Job or Hobby?

[KevInDaBassment]

Nowadays I'm in it for the art...those hopes and dreams of stadium-packing fame are pretty much dead now lol

 

[SLO Surfer]

I’m not sure how to answer. I used to make my entire living playing bass. I’m also married to a full time violin player/teacher. Around 5 years ago when my second kid was born I stopped gigging for income and just decided to play with my best friends in the best bands. My main goal is fun, and I’m having more fun musically now than ever in my 35 years of playing. That said, just to get out the door for a gig I need to make a minimum of $200. Being a top tier professional herself, my wife gives me crap if I “give away” my services. So I’m not hustling for gigs, not gigging to make money, but I need to make money to gig.

I’m having the most fun gigging I’ve ever had, and making the most money average per gig I ever have. But I still don’t know how to answer this poll.

 

[portpc]

I've found money is relative to the gig quality & I choose to play only at venues that don't require moving a pool table, setting up in front of a dart board and has up to date plumbing.

 

[BassBrass]

It's the first of 3 creative outlets I found that I get lost in and experience the "flow", which seems to be one of the main purposes of life as a human being. I supposed that goes under "fun" but sometimes it's something else, (pain, frustration, logistics) because music is so social. All of them have intersected with money too, but that depends on venue.

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

Just glad to have music pay for studio space, toys, gas, munchies, etc. Was a full timer about 20 years ago, but gave that up for the steady paycheck and healthcare benefits. Happy to have a separate bank account for music income, and it has money in there when I want to buy shiny new toys.

 

[No Malarky]

Both at times.

For me it has never been about the money.

I do it for the chicks.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

then: $$$.

now: fun (but it's no fun without some $$$).

 

[bassbrad]

I was a professional for many years, for over 10 years I travelled a lot and had an agency help with booking gigs. These days I play music that is meaningful and fun to me, with musicians that are also good friends.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Hi guys,

a lot of times, when discussions come up, I find myself thinking "Well, that depends if I am playing music professionally or just for fun". But I find that fact gets overlooked quite often.

In fact, at TB, my impression is that there seem to be a lot of pros and a lot of hobbyists who are nevertheless looking to make some money. So discussions where a distinction between hobbyists and pros might make sense, more often than not lean in a certain direction. Myself, after I had finished school, was looking to make a career as a recording engineer. However, I was not only disillusioned about the job as such, but after a while discovered that I was about to lose my passion for music because of it. So I decided that I would look elsewhere for a career and do music purely as a hobby. But, I feel I am very much an outsider with that point of view.

So, fellow TBers, let's see some numbers in the polls! Who is doing their thing for the money, who is in it for the fun?

Made my living entirely playing music in my younger years. Now I do it for both the fun and the money. But I have to admit, I love performing and am definitely a ham when I get on stage. It is FUN!

Without the money though, I'd never have been able to upgrade my gear to what it is today and it wouldn't be nearly as much fun. I've "gotten by" with mediocre amps and cabs before and did without a bass for about 20-years too (raising a family). But getting paid for performing has enabled me to accumulate "no apologies" gear and create a sound I really enjoy sharing with a crowd.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

I used to do it for a living. Now it's a hobby because nobody makes a living at it anymore, and I don't need the music income.

However, doing it for fun doesn't mean I don't want it to be done well, and that is the problem I face in the hobby world. The number of times "it's just a hobby" has been used to excuse sloppy playing and trainwreck performances is mind boggling, and finding other players who still want to do a good job within the time constraints that are placed on us when we don't perform often is almost impossible.

That being said, I understand that nobody's playing five nights a week anymore and the option to tighten up to that level isn't there. But there has to be a place where we can meet somewhere in the middle and do a decent job while still having fun, right?

There it is: Call it whatever you want—I do this because I want to be as good at it as I possibly can. My band puts out a quality product, and we get paid accordingly. No, I can’t live on it. But we treat it like a business, which is what it is.

 

[FatOwlBass]

I started playing for fun, it later became a passion. I started repaired fellow musicians gear. I now build my own instruments and love it. I continue to play bass for the love of it as well. Never made a dime as a musician and I build instruments for the love of it regardless of profit. I work full time as an electronics tech for a good company and am happy.

 

[Pocket Dave]

If I won't woodshed and then go out for less than X $amount, then I guess that means it's mostly about the money.

Though I usually manage to enjoy it, no matter what style of music is being played. The rare gig where I perceive the demands to be unrealistic or the drama to be too high (most any drama) to enjoy, I just avoid going forward.

 

[sotua]

Fun always and foremost. I did get paid in most bands, but also in most bands I didn't get paid enough to make the investment (in time and gear) worth it from the financial perspective.

And since it stopped being fun, no more bands for me. Learned to play guitar, drums, and sing (well, not learned, but actually am recording my voice) and am now a proud bedroom musician/one man band/collaborate with other like minded friends around the globe remotely.

 

[coyote1]

It’s a jobby.

I still gig occasionally, for the sheer joy of it. However I do insist that if it’s in a scenario where money is being made, they pay me commensurate with it. In the old days I was making $400+ per engagement, often much more depending on the venue and whether there was overtime. Now I insist on at least $50 per hour.

 

[JangoMike]

View attachment 5049083

This is the way.

 

[pfschim]

count me in the then/now camp

then = $$$ (and certainly a lot of fun was had)
now = fun + money (I generally do not play for free)

it's not at all a simple black/white question

 

[mrjim123]

I'm retired from day jobs, and gigging is the only "job" I have. But, in a sense it is also a hobby because I'm sure I could earn more working a "real" job than I do gigging, and also because I'll still play, even if I'm not gigging for pay.

 

[Steven Ayres]

Apologies if this has already been covered in this long thread.

I make music because it matters to me, it's fun, it's built into my genes, whatever. My motivation for doing it has nothing to do with making money.

That said, if I'm out there pursuing my passion and skills, particularly in support of a commercial venture — bar, restaurant, club, theatre, casino, festival, whatever — the money matters as a measure of the value of what I do and the producer's or venue's respect for my and my profession.

As a factor in that, I also consider my small part in securing the market value of what we all do in how I price my work. I have experienced where one person's decision to price their work below a hard-won standard has deflated prices for musicians in a local market. Whether we accept it or not, we're all part of a dynamic system when we play out, and how we approach pricing in particular can improve or reduce opportunities for everyone. So from that angle it's all about the money.

 

[FullumMusic]

A friend of a friend once said: "If I ever do anything like that again, I'm going to ask for a lot more money."
He was talking about stripping, but the same dynamic might apply with some of the gigs I've done.

For real. Not desperately needing the money from gigs has made me prohibitively expensive beyond my skills.

 

[51PRI]

Hi guys,

a lot of times, when discussions come up, I find myself thinking "Well, that depends if I am playing music professionally or just for fun". But I find that fact gets overlooked quite often.

In fact, at TB, my impression is that there seem to be a lot of pros and a lot of hobbyists who are nevertheless looking to make some money. So discussions where a distinction between hobbyists and pros might make sense, more often than not lean in a certain direction. Myself, after I had finished school, was looking to make a career as a recording engineer. However, I was not only disillusioned about the job as such, but after a while discovered that I was about to lose my passion for music because of it. So I decided that I would look elsewhere for a career and do music purely as a hobby. But, I feel I am very much an outsider with that point of view.

So, fellow TBers, let's see some numbers in the polls! Who is doing their thing for the money, who is in it for the fun?

If you get paid after you gig then you are playing for money, i.e. professional.