Austin musicians helped kill the live music scene

[VonBonfire]

Man this thread is a depressing read. I’m glad I never pursued music as a career, it sounds dire out there. I really feel for you guys trying to make a living out of it. Quite the indictment on an industry if you gotta make your money playing classics to retirees, that market will only get smaller.

The only way I see guys making a real living out of a "band" is if they get connected with a booking agent, who hold the keys to the festival and club circuit. At least, it more or less functions that way now for the blues community. Still not a great living. Maybe 40-60k a year and subtract expenses. There are some local agents here that hold the keys to the trash gig Kingdom and I know a couple guys who scrape by doing them.

I have a few guys in the band who are full time musicians. One is a bass player who works for me and trash gig bandleaders, the other plays keys and has some sort of commercial job writing jingles and bits for TV programs and such but still gives lessons and freelances, the last guy plays with multiple bands, gives lessons, and is always doing solo work. He's constantly going back and forth to the coast between gigs.