What Constitutes a Professional Musician?

[Nebadon2000]

So I dunno, am I professional musician?

No

 

[lz4005]

I get paid to play bass But i am anything but a professional musician.

That sounds more like an issue with your self esteem than the definition of what it means to be a professional at something.

 

[Tosh]

I have played for pay. My earnings never came close to covering my expenses. I've recorded an album with a band. We payed for it 100%. I have pro gear, pro attitude, and pro skills (at least on keyboards) ;-}
I've played for other bands on their albums, gratis.

I'm an amateur musician, not a professional. I doubt I wold enjoy music as much as I do, if I did it for a living.

 

[Nebadon2000]

Seems very low standards for being a Professional here renders actually being one irrelevant.

I made my living for 30+ years as a Retail Manager, I don't consider myself a 'Professional' Retail Manager; I am Simply a 'Retail Manager ; or the kid who takes my order at McDonald's a 'Professional Fast Food Worker'. We may both work in a 'Professional Manor' which is completely different.

If your IRS say's Delivery Driver doesn't make you Pro Driver as Kyle Busch who is a Professional Driver.

But because you practice 4 hrs a week, don't get drunk or curse out BL and get paid for a few gig's a year and for that call yourself a Pro; Great

Even Musicians/players that make their living playing Music are not necessarily Professionals for many it's temporary and many are just Bass Players[like me], Guitar Players, Drummer's, Keyboard/Horn players etc.

 

[Fab Superlative]

 

[Charlzm]

Dictionary definition:

"Engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime."

Works for me.

 

[Sean Brookes]

Your full time job is working as a musician. Don’t see much room for argument there.

 

[Lagado]

 

[sotua]

I said primary, not majority. IMO, earning ANY money doesn't do it.

Opinions and all...

Yep. I made money with my music last year. About $15 or so. I don't think I'll quit my day job... or call myself a pro musician.

 

[Killing Floor]

There are many professional musicians who are not always financially successful. So if the definition is specifically fully financially secure then at this moment in time there are no professional musicians except maybe YouTube stars. Is that your position @dkelley ? That a touring musician who spends 9 months on the road ends a tour and no longer a professional musician? That a rapper who had a hit and faded is no longer a professional until they make the next hit?
If that's the case there isn't much competition! I know there are a ton of working pros who aren't working for obvious reasons right now. So are you calling them out as not professional? Is Mike Campbell not a professional because Tom Petty passed away? Is that Daughtry goofball not a professional just because he can't make the small town pool halls open any faster, or do I get to say he's not a pro just because I don't like him? Just saying the definition of a professional in any other career is pretty cut and dry. There are a crap ton of engineers, producers, roadies, truck drivers, bartenders, bookers, marketers, caterers, and yes, musicians who are professional to the core. Some people are making it better than others, some are suffering and may never return. Some are starting out on the long road to success in music (whatever that means). The difference in music and virtually any other profession is that people have the luxury of defining the definition of "professional" and "success". The other difference is that there is not a clearly defined path to achieve these things which is why I say it is a "blurry" definition. You can go to Berklee and not be a professional musician. You can make first chair in your city's symphony and budget may necessitate that you are also a middle school music teacher (still a professional musician).
Music isn't like construction or neurosurgery or waiting tables. There is no correlation between effort and ability and financial success, not any at all. And you must certainly know that s true. All any musician can do is their best, learn the craft, the instrument, study, be attentive and learn to network.

 

[DJ Bebop]

1. As a child, my father paid me to mow the lawn and do other yard work (earn an allowance). I was a professional lawn care specialist. 2. I enjoy woodworking and have been commissioned to make items for people on occasion (cost of materials and a case of beer). I am a professional carpenter. 3. I own a pickup truck and trailer. I've been paid to haul items from point A to point B (gas money and/or lunch). I'm a professional mover. 4. I get paid to play music (enough to buy new gear/maintain current gear). I am a professional musician. 5. I served 24 years in the military before retiring. I was a professional warrior (profession of arms). 6. I pay my mortgage as a security management specialist. I am a professional security manager.

All of these statements are true to a degree, but which of these statements ring most true when I declare what type of professional I am? Let's drop a bit of the ego. Being paid in and of itself does not make one a professional musician regardless of skill level. Making a living as a musician, regardless of skill level, makes you a professional musician. Your level of professionalism is a separate thing from your profession.

You got paid, a whole case of beer?

 

[DJ Bebop]

What makes one a professional? Definitely shorts and flip flops as stage wear.

Yup!

 

[fourstringburn]

A professional is someone who performs a service for money.

That includes a prostitute!

 

[legalbass]

A professional is someone who performs a service for money.

That includes a prostitute!

The oldest profession, in fact!

 

[dkelley]

There are many professional musicians who are not always financially successful. So if the definition is specifically fully financially secure then at this moment in time there are no professional musicians except maybe YouTube stars. Is that your position @dkelley ? That a touring musician who spends 9 months on the road ends a tour and no longer a professional musician? That a rapper who had a hit and faded is no longer a professional until they make the next hit?
If that's the case there isn't much competition! I know there are a ton of working pros who aren't working for obvious reasons right now. So are you calling them out as not professional? Is Mike Campbell not a professional because Tom Petty passed away? Is that Daughtry goofball not a professional just because he can't make the small town pool halls open any faster, or do I get to say he's not a pro just because I don't like him? Just saying the definition of a professional in any other career is pretty cut and dry. There are a crap ton of engineers, producers, roadies, truck drivers, bartenders, bookers, marketers, caterers, and yes, musicians who are professional to the core. Some people are making it better than others, some are suffering and may never return. Some are starting out on the long road to success in music (whatever that means). The difference in music and virtually any other profession is that people have the luxury of defining the definition of "professional" and "success". The other difference is that there is not a clearly defined path to achieve these things which is why I say it is a "blurry" definition. You can go to Berklee and not be a professional musician. You can make first chair in your city's symphony and budget may necessitate that you are also a middle school music teacher (still a professional musician).
Music isn't like construction or neurosurgery or waiting tables. There is no correlation between effort and ability and financial success, not any at all. And you must certainly know that s true. All any musician can do is their best, learn the craft, the instrument, study, be attentive and learn to network.

No. My position is that, when you do your annual taxes, I was told that my profession is my primary source of income as long as it is at least 50% of my income.

Simple as that. And the accepted standard/norm around everyone I have worked with is that if you make money at it but less than half of your income, then you're semi pro. I absolutely don't care about it, myself - but when I was making about 30% of my income in music after I started a full time day job to support my family several years ago, I stopped calling myself a professional musician, and went for the common title of semi professional.

I once toured for several months. I made zero dollars on that particular tour - BUT my expenses were covered, and at that particular time I had pretty low living expenses). When I came home I went to college to improve my expertise in music. Back home I played an occasional gig, but nearly everything was cash free. I was not yet getting paid to play, other than maybe a couple of wedding events or something through the year.

I paid for rent with credit. I got by, financially, but making bad choices (financially speaking). I sold expensive instruments, etc. But I survived.

Honestly, what I considered myself then, and still do when I look back at that, was an out of work musician. I wanted to be a professional musician, but hadn't found a way to make money at it to live off of.

Everyone I knew was judging the term professional musician as earning your living off of playing music. Turns out, as I met more professional musicians, and finally became one myself and had to do my taxes... that the definition WAS generally the accepted one, and the government agreed.

I don't care what anyone thinks - I was stating the norm as I experienced it, as I was taught by the industry, and as I learned how to work through the business side of things.

My opinion is based on what I learned. Otherwise I'd be just making up an opinion for some random reason.

You cannot invent new meanings to words that have existing meanings. Professional Musician is a title, and it's something that those who have managed to make a career out of playing music are very proud of. It's a huge accomplishment, and not something that most people manage to succeed at.

Behaving professionally is also an accepted phrase with very standard definitions. It does not, though, mean the same thing as being a professional <insert career here>.

One COULD say you are a dentist if you graduated from dental school, but have never worked a single day as a dentist to earn your living. You are still a dentist. But you are not a professional Denist. You are a dentist who volunteers your time, or chooses not to work, or cannot work for some reason... you are an out of work Dentist.

Honestly - nearly all musicians who try to go pro are "out of work musicians". I am - if someone paid me the money I make in software engineering to play music again professionally, I'd consider it hard. I might have to say no due to commitment level being much higher and I have a family to spent time with... but I'd seriously consider it.

But the reality is, when I was a professional musician, I made half as much as I make now on average every year compared to the very highest year of success I ever had in music, and normally quite a bit less in music than that. I was, though, making all of my money at it, and was a professional musician. I eventually started taking my hobby of programming computers (for fun) and started getting paid for it on the side. Ironically, it was the manager of one of my bands who saw what I could do with software, and hired me part time doing contract software and animation for one of his side project companies in Media Arts. So it was kind of a happy accident, making money at something other than music.

 

[dkelley]

Groupies

Wow, then I was a professional when I was 15

 

[Bruce Calin]

I suppose there are degrees of "professionalism" but to me it has to be considered your more-or-less full-time job or at least main source of income. Having been one my entire working life, that's my opinion. The qualifications vary somewhat depending on the type of playing but the money part is what is most important. That does NOT mean we do it only for the money. That's in most cases not the main motivation, or we would obviously do something more lucrative. I feel extremely fortunate to have made my living doing what I most love to do. There is something called a professional attitude that is also a big part of the whole deal. It means being prepared for the work you're doing and not being overly concerned with the non-musical aspects of the particular circumstances of the situation. I have a family, insurance, a mortgage and all the middle-class stuff, all paid for by playing music. Like I said, I've been extremely lucky, but I also tried to prepare myself mentally as well as musically to be successful, and being realistic about the day-to-day aspects of being a professional. It's like any other profession in that way.

 

[red_rhino]

I agree with the notion that if you're making a living playing music, then you're a professional. I also appreciate the notion that you should take your craft seriously and conducting yourself in a professional manner when playing music, regardless of how much money you're being paid.

I have made a living playing music for very brief periods of time in my life, so I don't really self-identify as a professional musician. However, if I'm being paid to play a gig, then for those few hours I am indeed a professional musician and try to act like one.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I guess I identify as a pro player. Make most of my income playing bass (I have other revenue streams as well), have worked with some 'heavies', charted on Billboard, been on a bunch of records, have a collection of great gear, etc. Not happy about the current economic climate!

 

[Bruce Calin]

One thing I forgot to mention is that most members of the musicians' union are not full-time professional players, which makes for some issues among the members when it comes to insurance and pension considerations, since most of the membership got those as part of some other job. It makes the definition of who is a professional even more problematic. My point is that depending on music performance for your income needs a different outlook and even more of a positive attitude to not become cynical or negative when things get a little thin. This is like any other profession in that it can become just a frustrating and unfulfilling job with not enough pay or benefits, let alone emotional pluses.