10 tips to making a living out of your music

Manfred-Klose

Some guidlines to follow for bands:

http://www.musicbizacademy.com/knab/articles/10makealiving.htm

Riaan-Combrink

Some nice points in there, Manfred.

It's very important, at whatever level you operate (or wish to operate), that you get your name out there. The author is perhaps somewhat naive in his recommendation that you play wherever for whatever just to get known. It is, of course, true that exposure will get you gigs. But two issues: firstly, some guys must do this for a living, and cannot afford to play too many freebies. Secondly, there are certain venues and owners who exploit this mindset cynically. They'll offer next to nothing, and essentially make a living out of getting guys to play for free or close to it. It leads me to a slightly different (but related) topic. There is clearly a sort of de facto "going rate" for bands in different areas and genres. If cover one man bands in Cape Town, for argument's sake, get paid R 1 500 a night, and there's suddenly a dozen or more young guys on the circuit charging R 700, the owners are going to start questioning those charging R 1 500. Simple economics 101. Some owners will absorb the slight drop in quality to save 50% on an entire month's entertainment budget. So we also owe each other to sort of play by the unwritten rules of the game.

Lastly, I think young bands have no excuse not to project themselves professionally with all the technology out there. The point the author makes about myspace, facebook groups, etc is +1. Think bout getting a proper website though. With stuff like Google Page Creator, etc its real basic nowadays. I did our bandsite on Google. I have zero programming knowledge, and I reckon its quite OK ? We have had a number of great gigs from hits on the site. Since we've added the website address on our business cards and posters, you can also see people view you differently. All about projecting professionalism.

Nice link, Manfred. ?

Manfred-Klose

I would say for america and UK these tips would certainly be helpful, but for south africa they are guidelines , seeing that bussiness and working hard comes naturally to south africans in every day life, most bands manage and produce them self through the means of internet.

Riaan-Combrink

Manfred Klose wrote: most bands manage and produce them self through the means of internet.

Which is absolutely the way to go. Most extreme example was the manner in which the Arctic Monkeys broke themselves into the UK market. No 1 single in UK without a record label, simply through power of internet self-promotion.

JoEllis

I know Christopher Knab is a pretty highly rated music business consultant and I think his articles are pretty good. His advice, especially on things like record deals in this day and age, is really good. However, I've found that our industry works differently from those in the rest of the world, so you have to read things like this and use them as guidelines,as Manfred said, but not expect thigs to magically happen if you follow these points. It just doesn't work that way.

I've found that if you want to make a living here in SA as a musician, you have to be a sort of jack-of-all-trades. You'll really have to love what you do and be really passionate about it because chances are that you won't be making tons of money for a loooooooong time. I've toured with a number of "bigger" bands in the past year or so with ALL of them moaning about finances. Don't put yourself above doing the necessary things. As much as I like to rock out all the time, we play lots of acoustic shows and aren't too picky about who we target (there seems to be a trend that certain bands only want certain folks at their gigs) - anyone who likes our tunes are welcome. I also do live sound and own a very nice studio where I produce/engineer for muso's from all over the spectrum - metal to RnB, even boeremusiek if I have to - for a very reasonable fee. My point is: I'd even rather work on music that I don't like as much than do something else. There's always something new to learn from theses experiences and you'll always find great people who are passionate about what they do.

Riaan-Combrink

JoEllis wrote: I've found that if you want to make a living here in SA as a musician, you have to be a sort of jack-of-all-trades.
Don't put yourself above doing the necessary things.
My point is: I'd even rather work on music that I don't like as much than do something else. There's always something new to learn from theses experiences and you'll always find great people who are passionate about what they do.

+1. Good point.

I know a guy who has decades of experience, as musician and also in the retail and production fields, who lately acts as musical director for many of the top shows in the Western Cape. He is a virtuoso guitarist with really eclectic tastes (read a fellow Steely Dan fan ?). He has a CV of more than a 100 sessions.

Yet he does a large percentage of his sessions and live performances for one of the most well-known sokkie-type Afrikaans band (who are abominable). But hey, I don't judge him on that, because I know his ability and credentials. That is just what the SA business is like. You have to fill your basket with eggs, and cannot do only what you love (except if it's only a hobby).

Besides, its probably a good thing that at least that band's recordings and shows are enhanced by someone who can actually play. ?

We should guard aganst having an elitist kind of view about this, 'cause the RSA scene is NOT a level playing field (IMHO).

Squonk

@ Riaan C

I take my hat off to anyone who makes a living by following their passion for guitar (music). And what JoEllis said is pretty true. I know good guitarists that give lessons, work in music shops, struggle with gigs, play various genre's of music for years bit still persist.

My brother went over to the UK and gave guitar lessons and did session work for all types of music and now 14 years later, his band is taking off.

hats off to you guys.

Keira-WitherKay

the only way to make a living out of music is to be "good" at everything you do... good sound/good songs/good stage personality/good marketing/good technique

a great quote i heard and forget from where or who.... "being a professional musician your goal is to never have to apologise for anything after a performance"

and don't stress, if you good you can arrive anywhere in the world and people will recognise your talent and you will work as a musician..... i am the living proof and have been doing that for 20 yrs...travel and performing music all over the world and have never had to work one day as a waitress or tend bar or have a day job. oh except teaching but thats music too.

so if you a good musician you might take a while to get noticed but pretty soon you will stick out above the mediocricy around you ....

remember there are many full time working musicians who never see fame... but have paid the mortgage and alimony all their lives....from music

Werner-Carstens

Good post. I find "common business experience" extremely lacking on the musical arena. I have seen so many extremely talented musicians (and bands) that got absolutely nowhere due to bad management skills allthough they had a very good product. The public at the end of the day have to decide whether to buy a new toaster or that cd from artist so and so. A cd or entertainment in general is just another product that competes against all others for the available money in circulation. For artists to learn the basic skills to enhance your own product is the same that any enterpreneur has to do for any new product/service. To many musicians have shied away from acquiring these skills because they feel that they have to focus on music only - to their own detrement. I know these skills are not enjoyable to acquire as we all want to play guitar the whole day, but the business side ensures a decent living from music more than your technical ability on your instrument.
You have at the end of the day spend just as much time on marketing/sales/admin etc as on rehearsing your songs.
For some it works better to pay someone else to do it for you or your band but then obviously you must be making enough money to pay the fee.
The best thing is to go out their, acquire the skills and do it yourself as far as possible. You might actually find that you will enjoy it more than you anticipated.