Following 'the dream'

[Jazzman23]

All I want to do is live in the slums and be in a rock band, going on tour and playing in front of tons of people every night. If I become a rock star, well thats just great. If not, I just need to have food and a place to sleep every night.... is that so much to ask!?

Who else has done this (or is doing it now)? Any regrets?

[Bass Mule]

Hmm... talk about being a contributing member of society. Who says you need to have a positive affect on the universe?

Sorry if I don't agree with this one. Not trying to pee on your parade here. Let the flames begin.

[Jim Campbell]

could be fun for a while while you are young.you'll find it much less so later on.

[J. Crawford]

Originally Posted by Jim Campbell

could be fun for a while while you are young.you'll find it much less so later on.

I agree.

IF youre serious about a career in music, get a degree at MI or something so you have a backup plan. Join a band, and if it doesnt work out you can still work in music.

Im 16 and have already accepted that making it big is like hitting the lottery.

[Shaun_Bass0]

Yea I had exactly the same plan....sorry dude but it doesn't quite work out that way!. Luckily I have a very flexible job that allows me to take off early any days I have a show as long as I make the hours up which is cool, but thats my story not yours.

The best advice would be to sort out a day job you can do without going insane, and keep plugging away at the band too. Office jobs are great cuz you got access to the internet and e-mail all day so can be e-mailing promoters/venues/agents etc on company time...just be careful not to get caught!. Plus you gotta think would you rather be sitting round watching TV all day or earning the cash you need for strings/travel/food/new gear/repairs etc.

Fair play to you for wanting the rock n roll lifestyle, me too, but the harsh truth is it takes a lot of hard work and you need to support yourself through that financially until you get that break. Take this from a guy who works mon-fri and has a national distribrution deal. Unless you happen to be in Metallica merch and cd sales just arent enough to pay rent...anyone have any happier thoughts on this?. I just kinda depressed myself!!!

[baalroo]

I completely understand the sentiment of the OP. Unfortunately, I know very few guys that are able to "slum it" from just touring and selling merch... actually I don't know any. I think a lot of us would LOVE to just play music and don't have a lot of material desires, but even a frugal existance usually costs more than can be afforded by the average rock n' roll musician's "salary.' Either make music your main focus and have a flexible crap job like bartending or gas station attendant, or plan on a "day job" and making music a serious "hobby." It's nearly impossible to do both since they require different modus operandi to be done at peak efficiency. One or the other will suffer.

I've ended up somewhere in between, I'm well above minimum wage, but certainly not into the "middle class" catagory either. I live paycheck to paycheck, but I can usually pay my bills, don't have to eat ramen noodles every night, and can spend a few hundred bucks a month on gear and entertainment. Some people would hate living my life or think that I'm wasting it away because I don't have a two car garage or a corner office, but I personally don't consider those sorts of things to be worthwhile goals.

[Dogbertday]

That plan would be perfect if "playing in front of tons of people every night" was a reality...

My contribution to the world is going to be pushing music forward as a working musician collaborating with other artists.... hopefully i'll be paying my bills with studio work as well as orchestral playing

[timmbass]

Originally Posted by Jazzman23

Who else has done this...?

Who else? Stevie Ray Vaughn. Kurt Cobain. And who ever heard of them? Don't do it. You will never be successful. Spend lots of time working at your day job and working on your backup plan. I think Wayne Gretzky and Tiger Woods spent lots of time working on their backup plans, and now they are really really glad that they did not spend every waking moment working on skating and putting.

[Zappstorius]

Originally Posted by Dogbertday

That plan would be perfect if "playing in front of tons of people every night" was a reality...

+1 There are great times to be had on the road BUT sleeping on floors, couches, RV tables etc...not taking a shower for days, starving...figuring out how you're going to get the van fixed without having the money...REALLY SUCKS when you get to the show that night and play in front of 5-10 people who could care less about your music.

Recording costs money, merch costs money, touring in general costs more money than it brings in usually.

So be a rockstar, but find a day gig (part time even) to pay some bills so that when all of your gear gets stolen in the slum that you're residing in, you'll at least be able to replace it.

[jgroh]

I think most of us here had that dream when we were younger, at least I know I did. I pretty much knew what I wanted to do since I was young, but when I got into playing bass in my mid teens, I wanted to make that my profession instead of graphic design (what I do now). I was actually going to switch majors when I went to college to music but luckily, I snapped out of it and went back to graphic design (where I make a great living now)

Chances of making it big or even to where you can support yourself are slim and risky. I personally wanted to have a house and cars and didnt want to go on like I was in my late teens early 20's (sleeping in a van, playing to 10 people that could care less). I would definitely work on a back up plan. When you are a little older you will thank yourself, trust me.

[pointbass]

Chasing the dream is great, granted not a lot of people make it but if you never pursue it you might always regret that decision. However, maybe you should set your sights at a higher level ....

Why hope for the slums when a clean and safe place to live is possible? Plans to play in front of tons of people is cool, but maybe think about the fact that you could make a living with music while doing it. You'll need more than just some food and a place to sleep, believe me that frugal lifestyle gets old really fast.

I'm sure you posted somewhat jokingly, just don't let that bottom dweller level of thinking become a reality for you. I listened to the cuts on your site and the stuff is good, you actually could go a lot further than slum housing ... pay a little attention to the business side of things, keep your head clear and maybe chasing the dream won't be a waste of time ...

[Silas Martinez]

I had the dream when I was younger. After struggling and starving for my art and my dream till I was 25 or so, I punted, and found a day job I could stomach.

These days, I can afford better gear, and realistic goals.

The sad thing is, for every Stevie Ray, Curt Cobain, Tiger Woods, or other 'big name' there are tens of thousands of young hopefuls who discovered the hard way that not everyone gets to be a rock star.

Reminds me of something a bandleader I used to work with told me a couple of years back. He said "The music industry is dead. Its rarer these days to get signed than it has been since the inception of the recording industry. You can still make some money at it [making music] - but it will all come from merch and live shows - and you're best off having a solid day gig, ideally one working for yourself - to support those."

I'm currently playing in a band that's kind of 'on the verge' so to speak. I mean on the verge of making okay money, not on the verge of a cliff or something like that.

I've been working the pointless (but above minimum wage) day job, and going to rehearsals virtually every night for about the last three years. Before that I was in bands too, but really the last three years has been most intensity.

I am really feeling the burn of this effort - I can't commit properly to day jobs, because I have to remain flexible for touring and because I need to have a lot of energy when I get home to be best for rehearsals. It takes it's toll and I have trouble staying on good form in all areas of life, I think that it's normal to have relaxing time quite a lot of the time. Lots of my friends from school are on 40 or 50 grand salaries now with decent cars and their own houses - I'm still living like a student really! But, you know, we all end up as a decaying lump of flesh eventually so there's no substitute for doing what you want in this life. Everyone knows this.

But, the band I'm in is doing okay - we've got several tours coming up in the summer, some big support gigs at for example the Royal Festival hall, and things seem to be always on the up. As well as this we don't have to pay to play (not that I ever would) - all the tours and travel is paid, and the gigs are paid, so we always come away with a profit.

Is this enough to live on? No. Nowhere near, so I still have to do the day job. Is this pissing me off? Yes, all the time. Anger management anyone?

Would giving up the day job solve anything? No - there isn't enough demand in the project to warrant it.

I agree with other posters that it is difficult. Gigs are often not as 'fun' as you imagine they're going to be in your minds eye when your a teenager. A lot of the time the rooms are quite bad, the sound system is crap and the engineer wants you to turn your amp you sold a kidney to buy to 1 so he can put your bass sound through a wedge the size of an orthopaedic insole, and there's no one there. I do think though, that nobody ever got anywhere because they gave up when it got tough. However, it's important to be realistic about where things are going. The phrase, 'pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will' applies I think.

The other thing I have began to realise is that ongoing development as a musician is essential (to me anyway) because I need to feel that even though I might be playing the same stuff over and over, I'm still progressing in my knowledge and exploration of music. I think that you never lose anything if you learn. That's one reason I'm thinking of going on a jazz course. Also because most of the business elements in music that I've come into contact with basically consist of people who have reputations rather than actual talent (ie. a reputation for associating themselves with people with actual talent), so consequently there's a lot of egos and a lot of BS flying around. At least the music can stay pure. But someone needs to deal with this side of things that's for sure.

By the way, it's just my opinion not that it's worth much, but I do think that if people want to make money from gigs (rather than the other way round) then it's important to either be a) very good at playing styles (like jazz or like a functions band - corporate style), or b) be very original. All the acts that I've seen on the circuits I'm on that are doing good are those who are very original - ie. nobody else can do what they do. And I mean this in a way that the audience would say it, not the performer themselves. Lots of performers think they're original, but it's just on their own terms, not in the eyes of the audience.

By the way the band I'm talking about is not the one on my sig. It's this one

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=z_5J4QZnc_g

[WalterBush]

Don't have a backup. Don't have a hobby. Focus your every waking moment on playing, and promoting your work. Don't forget that it is work.

As has been said earlier, set your sights higher than the slums. Plenty of people make a good living playing music, because that is their day job; working up an act to sell, then selling it or finding an agent to sell it.

[lonote]

My advice? Find yourself a girlfriend with a good job. That's the way it has been done for years.

[Wilbyman]

Originally Posted by lonote

My advice? Find yourself a girlfriend with a good job. That's the way it has been done for years.

= Truth

[makinbakin]

Originally Posted by Jordasch

I agree.

IF youre serious about a career in music, get a degree at MI or something so you have a backup plan. Join a band, and if it doesnt work out you can still work in music.

Im 16 and have already accepted that making it big is like hitting the lottery.

Do this. Go for the dream but make sure you have some backup plans because chances are it wont happen.

Good luck

[bearfoot]

Originally Posted by Jazzman23

If not, I just need to have food and a place to sleep every night.... is that so much to ask!?

Who else has done this (or is doing it now)? Any regrets?

In slumming it, as a musician, or any artist, there is I believe great honor, tradition, and adventures to be found. Living in one's truck, camping in yards, working day labor, selling CD's & playing shows. Those were good times for the most part -
But what you're asking, is it too much to ask to have someone else pull your ass along - hell yes it is. Way too much. As much to ask of someone else, as it is of yourself, to be a "kept" man as it were. Because that's exactly what you would be, intimate or not.

[Vakmere]

You cant be serious......kids...uuugh.........dont forget, social security and medicare will NOT be there if you reach that age neither will the IRA you get from slum living. Think about it cuz.