OK.. so no one said it was EASY... but it can be done!
This is just a brief list of things you can do in to help generate some revenue for your career. The following advice also goes under the assumption that you are a dedicated musician. The dedicated musician will practice at any opportune moment... live, breathe, and cry music. If being in a band or doing music is a hobby, keep it as such because the music industry is not kind for those who do not perform as well as others. To be a part of the music industry, you will need to sacrifice a lot of things and one of them is money. So if you plan on making this a career, you will need to invest in decent equipment, gas and most of all invest in YOURSELF. Practice like you're playing on stage. Don't settle for less because there are many other musicians out there that want that edge to make their music a career.
So strap your boots on and jump in.. cause its one helluva ride!!
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Solo Acoustic
Playing cover songs on acoustic guitar (piano, etc.) with a couple of originals thrown in is a GREAT way to get your music out there while putting a little bit of cash in your pocket. Be prepared to perform 3-4 hours with only 10 minute breaks... put together a nice set list of songs that your target audience would like to hear and start looking for shows.
While coffee shops and open mics do not pay much (if anything), this is a great way to start off. And while you may not be getting paid much in the open mic, the owner of that bar (or another) may hear you and want you to perform there. So, use these as an idea of what you can possibly get for a gig. Rates depend on the budget the place has, how good you are, if you bring a following, and other things they may deem as essential to perform there.
- Coffee House $50-$100
- Bars = $100-$150
- Private Party = $150-$300
Overall.. Starting off.. $100 is a good number
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Bands
OK, so bands can make a lot of money, but they also spend much much more. Being in a band and wanting to make it professionally is a big step because you WILL need to invest in some serious equipment, time, and patience. If your band quarrels over people missing practice and everyone not being on the same page, you might as well hang it up and save the money since the band will probably break up in 6 months. If you are in a band where everyone is TOTALLY SERIOUS about making music, then proceed to the next tactics.
Ways a band can make money...
- Ticket Sales: Dont' expect much at first. You may make $2 a ticket. However, if you can consistantly bring 50-100 per show, you can eventually get $4-5 and even more for that ticket. Making hundreds of dollers per show. And lets not forget the high rolling bands like Dave Matthews Band that were able to make $500k per show. Aim for the stars and settle for the moon! So expect $2 per show if you are starting out, or if you can get a guarantee try $75-$100 per person in the band... however those days are few and far between.
- Merchandise: One of the best ways for a band to make money. Make a cool t-shirt for your band and you could have a local fad, plus the money that comes with it. You can also put your bands name/image on ANYTHING. Lighters, keychains, mousepads, anything is cool because your bands name is on it. Trust me, people have come up to me years later remember the lighters I had. Leaving a lasting impression is why I do it!
- CD / Digital Sales: OK, so here is where you can make it or break it. If you write mediocre music, you will get mediocre sales. If you write GREAT HIT SONGS you will get GREAT HIT SALES, so have a tight band that writes a couple of hit songs and you can make yourselves pro musicians with your own means. With Itunes, and places like Disc Makers that can replicate your CD's at a low cost, you can reach a WORLDWiDE audience with a limited budget. You can expect to pay $1.25-$2.00 a CD to get copies on average. The more you buy the cheaper, but lets assume you only bought 200 at $1.25 each. You sell each CD for $7, you can end up making $5.75 per CD. Wow, that is awesome because if you were signed to a "Major Record Label" you'd be lucky to get a nickel per CD! So do the math and you can see that if you can make your band the local buzz, sell 500 CD's at $7. Went to the studio spending $3k, replicated the 500 with the better recording using money you sold the original cd's with, you can eventually build a pretty kick ass presence.
- Charity Events: Alright, so you don't really make money at these, but they are AWESOME for getting your bands name out there, plus you may always run into someone who can help your career along. You may even sell a couple of CD's.
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Professional Songwriter
So, you want to be a professional songwriter, eh? Well, stop right there!
Before you go any further, I must let you know this is THE MOST BRUTAL YET REWARDING ways to make money. The reason I say it is brutal is because if you go into it blindly, you will get madly rejected and can possibly get crushed in an instant... losing all hope in making money in the music industry. However, here's the secret. You have to play by THEIR game. Once you write a "hit" song for Top 40 music, then you can go ahead and create all the music you wanted to do to begin with, however, PLEASE realize you must play their game first. Attend songwriting workshops and write some really good tunes!
- Taxi: This is a company that has been around for a while and is the closest thing that you can get to the music industry without being in the music industry. They basically know indie and major entertainment companies looking for music, and you (the songwriter) can sign up for their service with a fee. Initially I thought it was ridiculous to pay $300 for a yearly membership, plus another $5 per submission when I'm already a struggling musician? Well, here's where the story begins to get interesting.
Feeling as if I REALLY REALLY wanted to get in the industry I signed up. So, I spent a bunch of money and submitted a bunch of songs and then I waited for them to get reviewed. The next part is where most people panic and give up. So, I get my songs back from review and find that there are many things I've could of done better. While initially I thought my songs were great and thought they were out of their minds, after a couple of months of sinking in, I realized they were right. They made specific points about my song structure and found that their suggestions made a HUGE improvement in regards to the quality of it. I eventually got a song accepted and realized that by playing the music industry's game, following the simple songwriters formula, and applying a little bit of talent can make your career something with longevity.
So apply to Taxi if you think you're ready to be a part of the music industry. Wear a thick skin and grow from the experience. Also with a yearly membership you get 2 FREE Tickets to the Road Rally which is where you can make some REAL connections in Los Angeles. The knowledge you gain, the industry people you actually get to talk to, and the friends you meet will be priceless. Check out http://www.taxi.com/ for more details. - Songwriter for a Band: If get yourself in a position where you are a songwriter for a band or solo artist, you can make a lot of money with royalties. You may not make much at first, but if you can write a hit song that catapults that band or artist into the spotlight, that also brings your songwriting skills along!
- TV/Movie/Video Games: There's a big market for music for TV, Movie, and Video Games. Along with TAXI, you can also do some of your own research and find companies that are looking for experienced songwriters to score music for their video games. You can also use resources such as the Musicians Atlas or the Indie Bible which has many contacts that you can try. Also a little bit of personal innovation in getting a hold of these companies is what can make or break an artist.
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Promoter
Whether you love them or hate them they are in the music scene. So if you plan on being one of them, why not be the good one that puts together a good show, pays all the bands well, and makes the night something to remember. Try avoid being the promoter who does not promote, does not organize the bands well, and expects to keep all the cash. That guys sucks!
So, since I've laid out the two examples of promoters, we'll just discuss the Promoter that is good for the scene. The Promoter that is good for the scene goes BEYOND facebook and myspace, but ALSO puts together a street team (or at least knows how to spread the word). This promoter also makes posters, flyers, gets all the bands involved and has the night organized so it runs smoothly. OK, so lets do the math Mr. Good Promoter...
- Not so good night: You get 3-4 bands to confirm and show up for the event. Each bring only 12 people. You make $2 per ticket as a promoter. So let's say 3 bands show up, with 12 people at $2 a ticket you make $72... 4 bands $96. Not too bad for a not so good night... also not so great for all the work and effort and time put into it. But then again, if only 3-4 bands show, how much time did you really put into it?...
- Rock Show: You got yourself and all the bands organized. You gave the bands NICE flyers (glossy with good graphics) to pass around 2 weeks ago, got posters hung up at the venue, and 5-6 bands confirm. Each band shows up and does a great job promoting bringing an average of 30 people. So let's do the math... 5 bands x 30 people at $2 = $300. So for putting together ONE show this situation we were able to make $300 and that was only with $2 per ticket. What if all 6 bands showed up? 6 bands x 30 people at $2 = $360. That's an extra $60 for just one band showing up and doing their part. So, if you can get yourself organized right you can do just a couple shows a week, make a great music scene, and live comfortably.
The more you put into the music scene, the more you get back!
So that was just a brief introduction of ways you can make money within the music industry with a little insight with what you might expect. If you plan on making this a career I wish you the best of luck! Take the advise that you can use and write some hits!
*The content written on this page does not give any explicit financial advice but only gives the reader an idea of what they might expect to encounter when negotiating in their music career.
