The True Financial Life of a Side Musician

HMP

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I dont know why this was recommended to me on YouTube, but I gave it a watch and really enjoyed and thought I'd share it here.
I tried to find a thread called something like "thread for videos that dont need their own thread" but couldnt locate it. Oh well.

Anyway, I like how honest the guy is about pursuing musician dreams and the end bit about how even though he's poor he's quite happy with seeing and experiencing what he has. And how he's been able to live on a meager amount of money by not blowing money on material things he doesnt need.

I liked it anyway.

 
Being a non-cover musician consists of cramming 5k worth of music gear in a 500 dollar car to play a 35 dollar gig 250 miles away and sleeping on a floor in some scuzzy house or even under the van in a parking lot. I loved every minute of it, but it takes years to go anywhere financially.
 
Being a non-cover musician consists of cramming 5k worth of music gear in a 500 dollar car to play a 35 dollar gig 250 miles away and sleeping on a floor in some scuzzy house or even under the van in a parking lot. I loved every minute of it, but it takes years to go anywhere financially.
I can totally relate.
 
I have to commend yall, I didnt expect such a warm reception to this.
But I liked the video a lot
I like his style, his honesty.

I like that he shows exactly how much he made and that, in the end, if youre making music for money youre doing it for the wrong reasons.

Have friends who have made a living on music (ie: a drummer for a NC based progressive metal band), and some who tour US and Europe but break even. And some that are playing a local bar and that's it.
But they are all loving it, and that's awesome.
 
I quit playing music for $ years ago. I've done the cover band thing, I made some money doing it, but it left me flat. And, around here, it's the only way you're gonna make any appreciable $. After a couple of years of "mercenary" work, I left it behind to play what I wanted to play and I couldn't be happier. As I see it, I have a job, playing is my therapy. It keeps me from going Conan on the mouth breathers of life.


How do you get a drummer off of your front porch?







Pay for the pizza!
 
I can't relate to any of this as I can barely whistle and certainly can't whistle in tune. Anyway, we were in Nashville this summer and the former staff piano player at the Grand Old Opry was playing at our campground. Very talented and had great stories. His son was playing with him and he wanted to be a professional musician as well. His Dad said, remember all you have to do is be able to say "Do you want fries with that?" Too bad such talent doesn't generate better income unless you are part the 1%.
 
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I can't relate to any of this as I can barely whistle and certainly can't whistle in tune. Anyway, we were in Nashville this summer and the former staff piano player at the Grand Old Opry was playing at our campground. Very talented and had great stories. His son was playing with him and he wanted to be a professional musician as well. His Dad said, remember all you have to do is be able to say "Do you want fries with that?" Too bad such talent doesn't generate better income unless you are part the 1%.

And, unfortunately, its not even always about talent but luck.
Being in the right place, meeting the right people, having the right contacts etc

There are many tremendously talented musicians out there with no money/respect (widespread) for what they do...and then you got these assholes

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I don't know who the first 2 assholes are but I am aware the last set of rectums!
 
first is a guy named lil xan (as in xanax), second is xtension or something.
More guys trying to be hard and having terrible (arent they all) face tats etc
 
So, I went to check it out. I love good music, no matter what it is. That is not good IMHO. Whoever is doing the "beats", I dig.
 
What really frustrates me is that there are thousands upon thousands of artist's that spend countless hours and money to hone their craft to be the best that they can be, but not for the money (which rarely, if ever comes), but for the passion of what they do. If there is passion and dedication in what they write, play, paint, draw, sculpt etc., it shows.

It seems to me that these "mumble rappers" just get so eff'd up they can't form complete words, piece mill together unintelligible sounds and pay someone with some talent to create the beats for them. If and when they actually do play live, they "perform" with a track, so they can't f^&* up unless they just pass out on stage. I see it as an afront to people who take pride in what they do. It wouldn't bother me if they took a 90 day supply of Xanax and washed it down with a gallon of purple drank.
 
It seems to me that these "mumble rappers" just get so eff'd up they can't form complete words, piece mill together unintelligible sounds and pay someone with some talent to create the beats for them. If and when they actually do play live, they "perform" with a track, so they can't f^&* up unless they just pass out on stage. I see it as an afront to people who take pride in what they do. It wouldn't bother me if they took a 90 day supply of Xanax and washed it down with a gallon of purple drank.

I don't mind it, but the guys I worked with ages ago played it non-stop. I can enjoy it generally, but it would be nice to hear some decent lyrics over the trap tracks. I think it is funny that it started with chopped and screwed music made by a particular TX DJ, that goth kids stole for making pill music, and now wanna be gangsters are using for the same thing. Besides that, I'm not going to sh*t on the music that the kids like nowadays, as it obviously isn't made for me, but I'll take Fetty Wap and Rich Homie Quan over Taylor Swift and Katie Perry any day. That said, people like the latter used to pay me to "make beats" for them and I gladly accepted their money.
 
I don't mind it, but the guys I worked with ages ago played it non-stop. I can enjoy it generally, but it would be nice to hear some decent lyrics over the trap tracks. I think it is funny that it started with chopped and screwed music made by a particular TX DJ, that goth kids stole for making pill music, and now wanna be gangsters are using for the same thing. Besides that, I'm not going to sh*t on the music that the kids like nowadays, as it obviously isn't made for me, but I'll take Fetty Wap and Rich Homie Quan over Taylor Swift and Katie Perry any day. That said, people like the latter used to pay me to "make beats" for them and I gladly accepted their money.
Take that money all day long, man! You have obviously put in the time and honed your skill to be able to get paid for what you do, as it should be.

I'll admit that I don't get it, and my parents didn't get my music (I'm a metalhead). I just don't see where they put any effort or craft in what they are doing, other than paying someone else for tracks that they garble over. And, I'm no Swift or Perry fan either.
 
Take that money all day long, man! You have obviously put in the time and honed your skill to be able to get paid for what you do, as it should be.

I'll admit that I don't get it, and my parents didn't get my music (I'm a metalhead). I just don't see where they put any effort or craft in what they are doing, other than paying someone else for tracks that they garble over. And, I'm no Swift or Perry fan either.

I don' know why, I just have a gift for programming drum tracks; been doing it for years, all on hardware.

Yeah, I don't understand the appeal or talent behind saying "gucci gang" about 876 times over a fairly basic rhythm track, but I feel pretty similar to "she loves you yeah, yeah, yeah" 764 times over a three chords. I'll give any music a chance as long as it isn't some formulaic product or overhyped crap.

Band wise, we were all over the place. Hip/hop, dub, punk, industrial metal, sometimes with 3 drummers, later with drum machines. I don't even talk to anybody from the band anymore, but would love to start up some heavy industrial metal Godflesh/early Pitchshifter type stuff. We were broke as hell and pissed off lots of people, but met some great people and had the most fun I ever had in my life.
 
I have a good friend that was in a low level hair band when he was young. His groupy stories are epic. How he ever got married and settled down I'll never know.
 
I don' know why, I just have a gift for programming drum tracks; been doing it for years, all on hardware.

Yeah, I don't understand the appeal or talent behind saying "gucci gang" about 876 times over a fairly basic rhythm track, but I feel pretty similar to "she loves you yeah, yeah, yeah" 764 times over a three chords. I'll give any music a chance as long as it isn't some formulaic product or overhyped crap.

Band wise, we were all over the place. Hip/hop, dub, punk, industrial metal, sometimes with 3 drummers, later with drum machines. I don't even talk to anybody from the band anymore, but would love to start up some heavy industrial metal Godflesh/early Pitchshifter type stuff. We were broke as hell and pissed off lots of people, but met some great people and had the most fun I ever had in my life.

band name?
 
I was in a couple bands when young.

Didn’t make a dime...... and didn’t deserve to! Man, I suck.
 
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Hey, he made more than I did the first 5 years I owned my own business, and I bet he had a lot more fun.
 
Netflix has an interesting documentary covering talented,broke musicians Hired Gun. Billy Joel doesn't look like a nice guy.
 
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Sort of related, didnt want to start a new thread for it, but here is a guy that Ive always enjoyed.
Not a huge fan of Black Flag, but I like his attitude a lot of the time

 
Sort of related, didnt want to start a new thread for it, but here is a guy that Ive always enjoyed.
Not a huge fan of Black Flag, but I like his attitude a lot of the time


Henry is a bulldog. I am a fan of his bands and such. And, he came up with a lesser known but phenomenal musician Scott "Wino" Weinrich!
 
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