So how many of you are able to make a living doing this?

[van hellion]

ACTUALLY... We've been in negotiations with a few record labels for the past few months and finally got a really good deal. Havent signed it yet, but the offer is great and we are going to get our lawyer to edit it and make it a little more sweet if possible. But the other bands on this label seem to be doing really well, and with the new material i can only hope that we do just as well if not better.

congrats! was it the label you and i talked about?

A Wood

Yes sir it was

Noah from Pillar says hi btw..
We just played a really big show with them this past weekend. Nice guy

Ah! thats awesome i gotta call that fool! you guys touring with them? (congrats again on the label deal!)

A Wood

 

[Rob Tahan]

Nah.. just one show. We may do some co-writing with him though.
Would be nice to get him possibly to produce our album too since hes not all nashville minded. I cant stand some of the Nashville cats mindset.

 

[mctallica1]

Hell no.


I tried and failed miserably a long time ago.

Had a lot of fun and frustration and made some great music (to me anyway ), but try making a living doing thrash

Truth be told, I enjoy playing more in the last 5 years than I ever have. No presure to come up with the next great riff or perfect one that we have been working on for a while.

I just play to play, which is liberating and a heck of a lot of fun.

 

[Shark Diver]

If "this" means making a living playing music, then yes ..........that is what I do for a living, if you can call it that ! I'm 54 and have been doing it since the age of 19. There have been quite a few ups and downs and it got real difficult once children came into the picture but I managed. This coming month I am being inducted into a 2nd hall of fame this one being the Canadian Music Hall of Fame with a lifetime achievement award as a member of April Wine.

Made/make money but have always done something else too.

 

[droptrd]

I'm a painter.

haha me too. comercial/residential. not happy trees painting I play 2-4 nights a week so im definately a part time musician. I normally play all around IL and a little in IA, IN and WI. It doesnt pay my bills but it helps out alot. I depend on it as part of my income. $200-$500 a week on average. But with my painting business barely making it these days and 2 kids in daycare and another one getting her drivers license, I still need a day job.

 

[cloudnine]

A living doing music, yes.

A living most people would be satisfied with, no. Tiny apartment, no car, nothing fancy - but I have a day "music" gig and play the music I want to play in side gigs that bring in a little cash. I've never lusted after the heights of comfortable suburban living, though, so other people's mileage will certainly vary.

 

[OldSkoolNJ]

I did for 4 years with a cover band..
It allowed me enough money to pay my rent, bills, car payment and put my self through Lincoln tech and still had money for gear.. Booze and chicks were free though...

I think everyone in NJ does the cover circuit for at least a few years. When the metal and rock bands didn't go anywhere i did the cover scene from 1998 through 03. There was a lot of money to be made but soo much BS to deal with, mostly other band members and playing out 3-5 nights a week takes a toll on the body and mind.

But people outside of this area don't believe how much money a cover band can make here but i think things have tightened and they're not making as much anymore. There was a period where the band i was in never got less than 1k a night, and with our managment we never had to deal with a grumpy bar owner if the night was slow.

But to me, there's a big difference between those who are making a living out of playing originals and covers. When you play covers it becomes a job and it can suck the creative spirit right out of you to the point where you forget what type of player you are.

It didn't feel like a real job to me, I had fun and got paid to have that fun without taking it serious..

Music gave me the opportunity to have a few years of fun with no worries while allowing me to support myself through school with the added bonus of getting all of the partying and chicks out of my system..

 

[bravedude2]

i wish. but i'm not that good.
a honest answer. shocking.

 

[WhammybarAllstar]

Music is all I do for a living. Just one band, nothing else. I used to work for an electronics engineering firm before this, and I loved my job there, but I had to choose. I can always go back to what I was doing before but hopefully I won't have to for a while, and by then, I'd rather take my electronics background and apply it to the music industry in the form of product development/manufacturing etc., from my experience as a touring/recording musician.

I've had to make major trade-offs for music though. None of my friends in smaller bands can make the kind of commitment I made to do this. I stripped my life of many important things, an almost complete lifestyle change. I harbor almost no debt. The band pays for my apartment rent, my cell bill, and I'm on a monthly allowance when we're not touring. All my gear, except for my Friedman Marshall, and a couple of my guitars, were free from endorsements or provided by the band. I don't really pay out of pocket for much. The amount of money I get to save is more than I was able to save when I had a full time day job after all my bills and expenses.

Part of it is being able to change the way I network from being a douche bag band guy. Most gigs I go to, I can get in at the door at no cost, girls/cougars/crazy fans, buy me drinks. I get clothes and stuff from clothing companies that have deals with the band etc.

I have a new record being released in the U.S. this Fall through EMI that will be supported by intense touring, and our last record just hit the shelves in Japan! I have to get my passport in order.

 

[robb]

Love it too much to make it my job.
My job is doing visual effects for movies.... now I never go to the movies.

 

[Jordon]

So far one person & that person is A Wood.

Well, he IS a monster player, after all.

 

[Bishop5150]

Been with my band since my senior year of high school in 91'. Have had a lot of fun along the way. Opened for several national acts such as Testament, Cheap Trick, Blue Oyster Cult, Dangerous Toys and Nuno Bettancourt to name a few. Most of the money we make we use to pay for our rehearsal studio, merch, and bills at the studio(Alarm, elec, and phone). I own my own business which pays my bills and lets me be a guitar hero on the weekends. Everyone in the band has a day job. I learned a long time ago that making a living at it was probably not for me. I love to play originals or covers but come the end of the night I like to sleep in my own bed. The road is not for me. Tried it out early on and I was ready to kill everyone at the end. You you really get to know someone once you get on the road with them and sometimes thats not a good thing. I'm good with playing once or twice a week and doing big shows at bike rally's and so forth a few times a year. Weekend warrior works for me.

 

[JTyson]

I did for 4 years with a cover band..
It allowed me enough money to pay my rent, bills, car payment and put my self through Lincoln tech and still had money for gear.. Booze and chicks were free though...

I think everyone in NJ does the cover circuit for at least a few years. When the metal and rock bands didn't go anywhere i did the cover scene from 1998 through 03. There was a lot of money to be made but soo much BS to deal with, mostly other band members and playing out 3-5 nights a week takes a toll on the body and mind.

But people outside of this area don't believe how much money a cover band can make here but i think things have tightened and they're not making as much anymore. There was a period where the band i was in never got less than 1k a night, and with our managment we never had to deal with a grumpy bar owner if the night was slow.

But to me, there's a big difference between those who are making a living out of playing originals and covers. When you play covers it becomes a job and it can suck the creative spirit right out of you to the point where you forget what type of player you are.

Agreed, we made good money doing mostly covers with a few originals thrown in, but towards the end as things got bigger, the bills got much bigger too. We took out a 45k loan for a massive PA, lighting, and a truck to move it all in, and it started becoming work. Not everyone wanted to help load out equipment and 4 in the morning when they were hammered and had chicks tugging on them, and most of us were married. we had to do all the loading and unloading ourselves. It took us 4 solid hours to get a soundcheck, and run through all the lighting. Plus our management was always trying to tell us what to play, and even what to wear I'm glad to be at a point now where I'm just trying to do some recording and have a real job. That was a long time ago, I think from 84-90. Would have been very different if we were doing our own originals

 

[Anonymous]

I've never lusted after the heights of comfortable suburban living, though, so other people's mileage will certainly vary.

Mark my words on this... someday you will...

Steve

 

[dstroud]

I did for about 10 years - I wanted to go to GIT, but didn't have the funds, so I went on the road in rock cover bands and spent most days practicing in a motel room. That was fun, then I got into a blues/funk band and made really good money - way more than the rock bands and easily enough to support myself living in the midwest. I'll probably go back to that someday because I really enjoyed it to. Moving to L.A. I had to get with a real job since cost of living is so high, but I don't mind working a day gig - I still spend most nights gigging or rehearsing.

 

[Marshallman]

I figured out a long time ago that I was not going to get rich doing this... however, we do gigs in our local community and we all the money raised goes out to kids... i.e. last one we raised over $2300. This way, I get to live my rock n' roll fantasy and do it for a good cause...

 

[Rob Tahan]

I've never lusted after the heights of comfortable suburban living, though, so other people's mileage will certainly vary.

Mark my words on this... someday you will...

Steve

I agree with this 100%. Especially when you have a hot girlfriend waiting at home for you, and you go through all the bs of being on the road. It most certainly is tempting. Then again, most my touring was independent in the past

 

[ratkent]

Have had the same cover band together for 21 years and have made a living at it the entire time. We still stay booked over a year in advance and there is no sign of it slowing down. Gone through some line-up changes but have been with two of the other guys for around 15 years.

It is my job but I love every second of it or I would have quit long ago.

 

[Marshall Law]

I played original music for 20 years, just been doing covers the last 7 years, this is the best 2nd job a guy could have, we do around 75 shows a year, I make about $7000.00 to $8000.00 a year doing it, of course we always say we play for free, we get payed to set up and tear down, most of my money just gets spent on more gear

 

[cloudnine]

I've never lusted after the heights of comfortable suburban living, though, so other people's mileage will certainly vary.

Mark my words on this... someday you will...

Steve

Maybe. My woman's in the arts too, so we know what's up and what to expect. Maybe one day I'll get sick of month-to-month life but the only thing I think I'd miss is having kids, and if I end up doing some teaching and stuff to get a steady income that can definitely happen.