Being a musician for a living

There's a guy we all know, whose music I've been admiring above pretty much everything else during the past 2, 3 years. He says »bandcamp is pretty much my only source of income«. He's put out seven EPs via bandcamp over the past 6 months, at roughly 2$ each. Each EP was bought by about 50 people on average, thats a total of 350 units.

There might be something severely wrong with my math here, but even if it was off by an entire order of magnitude, my conclusion would remain the same: as much as I'd love to have eight hours per day for making music (rather than: per week) -- there's nothing even remotely attractive about such a scenario that would make me give up my 9-to-3-job, which (as much as I loathe it from time to time) has proven to be a pretty comfortable basis for making the music I make, the way I make it.

I'd never want to give up that independence, i.e. to mingle money and creativity, to have to rely on the music to generate enough attention and, consequently, $$$, to enable me to go on making it. Making music at the pace, the quality, in the style that only I dictate -- that's a privilege I've been enjoying way too much to come even close to considering trading it in for anything else.

lol I'd fucking kill for a 6 hour work day

the death of the age of the job and the advent of the age of the artist does not mean living off of your art

it means transcending the value systems imposed upon art and realizing that art is a value unto itself

we are entering the post-post-war era, where the individual reclaims some the skills that were outsourced/specialized by the industrial revolution

income/wealth inequality is not a problem that needs solving, it is the climax of a system that must be abolished. we must ascribe no value to monetary wealth. we must reclaim our firsthand connection to the resources that currency represents

there is value in skill

skill = survival

become valuable in your skills so that you can help people survive

make art so that your enduring survival has meaning

  On 3/24/2016 at 4:16 PM, sheathe said:

it means transcending the value systems imposed upon art and realizing that art is a value unto itself

imo being a musician just means putting your awareness into making music

by that definition, a person is going to be all sorts of different things throughout their life. so i guess making a "career" of it means putting as least as much energy into your music as you do into your cashmoney job

:)

also, why on earth would you ONLY want to do music?

you have to go out into the fields, the numerous fields

self employment ruling the nation

  On 3/24/2016 at 4:35 PM, sheathe said:

:)

 

also, why on earth would you ONLY want to do music?

 

you have to go out into the fields, the numerous fields

Right. Making music without something to get inspiration from like your experience at work or anything you usually do on a daily basis sounds pretty tedious.

You can also take the Charles Ives approach. Get filthy rich doing something you don't really like and then release all of your music many years afterward.

  On 3/24/2016 at 4:57 PM, Perezvon said:

 

  On 3/24/2016 at 4:35 PM, sheathe said:

:)

 

also, why on earth would you ONLY want to do music?

 

you have to go out into the fields, the numerous fields

Right. Making music without something to get inspiration from like your experience at work or anything you usually do on a daily basis sounds pretty tedious.

 

heh poor pooooor afx and autechre, doing music all day long, for more than 20 yrs

Doesn't mean there aren't exceptions, Jesus man... That's not really the same level.

I was speaking for myself anyway.

  On 3/22/2016 at 1:21 AM, sergeantk said:

As I've grown acclimated to the rather dreary 9-to-5 world, I have been thinking about this a lot lately...

Hey serge antk,

I would say just do it and don't care what others say. Don't forget to to make a small financial buffer before, because buffer underuns are coming for sure, haha

I really hate to say the following words, but you live only once (sorry for that ;), so at least try it, if that urge comes from the deepest place of your heart.

When thinking of that topic Mr. Leyland Kirby comes always to my mind. Dunno if you know him (V/VM, The Caretaker, etc) but obviously he followed his dream since 1996 with a strong will and seems to be always broke but happy :)

So beware the broken-dog + stop thinking + start thinking about what you want + make music + do sth. for the fucks sake + think about what values in life are important for you + stop thinking again + go on living to reach them

  On 3/25/2016 at 10:59 AM, Perezvon said:

Doesn't mean there aren't exceptions, Jesus man... That's not really the same level.

 

I was speaking for myself anyway.

Level of what?

Exceptions? How'bout almost any pro musician?

Yes afx and ae are just like any pro musician today

If i had the skill and motor coordination I would probably pick painting over music making if I had to make a career out of my art. Paintings appreciate in value.

sergeantk: take up painting

  On 3/23/2016 at 8:21 PM, xox said:

you make beautiful music serge, but it's not type of music you could live off, or you barely could.

 

imo

First off, i appreciate the kind words.

Secondly, I am painfully aware of this. Some of my eggs are in a different basket, though: I am in a more traditional band with some musically proficient colleagues, and it is definitely way more accessible. If I were to make it from music, it would be from this sort of endeavor (or scoring)

  On 3/23/2016 at 10:03 PM, Squee said:

Do you mean being a musician and living off of Bandcamp cash or making music for movies, games etc?

Any which way.

  On 3/25/2016 at 3:58 PM, Entorwellian said:

If i had the skill and motor coordination I would probably pick painting over music making if I had to make a career out of my art. Paintings appreciate in value.

 

sergeantk: take up painting

I have recently done this actually. It's very relaxing

Art isn't made in a vacuum, etc.

Some of best art is made in between.

The idea that art some how frees you from the normal work of living is rather naive.

  On 3/26/2016 at 12:35 AM, sheathe said:

Art isn't made in a vacuum, etc.

 

Some of best art is made in between.

 

The idea that art some how frees you from the normal work of living is rather naive.

I don't totally disagree. However, I think it is more relevant to say that the idea of 9-to-5 work being the end-all, be-all of existence is at least as naive.

i have never worked a 9-5 so I'm not sure what you mean

  On 3/23/2016 at 9:28 PM, Goiter Sanchez said:

Collab with an indie female vocalist who sings vowel sounds in a breathy, idiosyncratic style. Manipulate some samples of her during the chorus so it sounds like a freestyling downsyndrome cyborg. Add Trap beats.

 

= $

  On 3/23/2016 at 9:39 PM, Audioblysk said:

Pretty much....

  On 3/23/2016 at 11:58 PM, modey said:

 

Anyway, that was a tangent, but it's probably a large reason why I can't make money off my music, or get any widespread attention, because I'm just so fkn contrary all the time.

 

Yeah, my first proper album sold into three figures on almost no promotion, could very easily have built on that but decided to take some time off and come back with something totally different. Since then, every one of my records has sounded quite different to the previous, which is something that you can get away with once you have an established audience, but on a smaller level it just alienates most audiences you attempt to build.

In my experience, reach out to other artists. Do collaborations, remixes, stuff on compilations, get to know artists who run labels. If you have some funds up front, start up a label and try and get the best artists you know of involved. I know a couple of tape labels in niche genres which act as day jobs for their owners, and that all comes from networking with the right people. Be a name, not just a musician.

seriously, are any of you guys musicians who make a living off their music?

just wondering where this golden advice is coming from

No

The way you realistically make a living with music is playing soft rock covers three nights a week, plus a dozen other side gigs

And you do contracting/landscaping work

lol

  On 3/27/2016 at 8:43 PM, sheathe said:

No

The way you realistically make a living with music is playing soft rock covers three nights a week, plus a dozen other side gigs

And you do contracting/landscaping work

  On 3/27/2016 at 8:54 PM, Entorwellian said:

 

  On 3/27/2016 at 8:43 PM, sheathe said:

No

The way you realistically make a living with music is playing soft rock covers three nights a week, plus a dozen other side gigs

And you do contracting/landscaping work

 

better than nothing