Moving to Nashville. Is it necessary?

[guy n. cognito]

IME and IMHO, Nashville is no good for musicians who aren't already well connected with a good gig. I'm from Memphis and I go to school Knoxville, so I've been to Nashville quite a few times with several of my bands over the years. For one, unless you're someone reputable, or unless you have 'the in' with another killer band, you're going to be stuck playing the bad nights of a week. Even then, your band will still be competing with at least a dozen other killer acts playing other venues across the city, so, you're already screwed no matter what. In addition, most original gigs there simply don't pay or they pay very little. Maybe I'm jaded from my own experiences, but even music friends of mine from Nashville tell me to stay away unless you have some serious country chops and happen to know the right people.

So what do I suggest? Consider moving to Knoxville or Chattanooga. Both cities are having a huge music revival in them that wasn't going on even a decade ago. Both have venues that cater towards originals acts and will pay you decently even on an off night. In addition, these cities both have very supportive local audiences who actively seek out bands. To say the least, I often find myself in awe at how well I have it in comparison to other TB members in original bands who are based out of other cities. I get paid well, never have to worry about having a PA, and the crowds are darn near close to being completely built in. Plus their location is close to other major cities (Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta, Asheville, the Tri Cities, Athens, etc...), and the cost of living is relatively cheap. You can't ask for a better setup.

Yep.

My twin brother lives in Memphis. He and I started bands in our respective cities at the same time. Being objective, are bands are of equal quality, and play roughly the same material. His band is playing 4 times a month making a minimum of $500 a night. On the other hand, I struggle to book my band twice a month, and usually have to play for door or a $250 minimum.

 

[placedesjardins]

As you might imagine, the idea of quitting two good, full time, stable jobs (especially in this economy) to move out of town without something in place is not high on either of our lists. A split/PT living situation is not out of the question (wife in Buffalo, me in Nashville) for a short term.

That's a big dream, like moving to LA to become a professional actor.

What are your current expenses? What is your current income and wife's current income? What are your current assets?

Without sharing this personal information, if you move to Nashville, how long can both of you survive without income? How long can both of you survive if she only finds a job? Would you become homeless in a year or would you be open to move into a rough part of town?
What are your options in a difficult economy, are you willing to take on a minimum wage job or other job where you are underemployed? Do you have a plan B?
Do you have a number for x in mind where "if things don't pan out in the music industry in x number of years, you'll let your dream go?"

 

[Wil_Couch]

That's a big dream, like moving to LA to become a professional actor.

What are your current expenses? What is your current income and wife's current income? What are your current assets?

Without sharing this personal information, if you move to Nashville, how long can both of you survive without income? How long can both of you survive if she only finds a job? Would you become homeless in a year or would you be open to move into a rough part of town?
What are your options in a difficult economy, are you willing to take on a minimum wage job or other job where you are underemployed? Do you have a plan B?
Do you have a number for x in mind where "if things don't pan out in the music industry in x number of years, you'll let your dream go?"

True, but if no one moved to LA with a dream of acting, movies would suck, and I couldn't amuse myself by reciting stupid quotes from Tommy Boy.

You bring up some good points, and ones that we are seriously considering.

1. I don't think current expenses and income necessarily matter. I'm more concerned with income to debt/expense ratio and maintaining a certain standard of living that my wife is accustomed to, or at least one she is comfortable with. The good thing is, our only real debts are the mortgage and our car payments. My car will be paid off in under 2 years, she leases. From the real estate research I've done, the GNA promises to be less expensive than our current housing costs, especially as it relates to property taxes. If I took my house (in Buffalo suburb) and moved it to the same sized lot in a similar suburban neighborhood outside of Nashville, I would save +/-$6000 a year in property taxes alone! (Based on appx $1500/year in Nashville vs. the $7500+ I pay in Buffalo.) Buffalo's housing costs are low, for the physical property. It's the taxes that kill you. My wife (a teacher, with 12 years experience) would inevitably take a pay cut, and lose her NYS retirement, which is nothing to sneeze at. I feel confident that I could find a similar/better paying job than I have now, assuming I start P/T with music.

2. We wouldn't move without AT LEAST one of us having a job, if not both, so surviving w/o income isn't really a consideration. If for some crazy 1 in 1million reason we move w/o jobs, we have a decent savings that would probably last 9-12 months at our current lifestyle. Longer if we cut back (which we inevitably would.)

3. Homeless? See above. Rough part of town? You've never met my wife. A) She wouldn't go for it, B) The rough part of town may have to watch out for her...

4. Rough economy options? I've always either worked 60+ hrs a week, or had 2-3 jobs (or a combination of both) so I have no issue keepin' on doing those exact things in Nashville. Plan B? We haven't finished talking about Plan A yet.

5. What if I don't make it in music by age xyz? Well, I haven't put a limit on that, yet. I'm pretty open to any good opportunity, so I don't necessarily have to be in a gig that is age limited. I doubt the dream will ever end...

There are other factors involved, that will also weigh on our decision;

A. My wife, although you would never know, is a type 1 diabetic, and has been for 17+ years. Buffalo summers are really nice, but the winter sucks, and the cold weather is getting really hard on her. We already know we will retire to a warmer climate, but I'm not sure she'll be able to physically wait that long. For those that may not know, one of the side effects of T1 diabetes is ever increasing lack of circulation in your extremities, especially hands and feet. That's why you see many diabetics (especially those that don't manage the disease properly) with amputated feet. The cold weather only makes that worse. She is incredibly active and fit, but there's only so much her body can handle.

B. My wife likes country music.

C. My mom is a musician. She is fine on her own now, but, when the time comes that we may have to take her in to care for her, she would love Nashville.

 

[Wil_Couch]

Also, a huge THANK YOU for all of the responses. Definitely some helpful information!

 

[Blue_Whistle88]

I've never even been there but I'd still agree with what's been said about moving there, geting a job first, then finding bands to play in outside of work. I did that when I moved from New Zealand to Australia, and it works because your life becomes stable very quickly and you can pick and choose who you play with. Also as previously stated, if one of the bands you play with takes off and becomes profitable, you could look into quitting your day job (or maybe just supplementing it with a part-time job) and hey presto, dream come true.

As much as starting off playing in amateur bands may sound crap, I'd imagine that the callibre of amateur musicians in Nashville would be very high. In fact, the high level of competition there would be working to your favour, because you've got a better chance of meeting up with some really good musicians withouth having to compete with a bunch of guys with better connections there, and more experience.

When you move to a new city you just have to accept that the guys who've been living there for years will already have the connections to snag the really good gigs. You've gotta put those years in yourself to get the reputation needed to be in a similar position. Being fun to play with and having something unique about your musical abilities, coupled with time spent playing unrewarding gigs and putting out self-funded recordings, will get you that reputation.

 

[two fingers]

By the way, Talas (Billy Sheehan's first established band) was out of Buffalo.

This is a tough question. I only have mostly second hand experience with the town. One of my best friends lives there, and I have gigged with several small-time Nashville acts when they passed through here.

Here's the thing. The competition is nuts. There are some really good players who come back here (Eastern NC) with my friend's act for $150 a night riding 11 hours each way and playing only a weekend. EVERYBODY is looking for work, and they work all the time. Even the guys who play with a major label act will go out with small-time acts when they are off the road. One day they are making $500 a day plus expenses, and the next they are making $150 per gig and meals are on you.

George Strait's backup singer did the backups on their album for $50 a tune because he likes to stay busy. There are guys who teach during the day, gig downtown at night, and hit the road on the weekends. My point is this. A lot of guys out there WORK HARD. They get after work as hard as they can go. Unless you hook up with a major tour, you may be one of those guys.

But, you will never know unless you try. If you guys have pretty marketable skills, go out there and give it a shot. You can always go back to a "safer" lifestyle.

 

[Munjibunga]

Instead of Nashville get a college degree and get a professional job so by the time you reach 65 your home will be paid for and will have $1 million in a 401K. In the mean tme find a good bar band to play in and be a weekend warrior.

I take it you didn't read the OP.

 

[bass08053]

Also, a huge THANK YOU for all of the responses. Definitely some helpful information!

Hey. I have to know. Three years later, did you guys move to Nashville?

 

[Ross W. Lovell]

OK, so let me start this off by saying, first and foremost... I know. It's a long-shot. And, yes, my wife is awesome (you'll see why in a second.)

I'm a relative newcomer to TB, but have been a lifelong musician and bass player with 20+ years experience. Music degree, several years of full time touring, 1000+ live performances, plenty of studio time, etc.

That said, I've taken the past few years "off" from music. I've kept up with my playing (home studio, casual local groups) but down-scaled the rig, got married, got a real job, mortgage, life, etc., etc.

So, the wife and I are talking about a month ago, about our current life situation and potential future endeavors when, all out of the blue, she says, "You know, I will totally support you if you want to go back to playing music full time. In fact, I'd be interested in moving to Nashville if you find the right gig."



Trust me, this is WAY out of my wife's comfort zone. We both have full time professional jobs, and she is definitely not a risk taker. We have been casually talking about moving away from Buffalo NY for some time, but I'm usually the one to initiate the idea.

Now, I know that the music biz is constantly and rapidly changing. I have the chops, I have the experience, I have the gear, I just need the gig. My question is, however, do I NEED the location? How necessary is it to be in Nashville/LA/NYC/insert-current-hot-music-town-here in order to get the gigs? With the amount of technology at our fingertips, is it possible/advisable to start the search, and realistically find something from home base (Buffalo, NY)? Or, are word of mouth and networking still king?

As you might imagine, the idea of quitting two good, full time, stable jobs (especially in this economy) to move out of town without something in place is not high on either of our lists. A split/PT living situation is not out of the question (wife in Buffalo, me in Nashville) for a short term.

Just wondering what input the TB pro community can offer.

Thanks in advance

Nashville area is gorgeous. Be prepared though as its a hard slog. You are likely to see some phenomenal players when you go out to hear music at night and the next day they'll be changing the oil in your car or landscaping your lawn.

Far more guitar players per thousand means, far more great ones and the ones that are even better are the ones making a living at playing music.

On the other hand.............most of the people in the audience are also musicians.

Not knowing how good you are, no disrespect, you could be a hot player and the move might find you a small fish in a big pond which may be the opposite of your situation now.

Good Luck......still an awesome place to live!

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

Do it.
Be aware Nashville can be cliquish. It may take time to get the really good road gigs.

 

[Hotblack]

There is always moving further downstate in NY. You don't necessarily have to live in Manhattan (what most think of as NYC), but there are five buroughs. Queens is pretty cool. Da' Boogie Down Bronx is also in the house. You're not going to get the milder winters of Nashville, but it will be kinder than Buffalo. This will allow your wife to keep her NYS certification and all that goes along with it. There are also the nearby states that allow you to commute into NY pretty easily (parts of CT and NJ).
Since you are flexible with genre and situation, there are opportunities. If you can play more than one instrument proficiently, there are ample opportunities.

 

[Cuzzie]

@Wil_Couch i live in the UKa novice bassist and have no useful information for you about Nashville or getting gigs, HOWEVER, having read the thread and purely based on your last post I can conclude:

Music is in your families veins.
Family health is important and warm is good.
Economics are OK, you have a handle on it.

Playing gigs aside it sounds like you would like living there anyway.

Whatever you do, best of luck to all your family

 

[Cuzzie]

Ha!

Just seen it is 3 years old!!!

Yeo I wanna know too!

 

[AngelCrusher]

OP, I have friends in the industry who have moved. Senior VP of A&R, full time Producers with indie and major label resumes, hired guns and song writers. They all really enjoy living in Nashville and they all have gigs. That being said, as a studio/hired player you will probably want to target regional touring cover bands first. Those pay pretty well and are attainable gigs. Now the thing to consider about that is you need to have the look. Nashville has evolved (or devolved) to LA in terms of look because there are so many players that it is easy to be choosy. A lot of country bands now look exactly like rock bands. Tats, long hair, ink...etc. The original scene is highly competitive. You need to have a good current resume and a rocker type image many times to get an invite. I had opportunities in Nashville when I had all those things going at the time and I passed because I didn't want to play country and I wanted a break from being a hired gun.

Main thing - make sure your look is on point. Sounds like you have the playing handled, but you need to be a complete package now. Other thing - even if the music thing fails, Nashville is still a nice place to live than Buffalo. It's not very expensive either. Your quality of life will go up regardless. So I think it is a good move. Good luck!

Just realized this is a necro thread..LOL. Interested in an update!!