could do that without the heroin addiction then all the better. :thumbs

Haha, that was a joke. No one needs that.

Yeah, Slasher knows that...

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/HPM/hm36_b.jpg