Yes but that's going to vary wildly from group to group and the key is finding a group with aspirations that closely match your own. No right or wrong.
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Job or Hobby?
- Thread starter Micha84
- Start date
Yes but that's going to vary wildly from group to group and the key is finding a group with aspirations that closely match your own. No right or wrong.
Mainly for fun and if money comes my way, well that makes my smile a little bigger…
I'm in it for the fun really, if i did it for the money, then realistically i'd not earn enough to keep a roof over my head. The money is obviously nice to get and i rarely turn a local gig down because of that aspect. If i do it's usually because I don't have enough spare time to get to grips with the set or if it is going to put me out of pocket. That said I have done free gigs for friends when they are not being paid for the gig.
Well, as a member of an original band www.lidauna.com/music it actually costs money to play music.
The industry is so silly that if you aren't doing it for love & fun then no original music would be made. In St. Louis right now, there are about 3 actual places with good stages and sound where a non-national original band can play (that isn't a total dive where fans would never show). We are lucky to play out quarterly.
The industry is so silly that if you aren't doing it for love & fun then no original music would be made. In St. Louis right now, there are about 3 actual places with good stages and sound where a non-national original band can play (that isn't a total dive where fans would never show). We are lucky to play out quarterly.
Yes! I often say: Money is validation.
When someone refers to their music as a hobby, my teeth start to grind. All I can picture is the “hobbyist” sitting on the floor in their bedroom in their pajamas with their spouse or parent hovering over them with a honeydew list and nagging them to put their “hobby” aside and get some work done.
hobbies are generally for fun, kind of nitpicking over a term here. not every needs to get onstage to enjoy an instrument.
When I was young living in NYC, it supplemented my other job - meaning if I did not have a gig, I may go hungry. But it was super fun then. I was in a dance band and playing music with really good musicians. I learned jazz and creative music during that time. I put fun .
There’s an old joke… what’s the difference between a bass player and a large pizza? A large pizza will feed a family of 4. I’ve been playing for 55 years as a hobby, occasionally making a buck here and there. When I was young, I considered making it my profession. However, I decided to get a business degree…had a successful corporate career…helped raise two great sons…have a comfortable retirement …and play lots of music. I have no regrets. Bass has always been a wonderful hobby…incredibly fulfilling…and helped to keep me sane along the way.
Cave Puppy
"Humph Bo, he's wond!" - John Lennon
Maybe the term"avocation" may be more appropriate for what many of us do.
avocation
noun
/ˌævəˈkeɪʃən/
work you do in addition to your main job or profession, especially for enjoyment.
In a way the $$ is a validation. If someone is paying you and hiring you than yes you're doing something right. But to me the more important validation is a happy audience.
If the whole loading in-out/setup/teardown dance wasn't involved I play with no concern for $$ just for that validation from the crowd. That's what I'm being paid for, the music part is the "free bonus." Kind of like buy one get one free.
Playing music is a hobby to me. Plain and simple. I have a FT job and any money coming from playing music would be a small fraction of that. I have other hobbies as well. Some are very expensive. I attend events with folks that participate in those hobbies and they spend big money and time working on their skills at those hobbies. Nobody is making a living car racing, for instance. But some of these guys will work to get .10 sec a lap better. They hire pro coaches and work on all of that. Then they compete with guys that put in the same level of prep and share a beer at the end of the race.
There are others who are just in it for the fun of racing. Same with music I suppose. If you like working on stuff an upping your game, you want to find others who want to up their game and play (even for $100) at the top of their game. Push yourselves, etc. I'm playing bass with a new thing. I'm working harder than ever to get the tunes "right" since I barely know these guys and *they* have put in the work. I have made, and probably will make $0. I bought a new bass for this project (cause it's lighter), so I'm at (many hundreds of) negative dollars.
I'm having fun, but we're (the BL is) looking for a singer and it's not going well. The last singer mentioned how she listened to the songs in the car a bunch leading up to it. Sigh. She was "OK" and could learn but, lack of prep. So it it's fun, but the variability is taking some of the fun out.
My other project is on hiatus while my basement is rebuilt from a flood.
I can't say I ever play with no concern for money, but oh my yes: Every once in a while I look out at the dance floor and think "I've done it. I've gone to the top of Maslow's Hierarchy: I'm living out a dream from childhood."
Well, technically I get paid to do it, but very little and only once a month or so. So I guess that counts as a job 
I do it for fun, day job for money. However, I'm not going to turn down any money for a gig, and will take as much as people are willing to pay me.
A hobby is sitting on your front porch in the wood whittlin.'
If you spend time learning to play an instrument, then get together with some other folks and learn to play together, then decide you want to play for other people, then book a gig, then pack up your gear and take it to a venue, then play a gig and get money...well, that's not a hobby.
If you spend time learning to play an instrument, then get together with some other folks and learn to play together, then decide you want to play for other people, then book a gig, then pack up your gear and take it to a venue, then play a gig and get money...well, that's not a hobby.
Job or Hobby?
Jah Wobble
Do these really have to be mutually exclusive?
Jah Wobble
Do these really have to be mutually exclusive?
