Making A Living In Music (2019 Update)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2024
- This episode features Tim Smith (Jellyfish, Sheryl Crow, Noel Gallagher) and TH-camr Rhett Shull discussing how to make a living in today's music business.
/ rshull07
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Im 63 and a bassist and to be honest having to constantly tour to make a living then having to be on facebook, Instagram. Utube etc then having to be able to produce and engineer and understand microphone placement and computer technology that constantly changes is alot! I enjoy playing my instrument and playing out when I get a chance. In the old days (the 70s) all you had to do was show up and play your instrument.
I get the feeling that playing in your local market , weddings, corporate gigs, night clubs cover gigs is not really considered making a living.
@@PaulBaughman2142, that's basically what I've been doing to make a living for over 40 years. I'm hardly getting rich from it, but I make between $35,000 to $40,000 a year. I'll admit that that market isn't what it used to be, especially if you're old like me (I'm 69). Fortunately, I joined Gary Sinise and The Lt. Dan Band 20 years ago and I've been doing 20 - 30 gigs a year with them (they pay well), mostly in the US, but we've been all over the world. It's the same material as you'd play at weddings and corporate parties (you know, pop music from the 70s to current). The big difference is that we're on big stages, we're loud and because our leader is a celebrity, people (mostly US troops and their families) come specifically to hear us. I did release an album with my original material band (almost 20 years ago), but I never expected to make much money with that; it's all instrumental jazz/rock fusion/prog rock. These days, my most enjoyable gigs are playing jazz. It doesn't pay much, but improvising is what I live for and you don't get to do much of that with pop music, especially current pop. It's all about obtaining a balance between making enough money and having enough fun.
Im 29 and I completely agree.
As a 36 year old musician, in Brazil. You got be good at first and foremost, no ego issues, adapt really fast musically and to people different personality. And fucking love music. That's to make a living, to make it in the business, that's another story. Keep the good work Rick.
We are loosing out on great musicians because they can't make a living anymore. If a guy today came along as talented as Jimmy Page he would choose another field to go into instead of Music. This is one of the main reasons music is horrible today. All these great talents out there won't go into the business like they did day back in the day. This is a real problem.
I just enjoy music, so that's why I still buy music. Instead of paying $7 for the digital download, I paid $77 for a signed LP (which included digital download). Important to support musicians, always been a favorite pass time. Will keep you out of trouble, and its free to enjoy, anytime. Plus, it distinguishes you from every other Muppet. ~Jim
I use TH-cam audio converters and enjoy everything for free.
Jellyfish - Spilt Milk. One of my all-time favorite CDs. I'm 60 years old. I remember Beatle-mania, the British Invasion, and I grew up in Motown. Even after all of that, Spilt Milk is still one of my favorite CDs. Incredible vocals. Great arrangements. A wide variety of musical styles. Intelligent lyrics. Hmm... I think I'll pull it out and give it a listen again.
Being an artist means being able to put yourself out there and communicating your reality to others. Most artists, especially those who have been around through the transitions of the music business over the past thirty or thirty-five years, understand the importance of being able to out-create the suppression inherent in being an artist. Some fail and some succeed but most importantly, this business (as do most) morphs and the only way to survive is to learn the trends, methods and techniques to enable one's survival! This is a great forum and I really appreciate what you guys are doing! Rick, I'm especially thankful about your candor with regards to "if I can do it...don't be intimidated by social media...I don't want to be part of the problem...I want to teach people things!" Great, man! I'm a year younger than you and this is all more inspiring than i can say! Well done! You are very much appreciated!!!
Great discussion today Rick ,Rhett, and Tim. I found myself reliving my first attempts at playing guitar back in 1964 or so. I had a Teisco guitar and a St. George amp from Sears. After rejoining the world after 4 years in the Air Force I was able to get a 69 Sg and coincidentally a Peavey Classic 50 amp which I still use to this day. Your talk brought back my struggle with trying to become a musician. 5 star stuff guys and thank you all for your time and dedication to music. My world is not dead yet !
They didnt even mention The Church. Most musicians that I know are able to make a living as a full time musician because they have steady weekly gigs at a Church to suppliment their income. This is how you make money being a musician. Church work, Gigs, Lessons, Studio work, maybe some touring. There is also an element of luck to it all combined with networking combined with being ridiculously talented at something. Last thing about touring ... I rented a place to a musician who toured with one of the biggest christian artist in the world and there were times where he couldnt even pay me the rent. I remember him posting a pic at a gig in central park and then telling me he couldnt afford new tires for his car. .... Good Luck!
ZADRIAN That's how Bach did it in his time!
Yeah I worked at a stage hire company and the boss worked out the megachurches where perfect clients. They'd spend ridiculous money on light-shows rivalling the big LA hair-bands, AND they always paid their bills online and the audio gear wouldn't come back wrecked because the christian bands usually aren't coked out alcoholics lol. Well not all of them, we heard a few stories back in the days about the behavior of a couple of the "christian metal" bands not being so......... christian..... w/ groupies etc lol
@@shayneoneill1506 Did they throw bibles @ the audience! Ha! ;)
Good luck getting a black metal band playing regularly in a church...
Shayne O'Neill
Church is an ungodly place to be.
Always has been.
Now, if you really want to make money being a musician, you learn a trade and make a living.
There's a documentary on Netflix called "Hired Gun" that goes into a lot of the realities of being a salaried touring musician. Worth checking out.
Gonna watch this. Thank you for mentioning it!
Havent seen that one, but I recommend the Rush documentary as well.
I just watched the “Hired Gun” documentary last night. Thanks for the suggestion. Pretty incredible how the experiences vary for musicians. Sad story about Liberty Devito and the other Billy Joel backing band members.
@@stuguy just finished watching as well. Fascinating stories. Liberty's story was sad and yet inspiring.
Kai Ellis yeah Liberty Devito always seems like such a sweet guy in interviews. He never really says anything bad about Billy Joel. When he speaks about the breakup it’s always with the tone of shock dismay and sadness.
IMHO the most reliable income you can get from music is teaching. Its got the advantage you dont need to be famous and/or live in LA. But it might not be satisfying, unless you've got that teacher personality that gets joy from helping young folk achieve what they want. Well theres one thing that IS supremely satisfying, when one of your students gets into the conservatorium or is in a band that takes off. The conservatorium one was a bit frusturating for me, cos I tried 3 times to get in and failed out on poor sheet reading (I can, but not at the classical musician level), but one of my students did, aaaand still came for lessons for the next couple of years lol
Hey Rick, great interview with Tim and Rhett. Seeing Tim made me wonder if you have ever worked with Jason Falkner. He was one of the original Jellyfish members before Tim joined, and went on to work with Eric Matthews, Brendan Benson, and a bunch of other great songwriters. He and Jon Brion were in a band called The Grays, and their only album (Ro Sham Bo) is one of my favorite records of all time. You probably know about him already, but if not, Falkner's stuff is worth checking out. Thanks, love the channel!
I love Rick Beato. But the last couple videos I've watched on "how to make a living..." didn't really talk about that subject. They only talked about what it was like back in the day as a musician vs. today. We already know the differences of that. How do we (the talented potentials) market and get our music to the people in today's digital world? Whether it makes money or not. I'm proud of what we've created in my home studio. I just want folks to have the chance to check out our hard work. Not so much get rich, ya know? How do we get on the streaming services? How do we copyright? At what point should we go after publishing? What are the steps?
I have a piece of advice for all young musicians trying to make a livin´:
"It don´t mean a thing if you ain´t got that swing!" It´s the most basic concept. But truly, you can call it Groove, Flow, Duende, Magic...All about RHYTHM! And if it doesn´t come natural, don´t waste anymore time, cause... There are too many bad musicians out there, hurtin´people´s ears, playin´nonsense! You got to be cool, relax, get hip... Man, you gotta to enjoy what you do first, then only, other people will buy your act! No matter what you play, what style, if you love it and do it with respect and knowledge! Go to the ROOTS of whatever Style your playing! Study the MASTERS!!! Be thankfull everyday for your EAR, cause it has to be you´re greatest ALLY!! You don´t need to become a part of the industry, you can be underground, you don´t want to play for a living, you wanna live for playing! And if you´re truly good and have basic social skills, you can´t miss! Someone, somewhere will hire you!
I am having a blast watching all these videos ~ I’ve always taken notice of Tim in his various bands~ Mega pro. I am a Beato newbie so to speak. Rick I love your professionalism and down to reach approach ~ We are blessed to have your sharing with us💯☮️
So the take-away: continue to support artists I enjoy and don't give up my day job. Got it.
My father is quite possibly the best Banjo player in australia (And I know I'm biased , but a LOT of people think that). He's had a number of opportunities to go professional as a session musician and have his band turn pro. He's always refused on the principle that if music was his job he'd stop enjoying it. That said now he's retired from working, he's spending half the year touring and the like, so it pans out he'd end up doing that anyway.
@@shayneoneill1506 he would probably have been a better player because he would have played more but also he would probably be more depressed/burned out so I guess it's about the willingness to sacrifice a 'comfortable life'
The insights here were great, guys. But I expected slightly higher audio quality from a sound studio channel. Get some lapels, maybe some mic’s on a table. Stuff like that. Don’t get lazy with the on-board mic quality of a camcorder. Just check out some Spectre Sound Studio vids.
I accidentally deleted the close mic audio. It was a dumb mistake. Sorry!!
Rick Beato hey no need to apologize Rick! I had a feeling there was a good reason for it 😉
second!
@@RickBeato Tim Smith was a bit quiet, but it wasn't a problem- not even a little bit of a problem. It just wasn't perfect.
Some people need to be exposed to more things that are not perfect in order to help them develop a tolerance.
So now you know why you accidentally deleted that audio! To help people! :P
But most importantly... MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Implying Rick doesn't normally do that... And like he's never heard of SMG... Lmao
Great to see Tim on the show.
Im big fan of Noel, id seen seen Tim playing with Noel a few times and every gig Noel used to joke with Tim cause he was the only american in the band.
All the best for you guys. Great talk.
Another great video. I am not too worried about sound quality or production, I am here for the content, so if there are glitches, I personally don't care or even notice. I think one paradigm shift IS that people like me are hungry for good content. Good points Tim made about getting along with other band members, being flexible and not being afraid to learn to sing. GREAT points.
I saw Tim play with Noel and couple times and it was awesome. I got his autograph along with the rest of the guys and he was such a cool dude.
Thanks for all the inspiration and intelligent conversation from your videos. They keep me alive in a way. They're refreshing to listen to, and it always feels great to relate. This particular video actually stopped me from slicing my jugular vain.
Really enjoyed this Rick .
Hope to see more great sit downs like this .
In a day and age where short and snappy vids seem to get a following .
Lost track of time watching this .
Thanx Man
Tim Smith from Baton Rouge.. "The Producers"!!!!!!!! Saw them 18 times in the early to mid 80s.. They snatched him up out of Baton Rouge High School when Kyle Henderson fell off. The Producers were THE party band back in the day in the southeast. Atlanta based band. "She Sheila", "What's he got", etc.
I was wondering why Tim didn't mention The Producers. He recorded two albums with them which were pretty darn good and toured extensively with the band despite the group being dropped from MCA Records at the time.
I miss those days, too, Tim. I still buy LPs and play records with my daughters. They both own turntables as well. I love Jellyfish and turned my kids onto them.
Thanks for the insights! Always enjoyable to hear you guys chat, and super cool to hear that Jellyfish connection- we still need to get the word out about that band! I’ve basically learned I’m not going to make enough money to live on making the kind of music I want to make, with a small family at that and living in an area somewhat isolated from any real originals music scene, so I work my day job and play music in my spare time... I toured when I was younger and couldn’t even make enough to live comfortably with my parents doing that... and that was about 10 years ago! I record what I want at home on a 4-track and have fun with that.
This is good advice for ANY job or career! Which makes the point, it is just that, a job. Making a living in music does not mean doing whatever you want, it means making a living playing an instrument and singing instead of working in an office or some other job. You still have to show up on time, get along with your co-workers, and excel at your job. Paul McCartney can do what he wants. His back up musicians, not so much.
Interesting to me is the different values placed on experiences of different generations/artists here. Made clear in the last segment. Like it or not the value of social media in today’s music is invaluable. The trip down memory lane is nice and the most accomplished player in the room talked about the record buying experience; but that’s the past. I enjoyed it. Remember my first lp (Boston) but the current musician isn’t discovered or frankly really inspired that way today. People today find new and inspiring musicians via the electronic click. Like it or not we are here. No going back. Great video.
I decided to quit. Music has become something completely different now from what it used to be when I fell in love with it and started playing. I don't like social media, Instagram, neither youtube musicians. I see music is going towards sort of a videogame direction, with virtuosity completely split from composition and relegated to exercise on a backing track.
Being a touring gipsy/musician is something possible only in the US, because anywhere else in the world (or at least where I live: Italy, Europe) live music market is not that big and you've got very narrow frontiers from country to country (yes, even with EU language and cultures still have impact). But I wouldn't like doing that gipsy life anyway.
I'm done. I'll go back looking for a regular job (if I'm able to find it), and keep music as just a private mean of expression.
Everything you do in life is an experience even if it doesn't work you'll have a more 'fullfilled' life than most other people who either didn't get the opportunities or who never bothered doing the things that gave them enjoyment... good luck with your journey
It's sad and heart breaking to hear someone saying a similar situation or emotion or whatever like me. I hope you will keep on at least playing or making music.
Dario Biagiotti you basically described me in all the reasons you want to “quit” creating music. I’m telling you to keep on persevering because people will still appreciate you nonetheless. Peace
Same but I'll not going to quit
@@MrBluesmanJunior Americans never really understand what happens outside their borders (I'm not blaming them, it's for a lot of geographic and cultural reasons) Music makes no exception. Europe is a continent, not a country, with very different cultures and languages and without the average wealth of the US. Here it is much MUCH harder to (re)build a music industry.
I'm 48 and because of guys like you, I started doing TH-cam as well. Thank you for encouraging us older folk.
I love you so much RIck.. You are the most valuable tool for music on TH-cam period.
It gets challenging keeping up with the times,
How to "Make a living" in music: get a wife with a corporate job who pays most of the bills and provides your healthcare. You can kick in a few hundred here and there. But then you can claim to be a pro muso even if you aren't making nearly enough to support yourself, say nothing of having a nice lifestyle with fancy stuff.
You hit it right. I think that's Rhett's case. I guess I'm jealous.:)
or a husband... :)
That is ridiculous, shut up.
NAILED IT every bass player we've had...
Imagine paying for healthcare
Living here in New Zealand, the lack of album sales for bands has had the side effect that we get a shedload more bands touring here, meaning musicians are making their money from playing live , not sales. Great for musicians, not so great for studio owners/producers etc. Times have changed.
Great show Rick I enjoyed the hell out of this , keep on doing the TH-cam channel and show how to record music. For me I'm getting started on recording my myself and hopefully other bands soon . I've been playing guitar and drumming for along time,so recording it is what I want to do because I enjoy it . I just got the presonus 18 24 and a lewitt 240 mic. so here I go, so any tips are appreciated lol thanks again for what you are doing it really is awesome.
Hey Riick, I really liked the talk, but the sound quality could be better and more consistent for everyone. May be you can check on that, would be great! Talking is low volume, and I got to crank it way up. If someone then laughs it blows my ears out. LOVE your book and content. Keep up the great work and effort. Richard
You CAN make a living as a musician. I have made $40-$60K, consistently always. If you can play and sing, perform solo acoustic, play for others run bands, do private events, etc etc you can do it.
Great insights. Tim was a wonderful guest again, as well; great to hear his perspective.
Tim nails the topic of creative 'struggle'.
Fantastic video as always! And unlike some of the folks whining about the audio, I didn't even notice, I was too busy being completely engrossed in what y'all were saying. i.e. even my abused and damaged ears could hear ya perfectly. Anyway, great convo, many great points being made by all. I especially love Tim's perspective on what he described as the struggle, that really resonated with me.
And yep, so many of the most memorable, interesting, and my personal favorite sounds/tones instrument wise, came/come from old cheap and poorly constructed basses, guitars, etc.. Ones that have all kinds of issues but yet, have an immense amount vibe & mojo, rather than the typical hi-fi sounding and as Tim said, "furniture" instruments. Anyway, MORE Tim!! Seriously, you should definitely do a regular series with Tim by your side contributing!
Anyway, thanks again for the great content! It's always appreciated!
DC
It would be nice if yall had close mics next time. Mr Smith was kinda hard to hear with my phone speakers.
Absurdity agreed, horrible sound quality
I think every musician should be good at several aspects of the industry, not only music, but also spiritual, discipline, selfpower, selfcontrol and being flexible and wise/intelligent....
Had to give that last bit some thought. I agree with both Tim and Rhett but for somewhat different reasons. People of either generations had those of us that wanted to learn but we went about it in different ways. Tim and myself would have “figured it out” while today’s generation has this instant gratification where they can leave us in the dust. Figuring it out led us to build on ideas and, imo, the reason there was a lot of inventiveness in music (and other fields for that matter). On the other hand, the younger generation can move fast and explore a lot of avenues through new technologies. Not sure which I’d rather be. They’re both exciting.
Lots of practical advice in this video.
Bottom line: Play and create music because you truly love it and because it makes you happy, and thereby makes others happy. If you're good at it, the universe has a way of telling you that you're on the right path.
Time and again, I see too many musicians infinitely worried about how they fit into the celebrity hierarchy of the music business. It's bullshit! Don't worry about that crap!!! Just create and play music that moves your soul. If you find yourself worrying about fame, success and record deals then you'll inevitably be disappointed, heart broken and disenchanted by the music business. And the reason is simple: you're doing it for all the wrong reasons. Focus instead on becoming really good at what you do! In turn, you'll gain confidence and feel better about yourself because your actually good at something.
Last but not least: Always be good to people. Keep your ego and attitude in check. Be a good hang, be humble and be a team player. Learn how to read a room vibe-wise, and learn to adapt quickly and be prepared in every musical situation you find yourself in. Focus, practice and commit yourself to continuous improvement.
Being a professional musician is a serious commitment. There are no short cuts.
Sorry for the preachy rant...
I've listened to Umajets after Rick's Advice and man, You made pretty timeless music, it's a pity it had so few popularity
In the ‘80s we toured for months and months....even years....non stop....Because there were so many live rooms to play.🎹😎👍
There was absolutely a weird shift at one point for me (90s). When I was young I knew every song name. Then every song name and track number. Then just "Play track 10."
Hey Rick, you're not necessarily the 'old man' in the group - I've got two years on you. Honestly, age is rarely a factor in my thought process. I still often feel like the late teens model of myself that started on tour continuously for two years -- but at this point, I prefer to simplify it all, and I've come to really enjoy mixing and remote tracking (keys) as a way to help other musicians reach their goals. I think what you've accomplished is inspiring for all age groups, me included. To quote Warren H, you rock! Thanks for this and all your other videos!
This is fantastic! Are you planning to interview Shalom Aberle any time soon since y’all are practically neighbors?
Tims comments were amazing, great discussion guys!
I still have my old Peavey Classic, the one with the tremolo before they changed it to a phaser. A good amp for little money.
Spilt Milk is one of the great underrated pop masterpieces.
Geoff Bosco Absolutely true. Fantastic albumm
Rick's shoes are GLORIOUSLY nerdy. I can identify because I always wear old school Reebok's and someone told me the other day they reminded them of the 80's and I told them that's why I wear them. LOL!
My youngest daughter calls them clown shoes :) they are two sizes too big. They were miss marked and I thought “man these are comfortable!”
@@RickBeato LOL! That's hilarious. What's funny is I consider myself a "cool dad" and I'm 36 and have a 7 and a 5 year old and I figure it won't be long until I'm embarrassing them. I also wear cargo shorts still and apparently those are VERY out of style but they are also really handy and practical. I just have never been able to bring myself to be "stylish". I'm content with my nerdiness. LOL!
So, I MUST tour and play live to make it as a singer/songwriter/guitar player?
It used to be that you would tour to support your album. Today you must record an album to support your touring
@@the92project We would agree with that. We release an album every 18 months.
We do that to stay in peoples minds, have new merch for touring (ndw album art can go anything), we make most money on festivals/touring and some royalties.....
Also being very versatile. There is many ways to make money in music.
@NoiseFeedMusic It depends what you mean by "very much". It's about readjusting your expectations. If we can pay rent via musical activities then that is amazing. No need for a Rolls Royce.......
@NoiseFeedMusic and that is very understandable. I love rhe business side! Booking tours, promoting, negotiating....long term thinking and strategies. Networking!
It all goes to benefit the band and build a future. Music will always be the most important part but I love all the parts
So, from this I get "There are no jobs" and 'start a TH-cam channel'. No mention of teaching and doing the bar band scene or DJing weddings. My gigging days ended 17 years ago when my kids were born, so I don't know how the scene has changed. The one person I know who was actually fronting a successful national touring band said he had to tour constantly and at the end of the day his take home was about 50k a year. He got out of it so he could settle down.
I love your videos. Very insightful and psychologically on the spot.
Hey Tim, looking great!
Rick, nice video, don't let these audio guys get you down.
Rhett my man! Dip. Switches.
How to make a living in the music business: get really lucky.
Being extremely pretty and young helps too
100% agree
@Drive-By Troll you can only work so hard though. I think luck is most of it.
Make a living in music: go into it knowing you will be living like a homeless person and have to get by unconventionally. If you can keep going and actually are living above homeless standards you are doing well. You can't get lucky if you are not in the game
Warning - TMI for most folks..
Get a degree from a school that will be useful presently & the future - something you love doing & has a real long term demand. If you don't have an interest like that, make a list of things you might like, but have never tried. Most of my musician friends who still play music for some kind of money, have a "real" steady, solid career/profession. Such as, big city fire fighter, my buddy is a real good drummer, another is a music teacher in a private college, another plays blue grass guitar/banjo, another works as a big city electrician.
You can see that they have solid careers & what else?.....Steady salaries & Pensions. You know those things that most don't have any more. Especially if you work for the city, state, fed. agencies. I stopped learning music 30 years ago to work as big city fire....it was the best decision I ever made. Got to do what I loved, always exciting, and mostly went to work & came home happy. Retired & got back into playing/writing music watching Rick B.
So now I can play & write & if it sounds like crap... my Macaw doesn't care...He screams to it.... But the reality of life in this country "USA" requires money to thrive instead of mere survival.... so you have some money for opportunities, so you have time to do things as a family, to grow, learn, prepare for the future, and not be strapped for money to do those things. Opportunity unfortunately, costs money & hard work. The way it is. People try to fight it and it ends up costing lost opportunities that may never come again. I didn't get my dream of being an airline pilot because Nixon dumped all the Vietnam pilots in the marketplace.....so I started all over again to become a fire fighter - my 2nd best thing I loved. Working out & school was the only thing I did for 1 1/2 yrs.
That's my sermon for today. TMI for sure for some people......others need to start thinking about it.........
A few years ago I got an drum lesson with a great NYC freelance drummer. I asked him if he thought that music school was necessary for a successful music career. He said that in order to be successful I would be better off taking my money for music school and go to business school instead. Maybe I was just such a shitty player that he gave me that advice personally ha ha .. but after being a full-time musician for the past 10 years I can now fully understand and appreciate what he really meant.
Tim Smith looks like a giant on that tiny couch
Hi Rick. Been following your channel for a year now. I live in South America and is a pretty discouraging reality here. I spent a life frustrated by not being able to make a living as a musician. Tried teaching, playing live, but life expenses forced me to take a "regular job". I'm 42 years old and struggling, my wife expecting a baby, and life is slipping by, unforgiving to good musicians. We have 2 kids and for the one that's coming I'm trying to follow your advice on ear training and giving him the chance of absolute ear. The oldest one (12 years old) is learning piano and playing jazz with a big band. I get carried away by my love for music and I transmitted that to him... but too often i wonder if I'm ruining his life or the life of the baby to come. How you overcome such thoughts?
Idk man the best you can do is educate your now kid how important it is not to try to make a living with music. I don't think its something you have to worry about in fact I think its great as a parent you were able to share your with one of your own. Maybe they'll be the ones to make live musicians more popular in south America. Just let them know music should be thought of as a hobby and not a lively hood.
That's a great condom ad
Rock or guitar driven music has ran it's creative course . The last Rock band to come out that kinda stir the pot was QOTSA . At the Drive In quit right before their big break . There is a band called Brainiac and they were from Dayton, Ohio . They had a killer sound of electronic and rock mix . Their lead singer tragically died in a car crash in 1997 . Rock is the new Jazz . There will always be a place for it but it will never take over the music business again .
Great discussion Rick. Tim has some interesting points and he seems like a fun guy as well 27:20 🤣
I love Sheryl Crow music. I learned all those great harmonies. Very insightful. Thank you
As a truck driver, I’m away from home at least 200 nights a year, and I’m not unusual in that. These days it’s about a week at a time, but I remember being out for an entire month when the economy went odd. It’s hard on a marriage and family, which is why my industry and touring musicians have a bad record in that area at times. A somewhat cooler side of trucking is when you get to haul around the gear for a major musical act. Never have yet, but who knows...
Rick do you get sponsorship from Nike for those sleepers?
When I first saw Tim, I thought he kinda looked a bit like Neil Finn, so it's fitting that they worked together.
Great videos, but please lock the auto focus.
I was about to comment the same. Loved the content. Take it just as a heads up and a chance to improve!!!
Jellyfish is one of my favourite bands, watched them at the London Astoria and they were excellent
This is great! I instantly recognized tim from HFB. He is spot-on in his advice!
About 1000 years ago, there were these dudes called "troubadours" (chicks were called "trobairitz"). They were poets and musicians who made a living traveling all over Europe constantly. Once a troubadour hit the circuit, it was very unlikely they ever returned home or settled down. So my point is, nothing much has changed for the performing artists of the world. Why? Because a real musician just wants to play, and would play for free if they could. And non musician money grubbers take advantage of that and exploit the musician's true nature. End of story.
If anything, becoming millionaires as a full time musician is an anomaly in History. Folk troubadours and minstrels were always nomadic hobos living in dire straits or part of a merry band touring the kingdoms like a circus for the entertainment of aristocrats and populace for a few bucks and scraping the bottom of the barrel. The best musicians/composers hoped to be musicians for hire by royalty so they can be "sponsored". But that was reserved to elite genius musicians.
Likewise, actors and actresses were akin to prostitutes. Becoming part of the elite as an actor/actress is an anomaly of the 20th century.
Rick, did you get a Nike endorsement? They dropped Kaepernick and picked up Beato! 😂😂😂
Haha, thanks Larry :) My daughter calls them the clown shoes. I guess that means I’m a clown lol
Hey Rick, what about making a living as a composer, film composer, orchestrator, arranger?
How about a episode where u tell us how to put our soul on our instrument? I can feel a pulse in my head but idk how to follow it.
Great video guys. I really enjoyed that. I also started doing TH-cam in my 50s. Cheers
While it isn't really an example of making a living in MUSIC, the story of Toby Fox is something I think is really interesting.
a Mexican strat + peavey classic 50 could match countless live rigs.. especially if it had upgraded pickups; good on Rhett for saying something
Rhett: You need to fix the autofocus setting on Rick's camera XD
Ill work on it!
Hey Rick, what were the names of your bands in the 90's? I played in couple Atl bands all through the 90's. Curious if we were on any bills together? My, how things have changed! Ha! This was a Great Episode. Really enjoying your channel.
Something we’ll never know is why classic artists are charging $200 for tickets, no one will explain why tickets are so expensive, and who shares the money. Could you give any insights on this matter? Cheers Rick
Consider the overhead cost transporting people and equipment and lights, front of house, etc. Also in the overhead is insurance. More people than just the known band members on stage are employed in the tour. For a big tour, there are probably multiple sets of equipment and gear, on at least two sets of busses, outside of planes transporting performers. I realize some bands do not have a large crew or they are their own crew, depending on how things are going. There are tour managers for a reason.
Audrey Sims they still turn over a massive profit, guns & roses have made 600 million profit from their tour, all these artists are the same, they could charge less!!
You answered your own question: Because they can still sell the tickets. You could just as well ask why they play stadiums when the sound quality for the audience is so bad. If the tickets didn’t sell they’d play smaller venues for a lower price, or maybe just not play out.
Great video! Tim Smith’s comments are wonderful.
Rick thanks so much for your work, it has truly inspired me.
NG is a business first and foremost. He has been ever since he decided to roadie with the Carpets. He understands the business and the money. Smart man.
Great video. Thank you. Subtitle: How musicians can make additional revenue with product placement deals, such as: Nike, Marshall, Sovtek, Mesa, and Sound City.
Rick is good people! Excellent show. From Mexico with Love
Thank you Rick for the amazing and invaluable content as usual.
@NoiseFeedMusic That's correct, thanks.
Never heard of Jellyfish before. Went to check their music after seeing this video. It is awesome!
Don't even bother trying to make rock music a profession. Get an education, have a great career (jobs do not count), and do music on the side.
One of my artists pays his rent with Spotify income. He lives in Norway.
:) Good to hear people talking about how it is.
This where it seems like the industry is going. In Australia venues are quicker to hire a DJ than they are a band or musician. I finished my Bachelor of music in 2010 and did quite well up to 2019 teaching music, still trying to figure out how to move forward with it at this stage though. One thing I have noticed is that I get more students when the economy is strong and in higher SES areas; no different to any other industry I suppose. The other thing that I've noticed is that generally speaking, if you reduce your teaching fees students, for the most part, don't value the lesson as much and get less from it. Very interesting video, it will be interesting to see how the industry survives the next 5 to 10 years.
Thank you guys, love from italy
I like how he laughs when the subject making a living from music was mentioned
My first guitar was a Mexican strat... I still have it. I also changed the pick ups. LOL. ( I have no highend guitars, only budget ones that I kept upgrading).
Tim smith toured with the Noel Gallagher’s high flying birds… what a gig that would’ve been… especially in the UK
Really great discussion. Thanks!
I know a few pro players in the blues who moved East for better touring distances. The West is 6-8 hrs between gigs as is the south.. The NE is 2 hours between gigs....
I like what artists like Josh Turner Guitar are doing. He gained a following on TH-cam, which provides some income. He also gets support through Patreon. It seems that artists are finding revenue streams from a variety of places beyond record sales and touring.
NoiseFeedMusic 👍
Enjoyed the discussion. But i would love to see someone organize a meeting with all the big wiggs in the music business. To have an all day or multi day discussion on how to bring back a music industry that sells albums again. And i don't mean vinal records. I mean changing the marketing and the way music sells. A room full of people just discussing new ideas. Not just a casual conversation like in this video. Ideas like. Have download album stores. And if you download the complete album. You get a full size album cover booklet with the purchase. That cant be gotten online. Or if you buy the complete album download you offer a bundle package that comes with a bonus track that is only available buying it at the download store. And maybe there are a hundred ways to bring back the buying and listening to albums. And artist making money again without having to tour. And song writers actually making a living. There needs to be group conversations with big people in the music business trying to figure out how to revive some of that magic of the days before streaming and youtube. You go into the download store and there are tons of artwork and photographs and signed pictures of hundreds of artist to look at and hold in your hands. That are all available with download purchases of albums. And only in stores. Not online. And if my idea isn't good. Maybe a few of the 100 other people in the conversation will bounce around some better ideas.
Such a great conversation... more!
Thanks for the interesting video Rick.
Some constructive criticism...
The audio issue has already been touched on in the comments, but another thing I found annoying was the number of camera angle swaps... sometimes less is more!
Rick, great video as usual. Thank you for all the enjoyable vids of 2018. Merry Christmas! How about a "What makes song great" for a Christmas standard like "o holy night" or "run rudolph run"?
Rick becomes an English teacher at 35:15. Go get em Rick.