5 ms·

From what I have seen as an occasional musician and running sound is that these days most musicians are not willing to make the sacrifices and put in the time,

From what I have seen as an occasional musician and running sound is that these days most musicians are not willing to make the sacrifices and put in the time, they will not take that poorly paying weekly gig and spend a year or two refining their performance and learning to read the audience which is a major part of making it in music. I know a good number a professional musicians who have made it to the point where they can live off of music without constantly working, every single one of them started out the same way, playing every single show they could regardless of pay or location. This started to change around 2010, the venue I used to do sound for primarily targeted musicians who were starting out either on the local scene or national scene (just starting to tour and trying to make a name out of their home town), by 2015 music was mostly done there because the 19 year olds who had only played a few shows were not happy with $25 and a meal to sit on stage with their guitar for an hour, they wanted $100 and expected to play to a full room. The boom in home recording also probably played a role, the starting out musicians are often resistant to it because they see it as pedestrian and not for serious musicians, musicians record in studios, not at home. Record on anything anyway you can and bring a few dozen copies to sell at those poorly paying gigs.

bowsamic 2y ago
Yeah definitely. I’m a musician but I don’t have an interest in being heard, but I’ve noticed that those who do want to be heard don’t want to put in the effort to be heard.
- benji-york 2y ago
  Interesting take. I wonder if all the new ways of being heard (social media, mainly) have made the "cost" of being heard via music relatively higher.
- deleted 2y ago
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johnnyanmac 2y ago
>they will not take that poorly paying weekly gig and spend a year or two refining their performance and learning to read the audience which is a major part of making it in music. they literally cannot afford to do such things unless they are already homeless. It could have been an okay side hustle as recent as a decade ago. But today you're not gonna do much more than grab grocery money without being in a very specific scene. That meal you mention can easily cost as much as what they were paid for the gig. It's been declining for decades, no doubt. But when the economy starts getting hard, "passion projects" dry up. being paid $100 a week is much closer to a passion project than a side hustle at this point.
- sneed_chucker 2y ago
  > they literally cannot afford to do such things unless they are already homeless. Or already rich
  - johnnyanmac 2y ago
    True, but I argue that losing money on a hobby (or "bad business") means you can afford to do it. It's just not making you money, not keeping you off the streets.
- ofalkaed 2y ago
  That is entry level for people who have no audience, the musicians equivalent of a paid internship and pays better than most entry level jobs with a bar so low, three chords will get you through the door, two if you are good. Beyond the flat rate there is often a tip jar and merchandise sales, a $50 gig can easily bring in a few hundred. And you make connections, get more gigs, develop an audience, make a name, etc. Once you develop a name you get paid better and even start getting a cut of cover and bar sales. The weekly house band gigs are pretty much being paid for band practice. Unless you are working two full time jobs or the like it is easy money and affordable, broke teens working 30 hours a week washing dishes manage it. You may only make $50-$100 a gig starting out but you make it in an hour or two and as soon as you start drawing a crowd you will start getting better gigs.
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commandlinefan 2y ago
> poorly paying weekly gig What gig? For that matter, what audience? I was in a band in the 90's and we could find poorly paying gigs to a relatively full venue on a semi-regular basis. I took a long break to raise some kids and just got back into it in the past couple of years and... there's nothing out there any more. Nobody's hiring musicians because nobody's listening to them.
schwartzworld 2y ago
Every musician I know would do anything for a weekly gig, money or not.

bowsamic 2y ago

Yeah definitely. I’m a musician but I don’t have an interest in being heard, but I’ve noticed that those who do want to be heard don’t want to put in the effort to be heard.

benji-york 2y ago
Interesting take. I wonder if all the new ways of being heard (social media, mainly) have made the "cost" of being heard via music relatively higher.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

johnnyanmac 2y ago

>they will not take that poorly paying weekly gig and spend a year or two refining their performance and learning to read the audience which is a major part of making it in music. they literally cannot afford to do such things unless they are already homeless. It could have been an okay side hustle as recent as a decade ago. But today you're not gonna do much more than grab grocery money without being in a very specific scene. That meal you mention can easily cost as much as what they were paid for the gig. It's been declining for decades, no doubt. But when the economy starts getting hard, "passion projects" dry up. being paid $100 a week is much closer to a passion project than a side hustle at this point.

sneed_chucker 2y ago
> they literally cannot afford to do such things unless they are already homeless. Or already rich
- johnnyanmac 2y ago
  True, but I argue that losing money on a hobby (or "bad business") means you can afford to do it. It's just not making you money, not keeping you off the streets.
ofalkaed 2y ago
That is entry level for people who have no audience, the musicians equivalent of a paid internship and pays better than most entry level jobs with a bar so low, three chords will get you through the door, two if you are good. Beyond the flat rate there is often a tip jar and merchandise sales, a $50 gig can easily bring in a few hundred. And you make connections, get more gigs, develop an audience, make a name, etc. Once you develop a name you get paid better and even start getting a cut of cover and bar sales. The weekly house band gigs are pretty much being paid for band practice. Unless you are working two full time jobs or the like it is easy money and affordable, broke teens working 30 hours a week washing dishes manage it. You may only make $50-$100 a gig starting out but you make it in an hour or two and as soon as you start drawing a crowd you will start getting better gigs.

deleted 2y ago

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commandlinefan 2y ago

> poorly paying weekly gig What gig? For that matter, what audience? I was in a band in the 90's and we could find poorly paying gigs to a relatively full venue on a semi-regular basis. I took a long break to raise some kids and just got back into it in the past couple of years and... there's nothing out there any more. Nobody's hiring musicians because nobody's listening to them.

schwartzworld 2y ago

Every musician I know would do anything for a weekly gig, money or not.