Job or Hobby?

[Fynn]

The only reason I started gigging, was because of the money. I was very afraid at first and I didn't have the chance to play any of the stuff I wanted. But once I realized how fun gigging is, I stopped caring so much about the money. Gigging did finance this hobby of mine quite a bit though. So basically, because of the money I made, I had more fun at home playing with my new toys

 

[Ostie]

I play with a couple other guys in a trio. One of them thinks that we should accept any and all gigs, paying or no. The other one goes along with it. My stance is that a 2 hour gig actually takes about 4 hours, once you factor in load up, drive time, load in, set up, and then do it all in reverse afterwards. I enjoy the playing, but the rest is work, and that’s what they pay me for. Otherwise, I could spend the 4 hours doing other things that need to be done, like yard work, hiking, biking, camping, sleeping, eating, etc. Plus, the money pays for equipment and gas.

 

[Mannyinnewyork]

Money initially. Once I got a good paying day job it was all about having fun. Eventually I found I had more fun just writing and recording my songs at home. Now, i just enjoy listening to some of my favorite artists.

 

[climber]

I absolutely LOVE playing music. After 57 years of doing it, I simply cannot imagine not playing. That said, I want to be paid. I almost never play for free. I feel that in order for the music to be valued, as it should be, the music needs to be paid for. I have turned down some pretty good gigs because the promoter/venue wouldn’t pay the band. There is one place I play on occasion that doesn’t actually pay the band directly, but they go around in the middle of the performance and collect $ from the patrons. I almost always get significantly more playing there than from other gigs.

Understand that these days I only play the music I want to play, with the players I want to play with. And over the past 5+ years I have managed to make that happen this summer I currently have 53 gigs on the books, all but 2 doing my own music or jam band stuff that I enjoy. That’s taken a lot of work on my part, and I am well aware of just how fortunate I am.

 

[kesslari]

Option 5: I want to make/play great music.

The fun comes with the enjoyment of the music, but is not the primary goal. The money is what I expect if my music is generating revenue or part of someone else’s commercial endeavor. But the music comes before fun and money.

This is a well articulated version of what I was going to try to say.

 

[red_rhino]

It's definitely for fun, but I always treat it as a professional, so I'm going with "Jobby".

 

[socialleper]

It's about the art.

 

[Father Gino]

My experience exactly. Playing for drunks is no fun.

Now playing with drunks is where it’s at!

 

[Nebadon2000]

FullumMusic said:
"But the music comes before fun and money."

Yes I do play for the Fun of Playing Music Live but I also take what I do seriously whether Cover or Original [done both] and Music is always first and that's what leads to the Fun

 

[Ggaa]

I play because good or bad that's who I am, and no conscious plan to stop. I have figured out that:
Good music+good hang=fun. Fun+$=more fun.

 

[rickwebb]

I'm always saying, "If you're not paying, i'm not playing".
But then again you can't pay me enough to stick with a situation i don't like.

 

[misterCRUSH]

Music is a refuge for me. I have schizophrenia, and it has literally saved my life more times than I can count. That being said, I would play for free just to have the honor and victory of being in front of people without too much else going on. I have built a good gig schedule of jazz combo, with a songwriter or two, and solo shows. The $$ is a nice treat, but triumph over my illness is the true reward.

 

[RVRSCO]

I play bass because I love it. I play in a punk band because I love it. I go on tour and DIY the poopie out of music because I love it. Getting paid is great, but it’s not my motivation. My motivation is love.

 

[bolophonic]

I like getting paid, but I place self-expression and creative fulfillment above any other factors. Not many people make a living playing the types of music that I enjoy.

 

[Pocket Dave]

I play with a couple other guys in a trio. One of them thinks that we should accept any and all gigs, paying or no. The other one goes along with it. My stance is that a 2 hour gig actually takes about 4 hours, once you factor in load up, drive time, load in, set up, and then do it all in reverse afterwards. I enjoy the playing, but the rest is work, and that’s what they pay me for. Otherwise, I could spend the 4 hours doing other things that need to be done, like yard work, hiking, biking, camping, sleeping, eating, etc. Plus, the money pays for equipment and gas.

Yep. Here's loadout #1 of 2 at the end of a long night. You know - what you pay me for.

 

[DaveParker39]

I won't do it if it's not fun, but if I'm not getting paid to play I would definitely play other stuff.
That said, playing popular music is profitable, and people get into it and into the band which makes it fun. So it is a win-win. Plus, even though we play popular music, we select and arrange it in a way that makes it enjoyable for us to play. When people are having fun listening to you play, it is fun to play, even if it isn't "your" ideal music.
I wouldn't play in the band I play in for free, but we also wouldn't be nearly as good as we are if we were playing for free because we wouldn't be able to afford to get things as dialed in as we do.
As others have mentioned, the money almost just as much about the time and labor it takes to get set up to play than it is to play itself.
Yes we take discounts/play for free when charity is involved, and no we don't make enough money to all quit our day jobs, but it is a project geared toward landing good paying gigs.

 

[brisonic]

I know many people where this is not their full time gig, but they play out 3-4 nights most weekends and do it in bands where they get paid well for it. These are typically country cover bands. I just pay for fun typically.

 

[BlueTalon]

It's basically a monetized hobby for me.

 

[And I]

I worked for a while as a recording engineer as a plan B when the rock star plans didn't work out. I was doing mostly commercial work, not very much music recording, mixing, or mastering. It didn't pay great but allowed me to feel good about my career and still play music seriously, while not "as a profession" any more.

Then my finacée at the time, now my wife, needed to get out of new york city. We moved north of boston and my career disappeared as there are really no jobs for recording engineers. So I got into computers as a career and now make enough money to afford a house, nice mics and instruments, and I'm still playing music. I'm seriously unhappy in my career, it's not at all fulfilling.

So yes i like to get paid for playing music but it's some of the only fun I've got left.

 

[hrodbert696]

I play for the "fun" (taking that word broadly for the enjoyment and satisfaction of it). But what I've observed is that I have more fun if I treat it professionally. Paying attention to the business dimension means playing more, with better musicians, better venues, better crowds. It's nice to get paid, but it's not so much about making money, as that the pay is a way of keeping score.