Talkbass demographic check....

[SamJ]

This one was really hard to answer. I get gigs and make money doing it....actually no, no I don't. I don't supplement my income with it because it's not even enough to keep me in strings, rides to gigs and other necessities. I actually lose money by being a paid, gigging musician. So if I don't vote for working musician, what do I vote for? I have been doing music, taking lessons and performing since I was 8 years old. I have been paid to play professionally on 3 different instruments plus voice. In addition, I have given lessons and been paid for my services since I was 16. So, WTH am I?

I ended up voting "Working Musician - supplement my living a little from music" because I currently am gigging and getting paid for it. We are about to cut our first studio tracks to give as demos to potential venues so that will hopefully result in actually being a "Working Musician - breaking-even."

You voted correctly... in the end you're a professional but you've not "made it big"....

I liken it to my profession of aviation... we've got all sorts of "qualified ATP (Airline Transport License)" pilots out there working at sub poverty wages making $12000-14000 a year flying single engine planes in all corners of the country (and world really) for one reason or another they've not made it "big" to the majors... or maybe they did, but then their airline went bust and they started back over... not all "ATP" pilots make the $250-$300,000/yr salary everyone things... the majority actually don't.. Then there are those pilots with all sorts of licenses and even in some cases experience in jets (Larry Ellison comes to mind), but who don't make their living in aviation.. are they all inferior somehow? not really, although it's safe to assume their training and procedures aren't as safe as the guy who is constantly being checked by the FAA or their designee.

Does this make them any less professional? not really, in the end they are "commercial" pilots... same for the musician who might have all the skill and talent to be on Madonna's stage band or recording in big name studio's with Steve Winwood, etc... but we all know in this world "who you know" is as important as what you know..

Then there are the guys like me who've been playing music for years but never really had the dream or aspiration to "make it" in music... so we have varying degrees of skill and talent but we're not "professional" musicians..

this is how the poll should be seen.... it's not a skill check, it's a professional musician vs hobbyist check.

 

[SteveC]

Other: I have played and made money but never enough to be considered part of my income. Fun money at best.
I currently volunteer at church. I occasionally play fill in and pit jobs.

I bet this would be a category that fits a number of people eon TB

 

[Kragnorak]

I didn't see this as a poll on the personal dedication of members of this community. It is basically asking whether members are making money as musicians at the present.

Right... 200 are supplementing their incomes a little with music. How many of those would be full-on pros if music paid like it did in the 70s and 80s? How much easier would it be for the 57 aspiring working musicians to cross over? My comment was more about the reason only 4.2% of bassists can afford to be full-time musicians.

As far as dedication goes, it takes a ridiculous amount of dedication to do the whole "put $5,000 of gear into a $500 car and drive 50 miles to a $50 gig" thang. I talk to discouraged musicians all the time that burned out due to logistics, and if the economics were different I bet that a good amount of hobbyists would be performing artists if they were just able to earn enough to live modestly.

 

[Dash Lashes]

well, i voted w/o reading a stich, then found out i fit right in with "Hobbyist / Amateur with years of experience"
It's great to be here w/ you all!
Sincerely, -Dash

 

[Kragnorak]

You voted correctly... in the end you're a professional but you've not "made it big"....

this is how the poll should be seen.... it's not a skill check, it's a professional musician vs hobbyist check.

Thanks for the clarification - I might have voted wrong according to this. As a trained multi-instrumentalist with a degree that has been paid to perform everything from classical upright to jazz to rock I guess I should've included myself with the 192... Except I'm not sure I supplement my income so much as detract from it!

 

[DwaynieAD]

DwaynieAD , your band in your profile has a dead website....

Yeah, I forgot the website is on my profile here. Our soundcloud, reverbnation, band camp, twitter, lastfm, and facebook are all still going strong, but as @marko138 said, we r no longer a band so we haven't put much effort into having it fixed

Both our EPs can be downloaded for free on meetatsundown.bandcamp.com

Oh and we are on Spotify.

 

[El Spearo]

I used to be in a house band (salsa club), played 5 nights a week and all my income came from music. Looking for a new band at the moment, maybe gig once a month or so. I voted hobbyist with years of experience

 

[SamJ]

bump for more votes.