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Being a musician is a fiscal disaster

DaDrew2112

DaDrew2112

Guest
Apr 7, 2011
405
111
Rochester
#1
It's tough being a musician. What's new? We all knew that. I wanted to start this thread because I was just beginning to realize what "being part of the scene" actually requires.

Expense 1: The instrument. Let's be honest, getting a rig that's band worthy is probably going to set you back at least 1500. I am including a small amp in there for practice, let's just assume you can run direct and don't need real wattage. That's just for one good quality bass. But who can have just 1?

Expense 2: The running around. If you live in a city, that's pretty cool. But running around kills me. If I want to see a show, I'm draining some gas to do so. I have to travel an hour just to go see MGMT later this month. Speaking of that...

Expense 3: Music. Funny, right? Music is expensive? Yes, it is very much so. Especially if we're talking about live shows. Being a responsible musician requires regular attendance of live music. This is a good thing because live music is fantastic.

But I'm just a college kid. Most of my money is going to gas and school. So as much as I want to attend shows, I really have to decide if it's worth it to do so.

On top of that, if you're a real musician, chances are that you support the art. That means buying records. Let's say you're expanding your collection 2 times a month. Well, that's gonna set you back most likely about 30 dollars including tax. (I live in New York, the taxes here absolutely vampiric)

Expense 4: Time. Time is a killer factor. When your friends want to kick some brews back instead of going to shows, it kind of sucks. Definitely new friends time, but what the heck for? Who says they're wrong? How many hours are you going to throw down this absolutely endless journey? All there is, is a journey. This makes music exciting. This also makes music a time slaying ogre. Opportunity cost here runs high.

It would be cool to hear what other people are doing to minimize their opportunity cost in this economic time bomb
 
#4
The main thing is that you don't do this all at once. As you said, it's a journey. I've been on it for 45 years so far. I didn't realize it was going to take all the twists and turns it did when I was 19 and in college.
You accumulate instruments over time. You accumulate music over time. You accumulate experiences over time. Only you can make the decision if that is worth it to you.
Don't forget to have fun!
 
#7
I'm more looking at this from a 3rd person point of view. And I'm not even looking at it as a business, just as a serious hobby. Totally understand I can't do it all at once, my question is more or less; what can I do to make the most impact with my available resources?
 
#8
My band mates in my trio and I are all retired. We are looking at this whole thing as supplemental income to Social Security. I have Social Security plus retirement from a major chemical company and it doesn't go very far. Playing the gigs pays enough to supplement a little but not much. Right now we gig on average every other week. We are trying to up that to at least one or two times per week. If we can do that it will mean getting to go out to eat occasionally, more gas in my pickup, a movie or going to hear someone elses music without taking money I get from retirement. I guess what I'm saying is...... yeah it sucks, but at age 65 I'm still enjoying the ride.
 
#9
DaDrew2112 said:
I'm more looking at this from a 3rd person point of view. And I'm not even looking at it as a business, just as a serious hobby. Totally understand I can't do it all at once, my question is more or less; what can I do to make the most impact with my available resources?
Click to expand...

What's your goal with music? My general answer is whatever it takes to reach your goal. No more, no less.
 
#10
1. Gear. You definitly need it. Get the best you can afford. It doesn't have to be really expensive to be gig worthy. You can buy a decent bass or amp now for less than many people spend on the latest cell phone or tablet.

2. Running around seeing live music? Find some friends and carpool to save on gas. Personally I no longer attend large concerts with tickets over $100. For that $ I can see 10 local/regional acts or 5 lesser known national acts.

3. Spending money on records? I love records and have a decent collection and a cool vintage stereo system but I don't buy new records when times are tough. Hell you're in college. How many of your friends actually pay for music anymore? It's all free for the taking nowadays and a big reason even moderately famous national acts must tour nonstop to make it nowadays

4. Time/opportunity cost? I assume you mean the cost of losing other opportunities for life success by spending all your time on music. That's something you have to think about and decide your priorities. If you pursue music as a career you will likely be pretty poor for your whole life but it's a rich life in other ways if you can handle it.
 
#11
zachoff said:
What's your goal with music? My general answer is whatever it takes to reach your goal. No more, no less.
Click to expand...

I want to be in a musical band that appeals to both my artistic side as well as an actual audience. To do that, from what i've gathered, I need to consume music (which I do) and become part of the music and musicians around me, which I've been hesitant to do, because it's a drag on my basically non-existent resources.

People aren't kidding when they tell you it's a labor of love, huh?

*edit
Gotta mention that I plan on joining my college's jazz band which is way outside my comfort zone. That's not till next semester though. I've been listening to and beginning to practice jazz. Way I see it, I've got one shot to impress other possible band mates.
 
#12
Bert Slide said:
1. Gear. You definitly need it. Get the best you can afford. It doesn't have to be really expensive to be gig worthy. You can buy a decent bass or amp now for less than many people spend on the latest cell phone or tablet.

2. Running around seeing live music? Find some friends and carpool to save on gas. Personally I no longer attend large concerts with tickets over $100. For that $ I can see 10 local/regional acts or 5 lesser known national acts.

3. Spending money on records? I love records and have a decent collection and a cool vintage stereo system but I don't buy new records when times are tough. Hell you're in college. How many of your friends actually pay for music anymore? It's all free for the taking nowadays and a big reason even moderately famous national acts must tour nonstop to make it nowadays

4. Time/opportunity cost? I assume you mean the cost of losing other opportunities for life success by spending all your time on music. That's something you have to think about and decide your priorities. If you pursue music as a career you will likely be pretty poor for your whole life but it's a rich life in other ways if you can handle it.
Click to expand...

So records have to go, and so my social life becomes bassed (that's a horrible pun) on music. Fortunately I have a pretty decent Fender Mexican with upgraded pickups and an ok amp, so that's a good thing.

Man, ever since I was a kid, I always wanted my own record collection. There's something different about getting a CD vs being a slime-ball music pirate. I guess that's what it takes though...bummer dude. Seems like the more you want from music, the harder it proves to be.
 
#13
zachoff said:
I view it as a hobby and not a business...

I like playing/listening/seeing music. I like snowboarding. I like fishing. All of those things are an escape from the daily grind and I'll never turn pro in any of them.
Click to expand...


I had to laugh at this when I read it. Not at you but at me. My life has been an endless attept to turn my hobbies into business. I lived at ski resorts for twenty years and worked at and managed ski shops, worked on Ski Patrol and Race Crew, guided rafts and flyfishing trips in Summer and snowmobile trips in Winter and played gigs at the local bars.

Until a year ago I was an independent sales rep for several ski and snowboard companies and actually making pretty good money and buying a lot of great music gear. I finally got tired of the sales game and not being able to gig much for the seven months of the year I travelled for work so I decided to quit and devote my life to music for a while. I downsized my lifestyle extensibly to cut cost. I'm now playing in three bands and almost making enough to get by. I am very slowly bleeding the savings I accumulated from the rep biz but the music pay keeps getting better so I am still putting off looking for another "real" job for now.

I'm not recommending anyone else follow this path but personally I have no regrets. The memories and life experiences have more than made up for a little personal financial discomfort to me.
 
#14
You make it a career because you absolutely, positively can't imagine doing anything else...it's who you are. Consider what Bill Watrous, one of the great jazz trombonists of all time, says: "If I get paid on a gig, then I have the right to practice for that much longer..."


IF that's the case, then the priorities fall into place. Yes, don't expect to crack beyond lower-middle-class lifestyle in terms of material stuff, but your inner life and goal fulfillment can be so much richer than for most of us.

I've been on three sides of this one - starving musician, walking away from a generous scholarship at a prestigious university because I absolutely, positively had to play...then enjoying some years of genuine success...then seeing the end of the road as I wasn't feeling any growth, and also watching economic opportunities decline (I was a trombonist back in he day, and saw studio work vanish as synthesizers came to rule the world for a lot of jingles and B-level work), so I finished college and went to law school.

No regrets, other then letting my 'bone chops lapse.

But when I say no regrets, that goes not only for bailing for a non-musical profession, but also for taking the leap into music in the very first place. And I doubt it would have worked as well as it did without the intensity of that leap - indeed, I knew it was time to explore non-musical alternatives when that intensity ebbed.
 
#15
DaDrew2112 said:
So records have to go, and so my social life becomes bassed (that's a horrible pun) on music. Fortunately I have a pretty decent Fender Mexican with upgraded pickups and an ok amp, so that's a good thing.

Man, ever since I was a kid, I always wanted my own record collection. There's something different about getting a CD vs being a slime-ball music pirate. I guess that's what it takes though...bummer dude. Seems like the more you want from music, the harder it proves to be.
Click to expand...

I buy used records and cd's. I don't like pirating either and I don't do it but I just assumed noone in your generation would have any qualms about it. You don't have to "bass" your whole life on music, you can still have other hobbies like you would with any job.

You are right that the more you want from music the harder it proves to be but this is true of most any endeavor in life worth pursuing. Good luck. I remember how hard it was in college trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and so far I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up but I do know one thing; if "growing up" means settling for the mundane and ordinary life then I want no part of it.
 
#16
Music has never been cheaper than today.
Live shows became more expensive, other than that everything turned cheaper.
Instruments, amps, records, streamed music, the price on all these things has been dramatically cut while the availability and choice increased by several scale factors.
My first amp cost me a month of salary and it was a 100w entry model. My first bass I paid $450 for an used Ibanez P copy. Back then a CD already costed $20 which back then was still a lot of money.
Nowadays you can get gigable quality gear for a few hundreds, all the music in the world can be accessed freely and you can find any record used for a few bucks.
The real issue about being a musician is that gigs vanished and pay less and less.
 
#17
DaDrew2112 said:
I'm more looking at this from a 3rd person point of view. And I'm not even looking at it as a business, just as a serious hobby. Totally understand I can't do it all at once, my question is more or less; what can I do to make the most impact with my available resources?
Click to expand...

zachoff said:
I view it as a hobby and not a business...

I like playing/listening/seeing music. I like snowboarding. I like fishing. All of those things are an escape from the daily grind and I'll never turn pro in any of them.
Click to expand...

This and that. Music as a hobby is probably expensive (but so damn worth it if you ask me!). As a pro or semi pro, you're supposed to win cash and hopefully earn enough for living expenses, to save and to have some on the side to cover for the music expenses. Plus, hopefully, a good bass may be a good investment, since it's your tool to earn a living (recovering that investment after a little while).
 
#19
The days of the original rock/jazz performer making a decent living have all but passed. We're in the Entitlement Days where the public has to have things instantly and for free as some sort of fabricated right. Keep it alive as a passionate hobby and get a day job. ...to eat and buy cool gear!

And good for you for buying the recordings in hard copy! Glad I'm not the only one. IPods sounds like crap!!
 

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