Warren wrote
He mentions that there seems to be a sort of "no-man's-land" in the middle of the professional musician spectrum, where it's very difficult for pro musicians who are not insanely famous (and are therefore a powerful brand in their own right) to make an actual living if they want stuff like health insurance and a provident fund.
I'm not sure about this, because I've seen artists operating in this no man's land and managing to sustain a career from it, send their kids of university and so on. They probably don't have health insurance and a provident fund, but then those benefits usually go with full-time, salaried employment. Bono probably doesn't have health insurance and a provident fund - but then he has rather less need to worry about those sorts of thing.
Artists who are not household names can still make a good living. I would think that they're less likely to make that living playing support act to a stadium-filling act because the idea there is likely to be that the benefit to you is the exposure you get.
There are circuits in the UK, in the USA, in Canada, in Europe that you can work and make a decent living on.
It may be that the number of people working those circuits is greater than the number of people who are working those circuits, are in demand and are making a living. But it can be done - though you have to give up dreams of filling Wembley Stadium.
Diversification can also be an option. Last year in London I saw Olabelle at the Royal Festival Hall. Great rootsy Americana band with fab vocals. I think they're on their 3rd CD by now. Every member of that band has another performing/recording gig or a parallel career as a producer or session player. On that same holiday we saw Irish singer Camille O'Sullivan in action. She combines a performing career with work as an architect. She's won awards as an architect, so that may be the more remunerative activity for her.
I'm not saying it's easy, and I don't believe that most performing musicians earn what Bono earns.
Richard Thompson once said that he earns about as much as a bank manager, but he has more fun and he doesn't have to wear a tie. Which sounds like a reasonable deal.
