Your music careers

[Lex]

Let's talk business for a sec guys!

I am interested to know what you guys would like to do with your music. Is it a hobby? Or do you want to make it your career???

Do you want to be a well known star that has the love of the fans? Or a behind-the-scenes session player who has the respect of his peers and bass playing community? OR BOTH????

I am lucky enough to be able to do graphic design to pay the bills, so I have never had to play music to survive. In fact, I played in a pretty popular band for 4 years and never earned a penny. We sunk everything back into the development of the band. Don't know if I would do that again.

These days I record and play with a number of groups and musicians in Perth, which isn't bad for such a small city. I do around 3/4 gigs a week, they pay pretty well.. but if you add in the time for rehearsal and the effort for packing and unpacking all your gear then i don't really think the money's that good.

I guess I'd like something more out of my music... but in a way i am wondering if it's something I should make my career?

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing I love more than playing music, whether it to be 5 people or 500 (I have had the pleasure of doing both... more often to 5 than 500 hahah). But when do the woes of touring (being away from family and friends) and gigging really take their toll? Is it something that could make you resent music? I remember a period of heavy gigging where I really began to hate the fact I had to play every night...

I guess you need to do eveything with balance...

Ultimately, i think i would like to make music my career, with a good balance of recording, gigging and producing. I really love being in the studio, not always as a player but contributing ideas to production and engineering. I have had the pleasure of helping a friend produce an EP recently and it's been a really rewarding experience. And I will always want to perform music in some way if i can. I played in a stage musical once, it was great fun being part of such a huge production.

Am not too concerned with fame; but would prefer the respect of my peers and others in the music community.

Well... that's me. :)

Would love to hear from you guys as where you would all like to end up! I think this forum is a great place for discussion because we have such a wide range of members!

Cheers

Lex

[Lex]

Would love to hear from you guys as where you would all like to end up! I think this forum is a great place for discussion because we have such a wide range of members!

by this i meant.. "wide range of players with varying degrees of experience and levels of musical careers"

:)

Lex

[Andy]

For me it's only ver going to be a hobby. I am in a well paid job, and I don't want to go back to living on the breadline. We've had some minor success including a Radio 1 session, opening for some pretty respected bands and a decent small following.

I would like to put together a jazz/funk band, but it seems to be pretty difficult to find like minded musicians to do that sort of thing. Seems that everybody just wants to play emo/punk etc :(

[Drunken funkster]

I think I'm young enough to make it something rather like a semi-career, although I would love to be able to make it a full time career. It sounds kind of a musey type cliché, but music really is my life, like it is for most of my family. I don't want to be jammed in an office with piles of paperwork to do when I get out of college, because I've always promised myself that the job I get will be one I won't dread doing everyday. I think I can play Bass well enough to make some kind of career out of it, and music has always been a strength of mine. I was no good at logical things like maths or science back in school, but English, History and Music have always appealed to me, and of course, I would love to take my love of music to another level. Anything you enjoy and get paid for is always good.

Liam :cheesy:

[joelx817]

I personally believe that you owe it to yourself to find what makes you happiest in life, what you feel you do best and brings joy to others, and try to make a living doing that. For some people (maybe in this forum) that might be teaching children, or practicing medicine, or driving a truck (who knows). For me, I derive the most joy making music. I love everything about making music, even the practicing and physical aspect of it. Like Lex, I've had the opportunity to make a living in different bands here in the states. I've toured all over here (and a little in Europe). I'm never happier than when I'm laying down a bassline. I'm lucky enough to have a wife who is understanding, and encouraging in this effort. If making music is what makes you happiest, you CAN make a living, and not break your neck trying. Just start taking your music seriously, and treat yourself like an athlete or dedicated business person (practice and dedication).
Enough of my rambling....

* stay gold *

[Simon]

As many of you know, I make a bit of money out of the Jamiroquai book - but nothing to retire on ;) ... to help pay the bills I also teach bass privately and at a music school. Apart from that I don't have much time for anything else at the moment as Im currently at Uni studying (a lot more work than I thought)!

But yeh, I would love to be able to make my living out of music all my life. Maybe release some more books, get a publisher, do some independant freelance transcriptions for magazines, continue in the teaching area and continue doing gigs with bands...

Who knows what lies ahead... :)

[Big T]

Liam, I see now that we have some things incommon. Actually, about everything you said works for my life aswell, hehe. I never cared for anything besides music in school, nothing else. English was ok, I used to be quite good (emphasis on used to be, hehe), but otherwise it was all music. So I've studied it for 3 years now, I've played bass for about 4/5 years.
I also think I'm good enough and have the talent to make a semi-living of music. It's the one thing I'm good at, so it HAS to be this way. I AM gonna study and work for it, cause it's all I wanna do. I too have promised myself never to get stuck in a job I can't stand. I just hope it never comes to that ultimatum.
I just think of the gift I've been given. To play music. To use it as a language, to communicate with other people with it. To affect someone with your music, make someone dance, make someone cry, laugh, dig it, be inspired, and so many other things. I don't know what in the world I would do without it.

[Alfred Jazz Punker]

It's cool to know all this guys... You seem like really focused on what you want...

For me, at this moment it's not that clear. I've spent the last 4 years playing bass and doing everything a teenager does... I won't specify cos it's a long list he he he...

But I decided that if music was going to be mi way, I had to study and that's what I'm doing now... Theory, practcing, reading, listening... I'm planning to get close to the armony, more than any other thing. I'm studying the composition career. The school where I am it's a school that it's part of the Royal music schools of London, so the program we have has no place to rest, since my country it's poor in a culure way there are not many good schools of music, but this one is cool...

I have been inspired by my teacher, she is like 74 and keeps on studying anything that has to do with armony... It's just pure passion what she has taught me.

By this time I really don't know what is the thing I will be doing in some years, I keep on playing bass, but it's not longer the only thing I do... Now I spent more time in the piano doing armonic excersises and listening to the colours that this amazing passion has to offer...

Personaly I don't see music as playing and living only... You must be music yourself to get to the deepest of the expression... That's what I'm searching now.

[squishington]

wow :shock: , this is the deepest topic ive seen!

im in college at the moment, and the idea of getting a rat race, 9 - 5, 49 weeks a year job isnt exactly apealing...

i would love to make a career out of being a musican, maybe not an insanely huge one but maybe that pays the bills.

Would have to say id favour respect amongst my peers than fame and fans, because we all know that non-musicans know jack-shit about music.

[Drunken funkster]

I also think I'm good enough and have the talent to make a semi-living of music. It's the one thing I'm good at, so it HAS to be this way. I AM gonna study and work for it, cause it's all I wanna do.

Yeh, we most definately feel the same way. I'm going to study like I've never studied before when I get to Uni, because apart from English, it's the only thing I've ever wanted to do at a higher level.

Liam :cheesy:

[Alfred Jazz Punker]

wow , this is the deepest topic ive seen!


he he he he...

You know, there are some places where you just can't think of doing a music career... For example, here in my country there's nobody that can do that. It's impossible, maybe there are exceptions...

I'm starting to get worried :roll: