Making a living

[ding_man]

How many of you make a living or make a lot of your living with bass and music?

What do you do? Where did you go to school? How many gigs do you play in a month? What other stuff do you do? I plan on attempting this and am going to college for it in the fall, and I just like to see what other people are doing to bring in the bread.

I don't want to hear anyone saying its impossible to make a living with music or that going to college is a waste of time, thats not the point of this thread.

[Steve]

I don't now but I did for several years.

You gig. $100-$150 a night EVERY night. Often doubles, the occaisional triple, the occaisional big score.

You gig 40,50,60 days in a row. You play more Skynyrd than Skynyrd does. You play Margaritaville more times than Jimmy Buffet has and you get a GOOD musicians tax accountant.

[DocBop]

Not as much live music so not as much work as in years past, so you have to be versatile. Play all styles from bars to casuals, if you sightreading are good you will add more possible gigs, doubling on upright, and some double on keyboard bass, more gigs. There is little rehearsal so build a reputation for learning shows fast and even more work opens up. Studio work isn't what it used to be, but if your good and make connections some money is out there, but a lot of people battling for it. Then teaching helps fill in the gaps.

So you should see the key is building a large skill-set the more skills the more possible work you can accept.

Something I was taught by Ray Parker Jr. a long time ago. The hardest thing to do when starting your career is balancing practicing and getting out to make contacts. Many spend too much time hanging out so when they get a call for a gig or a session they don't have the skills to cut the gig. Short career do that a couple times. Then the other side the person who sits and practices constantly rarely getting out. They wonder why no one calls them, no one knows they are hot player. So have to find that balance of practicing to develop your skills and hanging out so people know you exist.

School is a good place to build skills and people learn you are a good player ready to gig.

[ding_man]

I'm thinking about gigging 3-4+ times a week and balance it out with teaching privately.

[jimbob]

I instruct full time (Private 50-60 students a week) and play occasional shows on a fill-in basis. I teach more guitar than bass right now(unfortunately). Beginner Guitar is 70% of my business right now thanks to a certian video game. The best balance I had was 50/50 guitar and bass. I am a pretty good guitarist and I can read both G and F clef's well so I can teach beginner to intermediate Bassists and Guitarists, kids and adults. As Docbop said: ...the key is building a large skill-set the more skills the more possible work you can accept. He did also mention people/social skills as well.

I absolutely love my work and am making a pretty good living but I do work at it every day. Outside of teaching, I play at 2 local churchs to promote myself, I hang flyers everywhere, I visit middle school career days, I network at music stores and with other working musicians, myspace, facebook. I leave a trail of handbills everywhere I go.

Learn how to effectively market yourself and work on people skills. School is never a bad idea.

[John Wentzien]

Learn to sing & play bass at the same time. This will open a lot of doors for you.

[bikeplate]

HI

There are many ways for music to pay your bills. Giving lessons, live gigs, studio work, etc.

I play about 175 shows per year in a very busy regional rock/dance cover band. Its a burnout gig but we do pretty well. Clubs, weddings, privates, ski resorts, u name it. I also play at a church Wed and Sunday mornings. They pay me pretty well and it takes up very little of my time. We play rock and roll praise music. Kinda a t-shirt and jeans kinda church. Great people

I do ok. I dont make nearly what I made in sales but I have my days free and my golf handicap is down to a 4!!! Thats really what I care about!!. LOL. I have a couple very cool national gear endorsements. I'm doing just fine and I'm not even famous.

What I'm trying to say is its a test of patience. You weed through gigs, bands, situations, and people and find your way. The only way not to succeed is to to quit. Dont ever to that. If your skillset it there, you'll always be able to find a way. Go for it. I wish Id been fulltime all my life instead of just the last 6 years. Good luck

Rob

[ding_man]

Originally Posted by bikeplate

HI

I also play at a church Wed and Sunday mornings. They pay me pretty well and it takes up very little of my time. We play rock and roll praise music. Kinda a t-shirt and jeans kinda church. Great people

It really is great cause in those type of places those people really do appreciate that you are there. My bass instructor is a praise music leader for a contemporary 'rise' service at a methodist church and I sit in whenever he doesn't have a bass player, and I was just amazed with how many people came up and thanked me for playing.

[slugworth]

It's a tough way to make a living, maybe one of the toughest.
I gig quite a bit. In the last few years it's been about 75 gigs a year, give or take. More than that for me, and it's a burnout...The enjoyment is primary, the money is a far off second. Most full time cats I know have a completely different attitude towards music. That happens when that's what you rely on to put food on your table. Here's why I hang onto my day gig:

Company car and gas. 4 weeks paid time off + sick time. Tuition reimbursement. 401K and bonus plan. Health plan and life insurance. Company sponsored pension plan. Unemployment insurance (If I get laid off, which has never happened) and Social Security contributions. Disability insurance. Credit union. Free cell phone and laptop. Job Security. And the most important thing...Owning a very nice home which is more than 2/3 paid for and getting to sleep in my own bed every night.

[slugworth]

Originally Posted by Steve

I don't now but I did for several years.

You gig. $100-$150 a night EVERY night. Often doubles, the occaisional triple, the occaisional big score.

You gig 40,50,60 days in a row. You play more Skynyrd than Skynyrd does. You play Margaritaville more times than Jimmy Buffet has and you get a GOOD musicians tax accountant.

$150 a night X 300 nights a year=$45,000. Subtract expenses and taxes=Not much left..

[caligula]

Most things work pretty much the same here. You play gigs and teach, privately or at a local musicschool. If you're good enough you teach at a music college but thoses jobs are rare, very rare and they are not paid that good. Massive cutting in the culture/music area in the last 10 years or so.
Having two or three bands is a good thing, since one band doesn't give you 90-120 gigs a year (of course there're exceptions and some, but only very few, bands play 100 times).
Most people I know teach and play. Sometimes they have one original band, doing it for the love of music, and another cover/dance/party/ whatever band that pays the bills.
Musical tours and theater work are another opportunity. I've been on tour with a danceshow for two years, making good money.
Depending on the gig the payment is between 100/150.- and 350.- euro a night. (That's 140/220.- and 500.- in U.S. dollars.) But most gigs are round 250.- - 300.- euro (350-400.- U.S. dollars).
Problem is, the gigs that are paid well are sometimes unbearable in terms of music - horrible! Weddings are among the most crappy things.
And there are not that many gigs here, at least in my area.
I'm doing round 60 gigs a year, sometimes less.

What is this church thing??
Do you guys play during the religious service and get paid for it?
What kind of music is that and what kind of band?
That's very uncommon here.

[PocketGroove82]

I make a solid living playing bass, get all the benefits like health care, and it's my day job, so I have nights and weekends to pursue my own musical endeavors, teach lessons, take college classes.
I play bass guitar and upright bass in the US Army Band.

I signed up with a nice 10,000 bonus, got sent to the US Army School of Music for a year to get paid to shed, and now I play everything from jazz combo gigs on Monday, classical concert band on Wednesday, and pop/rock gigs on Fridays. It's a pretty spiffy job, if you can read music, improvise lines over changes, and love getting paid to play bass everyday.

Matt

[bikeplate]

HI

Awesome, pocket. We may never get wealthy doing it, but it sure feels good getting paid doing what we love. Congrats on your career

Rob

[PocketGroove82]

Rob,

Thanks and your words are so true. My job is extremely rewarding, both musically and personally. If I wanted to get wealthy, there are a ton of other paths to take.
I play music to be playing music, and that makes me rich.

...Sure, I could be struggling with a touring band, abusing drugs, and doing my own thing all the time, and it would be rewarding musically. But I don't know if I would get the same sense of pride that I get from putting on my uniform every day and supporting the people who are out there living the hard life on the front lines.

Matt

p.s. Big High Fives to everyone out there working to make music their living!

[bikeplate]

Hi

Hell yea, Pocket. My former profession, Sales, netted me 3 times what I make now. I was miserable. Im much more happier now and my golf handicap is down to a 4!! Life is good. Love my days free like you like your nights free.

BTW, what is your setup when u gig? Also, what is the makeup of the band and the PA, etc?

Congrats again

Rob

[PocketGroove82]

Rob,

Each Army band is different and there are over 30 Active Duty Bands, and every state has a Reserve or National Guard Band...even Puerto Rico (gawd, I would kill for THAT gig!)

At my current band, I had supply order me some nice stuff (thanks tax dollars!). For my jazz combo I use either a 1986 German Upright or a Ken Smith 5 String. We usually have trumpet, alto, bone, keys, guitar, and drums in that group.

The rock band is 2 vocalists, guitar, keys, drums, and if we are doing salsa or tunes like "Frankenstein"/"Pick up the Pieces", we add trumpet, alto, tenor, bone. In that group, I use a Fender CS "66 Jazz.

For amps/PA, it's the standard stuff, but my last band utilized the Bose L1 system for small gigs, which was interesting. Currently, I'm using an SWR stack of 10s with a 750 pushing it, in combination with in-ear monitors. It's nice because you don't have to pull your own gear out for Army gigs, they take care of everything and if you know how to play ball, you can get great gear ordered!

So basically, a military band is 30-50 members which make up a full concert band "wind ensemble" (no strings, except me). Then that large band can break up into smaller groups, like brass/woodwind/clarinet quintets...etc...etc, or the groups I've mentioned.
Versatility, professionalism, and flexibility are a must as the gigs are varied and ya never know what the general's wife might want to hear! lol.

----sorry for the hijack------

Matt

[bikeplate]

HI

Too cool. My ex is a music teacher in Upstate NY. Some configuration of what you are speaking came thru her area and played at her school. She was floored!! Couldnt say enough good things.

Rob

[slugworth]

Originally Posted by PocketGroove82

I make a solid living playing bass, get all the benefits like health care, and it's my day job, so I have nights and weekends to pursue my own musical endeavors, teach lessons, take college classes.
I play bass guitar and upright bass in the US Army Band.

I signed up with a nice 10,000 bonus, got sent to the US Army School of Music for a year to get paid to shed, and now I play everything from jazz combo gigs on Monday, classical concert band on Wednesday, and pop/rock gigs on Fridays. It's a pretty spiffy job, if you can read music, improvise lines over changes, and love getting paid to play bass everyday.

Matt

Good bennys too...

[jimbob]

Pocket, way to go! Respect!

[Pacman]

Originally Posted by PocketGroove82

I signed up with a nice 10,000 bonus, got sent to the US Army School of Music for a year to get paid to shed, and now I play everything from jazz combo gigs on Monday, classical concert band on Wednesday, and pop/rock gigs on Fridays. It's a pretty spiffy job, if you can read music, improvise lines over changes, and love getting paid to play bass everyday.

Matt

Dude, if you spent a year at the School of Music, you did something wrong! You're supposed to get out in 6 months!

In all seriousness, the service bands are a great way to make a living (20 years and counting). I've worked with some of the best musicians in the world, and have had a great (and rewarding) time doing it. I've gigged on 3 continents, in 10 or 12 countries (that number will grow by a huge amount once I move to Japan), played for 3 presidents and made the best friends I'll ever know. All while getting paid far above what the average musician makes.