How to survive as a musician without a 9-5 normal job?

[britpoprule]

Hi there guys.
I'm sure there's loads of you out there playing music not only as a hobby but full time. Unless you are in a successful band or busy with 4-5 tribute bands at the same time, how do you survive? I'm a solo artist (singer/songwriter) and I try to avoid getting a normal 9-5 job that would probably kill the dream. Is working in a bar/pub the only solution? I would really appreciate all your ideas and experiences.
By the way I live in West London.
cheers.

Edited April 25, 2014 by britpoprule

[0175westwood29]

i used to get really angry and pissed of when i had to go back into work after a gig or a weekend recording, i still dnt like going back to work but the work lets me by things that help the band so i try to not let it bum me out so much.

its not easy tho, i am happy to take time of or have 3hrs sleep to play a show tho! band does really come first to me.

andy

[thodrik]

It depends.A 9-5 job is pretty good in terms of it allows you to be available for gigs any night of the week or weekender type gigs. That is unless its one of those '9-5' meaning '8am - 8pm' which becomes a bit of a problem.

Jobs with irregular working hours like bar work, baristas and shift work can really annoying in terms of coordinating working hours with rehearsals and gigs. Band members shifts end up overlapping and you can end up with less time to rehearse than if you were all just working 9-5.

Overall though, jobs can help keep struggling bands going, even when the bands become fairly well known and seem 'big' to folk on the outside.

[BassTractor]

Without knowing your situation, in general I think it's about being available for a very diverse set of things to do, and about contacts.
Many tiny bits of income would give survival.

Diversity: this could for example mean teaching at different types of schools as well as starting your own teaching institution, being a dep for many kinds of music groups in all kinds of styles, recording sessions ... the works!

Contacts: I think contacts must really not be underestimated. (I got a deal once when someone knew that I was working on the exact same music that somebody else needed a dep for.)

All the best!

Edited April 25, 2014 by BassTractor

[skankdelvar]

Getting a job in a pub might introduce conflicts of timing. Most gigs occur outside the hours of 9am - 5pm and this coincides with such peak demand periods in licensed hostelries as requires the presence of bar staff. One can see certain drawbacks.

Many of today's stars draw a discreet veil over their career history, preferring to insinuate that they once lived in a dustbin while subsisting on a diet of pot noodles or tinned pilchards. In truth, most of those who commenced their activities after their student days have either had eminently 'respectable' day jobs or indulgent relatives. A minority may have simply ponced off their mates or engaged in temporary work as narcotics retailers.

My suggestion would be to get a 9 to 5 job which complements your ambitions. Music shops are always on the look-out for keen young musicians to staff their outlets. This would give you plenty of time to hone your artistic craft between (and even during) the conduct of your responsibilities.
[color=#ffffff].[/color]

Edited April 25, 2014 by skankdelvar

[ambient]

You need a 'portfolio' of skills.

Teaching - not just bass, but general music/theory/harmony/sight-reading/ear training/music tech.
Playing live.
Production.
Session work.
Journalism maybe, both online and published. I know a couple of people who write for BG magazine.
Arranging.
Composing.

Music tech skills are really useful. I did some work for my cousin last year. She trains and rides dressage horses. I did several CD's for her routines. They use classical music, it needs to be linked to each horses gait. I'm doing some soon for some friends of hers.

[discreet]

As Bert says, diversity is the key to making a living in music. Apart from the rock stars, I'm sure you'll find that most working musicians are not only (or not even) in bands, but are involved in a number of projects including teaching, production, depping, recording and session work, advertising for TV and radio, music library work and on and on.

The business is just too unpredictable to put all your eggs in one basket. You have to have many backups and Plans B, C, D, E and even F, if you're going to achieve any kind of useful income. As one income stream drops out you need to have others you can seamlessly pick up and run with.

Getting a 9-5 job is the easy option in a lot of ways! And even if you're in what you consider to be a successful band, the dream can often turn out to be a nightmare - particularly if you're involved with any kind of advance or publishing or management deal, though this seems to be increasingly rare, as previously accepted music industry business models are currently going through big changes.

Edit: Beaten to it by those quicker on the keyboard than I am!

Edited April 25, 2014 by discreet

[dudewheresmybass]

I teach both privately, and in schools during the 'normal' working week, as well as recording work, a few bands, performance coaching, and dep work

At every opportunity not only network, but start friendships. Someone that needs a player is going to contact a capable friend before a stranger.

I read an article not too long ago about writing library music for ads/ TV shows etc. all these things can generate income.
You will also need an understanding wife/ spouse/ partner/ family

Edited April 25, 2014 by dudewheresmybass

[jakenewmanbass]

There's a saying...
'How do you end up with a million quid in your bank as a musician?'
'start with two million'

[skankdelvar]

It might be worth noting that the OP is a solo singer / songwriter to whom issues of rehearsal co-ordination do not apply. Also, the OP does not specify that he or she plays bass

[BassTractor]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1398447644' post='2434304']
You have to have many backups and Plans B, C, D, E and even F, if you're going to achieve any kind of useful income.
[/quote]

Don't even be shy of Plan F# or Plan Bb . There is a reason we have twelve different notes in every octave!

[discreet]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1398448100' post='2434315']
...the OP does not specify that he or she plays bass
[/quote]

Well that's good - so there's at least a glimmer of hope, then!

[discreet]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1398447510' post='2434300']
Many of today's stars draw a discreet veil over their career history...
[/quote]

All styles and colours of music career veil can be purchased at my website:
[url="http://musicbizcareerveils.uk.com"]http://musicbizcareerveils.uk.com[/url]

I thank you and look forward to your custom.

Edited April 25, 2014 by discreet

[gjones]

My niece has a record contract for her band, with a fat (ish) advance, and has just toured the states from LA to Tennessee (ending up at SXSW in Texas) . Last week she was touted as 'a band to watch' on BBC online and NME, and her single is presently on the playlists of both Radio 6 and Radio 1. Her album is out in July.

When she got back to the UK she was chuffed to bits that her employer had kept her job for her, working behind a bar. As far as she's concerned, there's no shame in working full time AND playing in a serious professional band. Of course the band always comes first but money is money and the gas bill will always need to be paid.

[JamesBass]

Portfolio career. It's the only way you can survive as a musician who's not rock star famous.

Or retail. Work in ASDA/Tesco's or a high street shop and that's about the best you can do. Bar work and restaurant work limit you. That was my experience of it anyway!

[Bassman Steve]

I think the most important thing to bear in mind is that a musician is what you are, not what you do to pay the bills.

I used to play in a band with a singer who was also a builder. The difference between him and the rest of us in the band was that he was a singing builder and not a building singer. The difference couldn't be greater.

I was lucky enough to do music full-time for a while but have had to get a 'real job' to pay the bills that come in. Any snobbery about that has come from those very much at the bottom of the 'professional musician' food chain.

Take a lesson from a mate of mine. Stunningly good guitarist but so hell bent on being able to say he earned his living from music he sold a house he had inherited and bought a houseboat and has gradually down-sized and down-sized as his money ran out. To the extent that, instead of sitting pretty in a job that paid him enough to tick over and play the music he wanted to, he is living in a dreadful little flat over a pawn broker and can't afford to run the car that would get him to his gigs.

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1398448565' post='2434326']
All styles and colours of music career veil can be purchased at my website:
[url="http://musicbizcareerveils.uk.com"]http://musicbizcareerveils.uk.com[/url]

I thank you and look forward to your custom.
[/quote]

I clicked on that link, you complete and utter bastard.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='jakenewmanbass' timestamp='1398447981' post='2434311']
There's a saying...
'How do you end up with a million quid in your bank as a musician?'
'start with two million'

[/quote]

I've heard that theme before about farming, as in 'how do you make a small fortune farming? - start with a large one'.


Mind you, maybe it's not such a bad idea for a budding muso? Work in the City for 10 years or so and retire at 30 with a couple of million in the bank, which can then be [s]frittered away[/s] invested in a musical career. I mean, we'd all prefer to write and play 'serious' music wouldn't we, so skipping those immature 'pop' years would be no bad thing, would it?

[RhysP]

Bottom line is if playing music isn't paying the bills you need to stop worrying about "killing the dream" & get a job, unless of course your dream is living in a cardboard box & drinking meths.


Sorry if that sounds harsh but that's the reality - I've known too many "full time musicians" who have only managed to keep up that charade by taking advantage of the good will of friends & family. It was sort of forgivable in their 20s but when they're still living like that in their 50s & have got nowhere it looks pretty pathetic IMO.


Funnily enough I always seemed to be a lot busier (and earning more) as a "hobby" musician than they ever did, and I had a full time job too - go figure...

[skankdelvar]

Singer-Songwriter in need of job? Join the Army. Worked for Bluntie.

[RhysP]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1398449936' post='2434347']
Singer-Songwriter in need of job? Join the Army. Worked for Bluntie.


[/quote]

I think going via the Sandhurst route rather than as a regular squaddie possibly made the whole experience a bit nicer for old Bluntie.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1398449163' post='2434338']
Take a lesson from a mate of mine. Stunningly good guitarist but so hell bent on being able to say he earned his living from music he sold a house he had inherited and bought a houseboat and has gradually down-sized and down-sized as his money ran out. To the extent that, instead of sitting pretty in a job that paid him enough to tick over and play the music he wanted to, he is living in a dreadful little flat over a pawn broker and can't afford to run the car that would get him to his gigs.
[/quote]

Must be some good blues songs in it though . . . .

[discreet]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1398449308' post='2434339']
I clicked on that link, you complete and utter bastard.
[/quote]

[size=4] I bet you weren't the only one, Skank!![/size]

[skidder652003]

[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1398449163' post='2434338']
I think the most important thing to bear in mind is that a musician is what you are, not what you do to pay the bills.

I used to play in a band with a singer who was also a builder. The difference between him and the rest of us in the band was that he was a singing builder and not a building singer. The difference couldn't be greater.

I was lucky enough to do music full-time for a while but have had to get a 'real job' to pay the bills that come in. Any snobbery about that has come from those very much at the bottom of the 'professional musician' food chain.

Take a lesson from a mate of mine. Stunningly good guitarist but so hell bent on being able to say he earned his living from music he sold a house he had inherited and bought a houseboat and has gradually down-sized and down-sized as his money ran out. To the extent that, instead of sitting pretty in a job that paid him enough to tick over and play the music he wanted to, he is living in a dreadful little flat over a pawn broker and can't afford to run the car that would get him to his gigs.
[/quote]
Thats the best thing i've read in years about being nearly 50 and in a band! Thank you.

[bassist_lewis]

I work for a healthcare agency so I can choose my hours to fit around my music work - though there are still clashes on occasion. It was because of this experience that i was asked to teach a children's music group and another group at a day centre.
Remember that musician's make most of their money from people who aren't musicians, so getting to know a few of them through an unmusical job can be advantageous.