Can you honestly make a living out of this music shit?

I'm close to like finishing an album, well probably a few months away and it's my first but given that Electronic Music, or the sought of electronic music that we like is not that popular, is it worth actually sending it of to record companies?

Let's say album x gets the sought of positive reviews that Burial got or the The Field got this year would the financial rewards be worthwhile? From album sales alone?

Find out how many albums Burial has sold, divide by 10, and there's your answer in pounds. Is this worthwhile? That's a value judgement only you can make.

Does an artist have a publishing deal? Do their tracks get played on the radio? Do they DJ/ play live regularly? etc...

Within 'electronic' music a handful of artists could make a 'reasonable' living through album sales alone.

The next rung are able to make a living exploiting other sources of income as a musician.

The majority have to have a second income of some sort.

Edit for dodgy maths:

I meant total income from sales, divide by 10.

Album sales x retail price, and then anywhere between 5 and 25% of that goes to artist. I reckon 1 album sale equals £1 for someone like Burial is reasonably accurate. And probably very little advance to recoup, if any.

I think according to Wiki Untrue got to somewhere like 50ish in Britian, if it is a pound for one album sale I would imagine he aint loaded.

You have to be right though in terms of having to have a second income, I've always wondered how acts like BOC can survive without second jobs??? I mean Aphex is established now and a Millionare but up and coming acts aren't gonna make that sought of money.

If you're in it for the money then go to business school.

That said, most musicians make money licensing their music and playing live gigs.

i'd like to chime in from another angle with my own made up numbers,

i've always found trying to promote my music to be harsh and discouraging. 60% of the people you talk to won't give a shit, won't have anything good to say, 30% will say something nice (but won't really mean it) because they're promoting their own shit, and only the remaining 10% will give you a genuine reaction -- and depending on your tunes, not all of those genuine reactions may be positive either. maybe that sort of, er, "promotional challenge" would motivate you if you're the right sort of person, but i found it really wore me down.

eventually, i realized what it was doing to me and my motivation to work on music, and just said, "fuck it -- music will probably always be a loss-leader." deep down, i'll never give up hope of becoming warp's top-grossing artist or something, but it doesn't really factor much into my day-to-day thinking.

it also removed limitations on the music itself -- since i'm not going to make money, not be commercial, i can do things like make tracks entirely from britney spears samples if the urge strikes me. i can write silly wank tracks that i really have fun writing as opposed to feeling pressured to put together an "album"...

if i were still driving to make money off of music, i think the best thing i could do is try and be original about it. there are other ways to make money than selling CDs. maybe the trouble i had is because i suck, and you'll be picked right up. if that's true, though, i was justified in packing it in!!

Play as many shows as fucking possible, and it can happen.

  tbio2007 said:

I'm close to like finishing an album, well probably a few months away and it's my first but given that Electronic Music, or the sought of electronic music that we like is not that popular, is it worth actually sending it of to record companies?

 

Let's say album x gets the sought of positive reviews that Burial got or the The Field got this year would the financial rewards be worthwhile? From album sales alone?

don't think about money when making non-mainstream music. you wanna make money, go to college, study some music engineering/production course and get into commercial pop production.

you want to make tunes because you actually like making them and want to innovate and experiment, then get a normal mundane day job.

  tbio2007 said:

I'm close to like finishing an album, well probably a few months away and it's my first but given that Electronic Music, or the sought of electronic music that we like is not that popular, is it worth actually sending it of to record companies?

 

Let's say album x gets the sought of positive reviews that Burial got or the The Field got this year would the financial rewards be worthwhile? From album sales alone?

Write ten more albums, get extremely lucky and know someone in the business, and you might have a chance at making something close to an income worth living off of.

  Diao said:

Play as many shows as fucking possible, and it can happen.

+1 ..

I know a few artists in real life that live off music and this is how they do it.

yup. im going to have to agree and say that playing lots of live shows is your best bet. as many days of the week as you possibly can,, even play for free, or at shitty little bars for the exposure. give away cds for free, and send them around if you think it's good enough material. sell cds on the streets, remix people... basically, keep doing your thing and promoting yourself,, and mayyyyyyybee someone that can help you will notice, maybe.

  hahathhat said:

it also removed limitations on the music itself -- since i'm not going to make money, not be commercial, i can do things like make tracks entirely from britney spears samples if the urge strikes me. i can write silly wank tracks that i really have fun writing as opposed to feeling pressured to put together an "album"...

I've probably posted this quote before, but I find so many instances where it applies:

The concern of the musician is music.

The concern of the professional musician is business.

Never become a professional musician unless you have no other choice.

-Robert Fripp

Wasn't Robert Fripp a professional musician himself? lol

He's right though.

  Berk said:

Wasn't Robert Fripp a professional musician himself? lol

He had no other choice :angry:

YEH I WANA BE A RROCKSTAR..

imma just say quit music so there's less competition. I also am sure I don't want to hear your music since you're looking up to fucking burial.

if u get a real job u can pay loads nice stuidio gear record on analogue tape and put out lovely 180 gram vinyls control all yr artwork and u dont need to sell yr music to rich cunts who use it to brainwash the masses into drinking coca cola or buying a bullshit car that stinks up the planet spraying fumes all voer the place cos some hipster cunt thinks ur music is cool. if u want to be famous for some pussy forget it just read some romance guide online and learn psychology shit of women to get into their muffs it aint so hard to get a muff when u learn that stuff. if u desperate to be famous u will be exploited by manipulative cunts who will make u sign dodgy contracts and rip u off completely. keep full control and make our own culture

aphex think he so great but he just brainwash so many people, buy this car, buy this drink, fuck that shit, psychological advert brainwashing is for pricks

was waynes world tv show better in the garage with no money or better with rob rainer fucking wayne and garth up the arse???????

  chunky said:

if u get a real job u can pay loads nice stuidio gear record on analogue tape and put out lovely 180 gram vinyls control all yr artwork and u dont need to sell yr music to rich cunts who use it to brainwash the masses into drinking coca cola or buying a bullshit car that stinks up the planet spraying fumes all voer the place cos some hipster cunt thinks ur music is cool. if u want to be famous for some pussy forget it just read some romance guide online and learn psychology shit of women to get into their muffs it aint so hard to get a muff when u learn that stuff. if u desperate to be famous u will be exploited by manipulative cunts who will make u sign dodgy contracts and rip u off completely. keep full control and make our own culture

 

aphex think he so great but he just brainwash so many people, buy this car, buy this drink, fuck that shit, psychological advert brainwashing is for pricks

 

was waynes world tv show better in the garage with no money or better with rob rainer fucking wayne and garth up the arse???????

You and Maja have a lot to talk about.

Real fans.

  chunky said:

if u get a real job u can pay loads nice stuidio gear record on analogue tape and put out lovely 180 gram vinyls control all yr artwork and u dont need to sell yr music to rich cunts who use it to brainwash the masses into drinking coca cola or buying a bullshit car that stinks up the planet spraying fumes all voer the place cos some hipster cunt thinks ur music is cool. if u want to be famous for some pussy forget it just read some romance guide online and learn psychology shit of women to get into their muffs it aint so hard to get a muff when u learn that stuff. if u desperate to be famous u will be exploited by manipulative cunts who will make u sign dodgy contracts and rip u off completely. keep full control and make our own culture

 

aphex think he so great but he just brainwash so many people, buy this car, buy this drink, fuck that shit, psychological advert brainwashing is for pricks

 

was waynes world tv show better in the garage with no money or better with rob rainer fucking wayne and garth up the arse???????

:heart: this post, great point, i will now advocate devilry

what if: you release all your music free to listen, mp3/flac non-drm downloads. however, for commercial licensing, you charge through the nose. license 3-10 tracks a year, pay rent, get the gear you need and maybe a bit extra, stop there. then just write tracks all the time so you wind up putting out ten times as many as you license, for free.

i could live with myself.... i could also build a vaporizer into a 5 1/4" drive bay and then get to work on a blunt dispensing machine.

  Glass Plate said:

imma just say quit music so there's less competition. I also am sure I don't want to hear your music since you're looking up to fucking burial.

Erm I don't look upto Burial, don't put words in my mouth.

  tbio2007 said:

  Glass Plate said:

imma just say quit music so there's less competition. I also am sure I don't want to hear your music since you're looking up to fucking burial.

 

Erm I don't look upto Burial, don't put words in my mouth.

what would you like him to put in your mouth?

perspicacity

candy!

  loganfive said:

  tbio2007 said:

  Glass Plate said:

imma just say quit music so there's less competition. I also am sure I don't want to hear your music since you're looking up to fucking burial.

 

Erm I don't look upto Burial, don't put words in my mouth.

 

 

 

what would you like him to put in your mouth?

How long have you been waiting to use that one?

lol