How many of you rely on your gigging for your income ?

Baard · June 25th, 2003, 03:54 PM

I do to some extent. I find it to change the way i look at playing music, not necessarely for the better. How has it influenced the way you look at playing. How do you deal with it ?

Baard

sean001 · June 25th, 2003, 04:22 PM

From about 18-22, gigging was my sole source of income. In the early days I would go from my gig on Saturday night back to my pad, pick up my room mate (also a working musician) and we would go grocery shopping at 4 in the morning with the gig money we just made. No gig, no food. Ate a lot of Mac-n-Cheese and drank a lot of Cool-Aid.

I now have a good day job but all Christmas presents, home improvement funds, kids karate lessons...most anything extra is paid with gig money.

I think I have always been pretty dedicated and pretty professional but in those early days when I would starve without the money, I sure sweated the gigs more.

John E · June 25th, 2003, 04:24 PM

I do rely on it somewhat... It's about an extra $300-$500 per month and that pays for some of my bills... definitely helps with my wife staying home with my daughter(soon to be daughters). Also makes it easier for my wife to let me go sometimes 2-3 nights a week when it pays for something... I know what you're saying about changing your outlook... used to be I would've payed to play somewhere... now we get annoyed if we don't make at least $50-$100 bucks a piece per gig(which is nothing for a pro musician making his living)... Of course we play mostly original stuff so it's a catch 22 as the club managers/owners feel they can pay us less than traditional cover bands and still get pissed if we don't fill the house, which is a very hard thing to do consistently. The way I *try* to look at it now is that I'm able to do original stuff and so it's a compromise with the money... I'd much rather play for nothing to have some people there and digging our stuff than play some of these places we play that pay well but people could care less that you're playin your heart out for them... I have a day job so I don't need it for the money, for me it's a release (unless by some FAT chance we get some kind of a break).

Steven · June 25th, 2003, 11:41 PM

I was a professional musician for five years but I tink I´m better of today having a well payed day job. This has given me the opurtunity to just do the gigs I want to do without having to bring in money for the bills all the time. When I was plying guitar for a living sometimes I was forced to do gigs that wasnt that fun just to bring in the dough. Now I only do gigs that I think I will enjoy. I can even play for free now if I want to. Nowadays I do 2-4 gigs per month (sometimes a lot more) and I try to keep it on a level that makes it possible to combine work, family and playing music. I think I´m doing just fine now and I don´t miss being a pro. The money i bring in from the gigs is needed to remedy a medical problem i have. I´m sad to say that I suffer from a strange illnes. The doctors call it "GAS"...

Scotland · June 26th, 2003, 04:37 AM

simply because I have adapted my lifestyle to the fact I play every weekend. I budget for things to include my band money and would certainly not have holidays abroad twice a year if it was not for the band.

Baard · June 26th, 2003, 04:58 AM

I dont even get a holiday because of the band.....na just kidding, last year the two weeks we had in Norway, were paid by gigging money. But i try not to include the gigging money in the household budget. Tough luck.... when we´re broke, they´re sure nice to have:-)
Also- This Saturday we play two big gigs, and that will be the icecream and fun money for the next two holiday weeks.

Baard

maxvintage · June 26th, 2003, 07:05 AM

I was gigging a lot a while ago, making 5-800 a month or more. now those gigs have dried up, and I sure miss the money! Fortunately for me it was extra money, not the main source of income

There's a thin line between fun and work. Getting paid for having fun--you can't beat that with a stick. But there's a great deal of pride in earning a living with an instrument

Cliff · June 26th, 2003, 08:02 AM

There's very little money to be made in this town for musicians of any sort. Luckily, I've always had a day job and music has been my "fun" activity. The other guitar player in my current band is a pro, as is his wife. He's always hurting for dough. Our bar gigs only pay $300, so that works out to be $60 each. Brutal if you rely on that kind of money to live on. His wife drives to Bakersfield every weekend to play with Buck Owens at the Crytal Palace. I'm too polite to ask what she makes, but I'm sure it ain't much. The bottom line?.....I'm having more fun. And I'm less jaded, me thinks.

TheGoodTexan · June 26th, 2003, 08:27 AM

I had a great bar band together back home in Texas. We played 3 to 4 nights a week, at clubs everywhere. I usually pocketed $300-$400 a week, and I was single, living at home with my folks (when I was in town).

A friend of mine lived here in Nashville. He came home to Texas on a short vacation one weekend, and saw my band. He said I should move to Nashville..."A lot more opportunity for good musicians"...he said.

So I moved up here and tried it. You ever heard of supply & demand? Way too many good musicians here, not near enough gigs! Very few paying gigs in town.

I got a "real job" and got married. Now I just play showcases here and there...and do a small amount of studio work for singer's demos.

Jakedog · June 26th, 2003, 09:53 AM

I played for my paycheck most of the last ten years. I can definitely relate to the mac-n-cheese and kool-aid comment. Finally got sick of it just the other day, it's just not fun anymore, and I don't think playing should be somthing that brings you down, so I'm done. I put in a call to a friend, and I start managing a restaraunt at the end of the month. Since I won't have to rely on gigging to pay my bills anymore, I can start having fun playing music again. I can play my stuff, with the people I want to play it with, and money won't be an issue, if I make $5 playing for the door, who cares. It's gonna be nice to be musically "free" again, I don't think I've played whatever and wherever I wanted since... well never.

Jake

Brad · June 26th, 2003, 02:00 PM

Well....from 1980 to 1984, it was my only source of income. My wife ( at the time ) and I were in several Top 40 ( crap! ) bands together. We usually played at least six and sometimes 7 nights a week. I got to the point where I actually did not enjoy playing any longer. I quit in 1984. In 1985, I started playing with 3 different weekend groups. That was much more fun, ( and good money to boot ) but in 1990 I decided I had had enough and shut it down. Now, it's just with the worship team at church on Sundays. The funny thing is, I have more gear now than when I was gigging full time!

Smokin OP · June 26th, 2003, 03:25 PM

I sold a business & went back to school with 40 right around the corner so I relied on gigs for 2-3 years. Money was ok but I never felt like I could relax without a paycheck coming in. It's not fun having to take any & every job that comes along but it sure makes you a better musician & to me that's worth it. Glad I did it, glad I'm not doing it now!

OP

Doug Matthews · June 27th, 2003, 12:57 PM

Between marriages, my gig income kept the wolf away from the door and gave me something to do for 2 or 3 nights a week. I had a good paying job but child support payments and debts were excessive.

I played for 11 years in this MOR dance band (we played waltzes, polkas, rock, r&b, country and top 40, if you can imagine) and we played most weekends. As Baard implies, taking a vacation had to be carefully planned.
I couldn't keep up the pace once into the second marriage, more demanding job and "new family" came along so I left the band. I miss it to this day and the money was good $600 to $800 per month in the '80's. The band cameraderie was great and we are still close friends, like "family", to this day. The band no longer plays.

Today, I jam weekly with new guys who, like me, can't commit to a band anymore and, yes, I have way more grear than I had in the band. I guess because it is now a hobby.

Cheers,

Doug.

telemann51 · June 27th, 2003, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Matthews

Today, I jam weekly with new guys who, like me, can't commit to a band anymore and, yes, I have way more grear than I had in the band. I guess because it is now a hobby.

Cheers,

Doug.

I recently switched from working a day job to gigging full-time. I had a very good job so I am not hurting for gear, nor am I really hurting for money yet. I'm gigging about 3 times a week and not making ends meet at this point. I've played on one recording session so far and I'm looking to do more of that.

This is something I've dreamed of doing and every day is a real rush. I've also improved my playing incredibly and regardless of whether I eventually have to go back to work I'll always have these things.

Telemann51

Doug R · June 28th, 2003, 01:49 PM

First Stage: High school bands. Free money (and girls!) for doing something you love to do anyway.

Second Stage: Young adult. Play full-time (or as much as possible), travel & tour, work odd jobs, take some college, sex, drugs, rock & roll...

Third Stage: Young married, little kids, day job, no time for bands, frustrated evening musician. Acumulate some new instruments, but not much chance to play out.

Fourth Stage: Gotta Play, Gotta Play! Weekend bands, extra income for family expenses. Good justification to get out to the bars with friends - They pay me! Take the wife & kids to some fun out-of-town places. Roll over some of the gig money into better equipment, a few more instruments, start that Harley fund!

Fifth Stage: Good money AND good fun. Still have day job (pays better now too), still play weekends but with much better musicians, much better (and better paying) gigs. The kids are grown and moved out, just my wife & me these days. Do more private gigs, fewer bars, much better venues. Earned enough for a new Harley Electra-Glide Classic last year. I don't play quite as fast I once did, but I'm sure I play smarter and with more taste. No stranger to GAS, have turned the gig money into lots of fun musical stuff over the last 35 years. Current collection includes: 5 guitars (2 Teles), 3 basses, 2 mandolins, 2 sitars, 2 pianos, 1 fiddle, 4 other odd instruments, 2 amps, 1 PA system, 1 light system and a new digital multitrack recorder.

Music has been very good to me indeed. And playing rock after 50 is still okay in my book.

ye olde fretmonkey · June 28th, 2003, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGoodTexan

I had a great bar band together back home in Texas. We played 3 to 4 nights a week, at clubs everywhere. I usually pocketed $300-$400 a week, and I was single, living at home with my folks (when I was in town).

A friend of mine lived here in Nashville. He came home to Texas on a short vacation one weekend, and saw my band. He said I should move to Nashville..."A lot more opportunity for good musicians"...he said.

So I moved up here and tried it. You ever heard of supply & demand? Way too many good musicians here, not near enough gigs! Very few paying gigs in town.

GoodTexan, that sounds like Austin! Far, far, far too many bands and players, not enough clubs or slices of pie to go around.

My band is way too far in debt for me to see any $$ from it except for per diems out on the road. It's exasperating at times.

Any of you Austin guys want to put a money-making band together, you just let me know. :)

MandyMarie · June 28th, 2003, 04:20 PM

My husband makes our living gigging. We're thankful that he does well enough that I also don't have to have a "real job" and I gig when I can as well.

I think when you play music for your living it completely changes the way you look at things - when Danny buys a guitar or an amp, it's no different than a carpenter buying a new hammer or a drill. He looks at his equipment as tools. He's got his main workhorse and he doesn't really "want" anything else...

Also, when he sells something he approaches it differently than someone who doesn't play for a living - we recently sold an older RI Deluxe Reverb and got a Victoria 35310. He would have been happy just getting 100 bucks outta that Deluxe because he knew that it had paid for itself a few times over. Someone who doesn't make money playing would have done their best to get their initial investment back, he probably would have given it away to another player if I would have let him :D

June 25th, 2003, 03:54 PM	#1 (permalink)
Baard Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 668	How many of you rely on your gigging for your income ? I do to some extent. I find it to change the way i look at playing music, not necessarely for the better. How has it influenced the way you look at playing. How do you deal with it ? Baard

June 25th, 2003, 04:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
sean001 Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Gilberts, Illinois Posts: 308	From about 18-22, gigging was my sole source of income. In the early days I would go from my gig on Saturday night back to my pad, pick up my room mate (also a working musician) and we would go grocery shopping at 4 in the morning with the gig money we just made. No gig, no food. Ate a lot of Mac-n-Cheese and drank a lot of Cool-Aid. I now have a good day job but all Christmas presents, home improvement funds, kids karate lessons...most anything extra is paid with gig money. I think I have always been pretty dedicated and pretty professional but in those early days when I would starve without the money, I sure sweated the gigs more. __________________ The more you drink, the less I stink...

June 25th, 2003, 04:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
John E Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,396	Rely on it solely... no, but... I do rely on it somewhat... It's about an extra $300-$500 per month and that pays for some of my bills... definitely helps with my wife staying home with my daughter(soon to be daughters). Also makes it easier for my wife to let me go sometimes 2-3 nights a week when it pays for something... I know what you're saying about changing your outlook... used to be I would've payed to play somewhere... now we get annoyed if we don't make at least $50-$100 bucks a piece per gig(which is nothing for a pro musician making his living)... Of course we play mostly original stuff so it's a catch 22 as the club managers/owners feel they can pay us less than traditional cover bands and still get pissed if we don't fill the house, which is a very hard thing to do consistently. The way I try to look at it now is that I'm able to do original stuff and so it's a compromise with the money... I'd much rather play for nothing to have some people there and digging our stuff than play some of these places we play that pay well but people could care less that you're playin your heart out for them... I have a day job so I don't need it for the money, for me it's a release (unless by some FAT chance we get some kind of a break).

June 25th, 2003, 11:41 PM	#4 (permalink)
Steven Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Sweden Posts: 511	Pro? Not anymore! I was a professional musician for five years but I tink I´m better of today having a well payed day job. This has given me the opurtunity to just do the gigs I want to do without having to bring in money for the bills all the time. When I was plying guitar for a living sometimes I was forced to do gigs that wasnt that fun just to bring in the dough. Now I only do gigs that I think I will enjoy. I can even play for free now if I want to. Nowadays I do 2-4 gigs per month (sometimes a lot more) and I try to keep it on a level that makes it possible to combine work, family and playing music. I think I´m doing just fine now and I don´t miss being a pro. The money i bring in from the gigs is needed to remedy a medical problem i have. I´m sad to say that I suffer from a strange illnes. The doctors call it "GAS"...

June 26th, 2003, 04:37 AM	#5 (permalink)
Scotland Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Aberdeen, Scotland, Yewrup Age: 54 Posts: 6,407 3 Photos	I rely on it simply because I have adapted my lifestyle to the fact I play every weekend. I budget for things to include my band money and would certainly not have holidays abroad twice a year if it was not for the band. __________________ All those who believe in psycho-kinesis, raise my hand !

June 26th, 2003, 04:58 AM	#6 (permalink)
Baard Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 668	Ha scotland.... I dont even get a holiday because of the band.....na just kidding, last year the two weeks we had in Norway, were paid by gigging money. But i try not to include the gigging money in the household budget. Tough luck.... when we´re broke, they´re sure nice to have:-) Also- This Saturday we play two big gigs, and that will be the icecream and fun money for the next two holiday weeks. Baard

June 26th, 2003, 07:05 AM	#7 (permalink)
maxvintage Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Age: 49 Posts: 427	I was gigging a lot a while ago, making 5-800 a month or more. now those gigs have dried up, and I sure miss the money! Fortunately for me it was extra money, not the main source of income There's a thin line between fun and work. Getting paid for having fun--you can't beat that with a stick. But there's a great deal of pride in earning a living with an instrument

June 26th, 2003, 08:02 AM	#8 (permalink)
Cliff Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Left Coast Posts: 168 3 Photos	Money There's very little money to be made in this town for musicians of any sort. Luckily, I've always had a day job and music has been my "fun" activity. The other guitar player in my current band is a pro, as is his wife. He's always hurting for dough. Our bar gigs only pay $300, so that works out to be $60 each. Brutal if you rely on that kind of money to live on. His wife drives to Bakersfield every weekend to play with Buck Owens at the Crytal Palace. I'm too polite to ask what she makes, but I'm sure it ain't much. The bottom line?.....I'm having more fun. And I'm less jaded, me thinks.

June 26th, 2003, 08:27 AM	#9 (permalink)
TheGoodTexan Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Nashville, TN Age: 35 Posts: 5,006 18 Photos	Not anymore I had a great bar band together back home in Texas. We played 3 to 4 nights a week, at clubs everywhere. I usually pocketed $300-$400 a week, and I was single, living at home with my folks (when I was in town). A friend of mine lived here in Nashville. He came home to Texas on a short vacation one weekend, and saw my band. He said I should move to Nashville..."A lot more opportunity for good musicians"...he said. So I moved up here and tried it. You ever heard of supply & demand? Way too many good musicians here, not near enough gigs! Very few paying gigs in town. I got a "real job" and got married. Now I just play showcases here and there...and do a small amount of studio work for singer's demos.

June 26th, 2003, 09:53 AM	#10 (permalink)
Jakedog Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Cleveland,OH But my heart's still in TE Posts: 2,981	I played for my paycheck most of the last ten years. I can definitely relate to the mac-n-cheese and kool-aid comment. Finally got sick of it just the other day, it's just not fun anymore, and I don't think playing should be somthing that brings you down, so I'm done. I put in a call to a friend, and I start managing a restaraunt at the end of the month. Since I won't have to rely on gigging to pay my bills anymore, I can start having fun playing music again. I can play my stuff, with the people I want to play it with, and money won't be an issue, if I make $5 playing for the door, who cares. It's gonna be nice to be musically "free" again, I don't think I've played whatever and wherever I wanted since... well never. Jake __________________ "Them that don't know him won't like him, and them that do sometimes won't know how to take him..."

June 26th, 2003, 02:00 PM	#11 (permalink)
Brad Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 1,294	Band income Well....from 1980 to 1984, it was my only source of income. My wife ( at the time ) and I were in several Top 40 ( crap! ) bands together. We usually played at least six and sometimes 7 nights a week. I got to the point where I actually did not enjoy playing any longer. I quit in 1984. In 1985, I started playing with 3 different weekend groups. That was much more fun, ( and good money to boot ) but in 1990 I decided I had had enough and shut it down. Now, it's just with the worship team at church on Sundays. The funny thing is, I have more gear now than when I was gigging full time! __________________ We don't stop playing because we get old, we get old becasue we stop playing.

June 26th, 2003, 03:25 PM	#12 (permalink)
Smokin OP Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Leesburg, GA Posts: 334	Career change I sold a business & went back to school with 40 right around the corner so I relied on gigs for 2-3 years. Money was ok but I never felt like I could relax without a paycheck coming in. It's not fun having to take any & every job that comes along but it sure makes you a better musician & to me that's worth it. Glad I did it, glad I'm not doing it now! OP __________________ It's so country, it couldn't go pop with a mouthful of firecrackers.

June 27th, 2003, 12:57 PM	#13 (permalink)
Doug Matthews Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Brandon, Manitoba Posts: 137	Gig Income Between marriages, my gig income kept the wolf away from the door and gave me something to do for 2 or 3 nights a week. I had a good paying job but child support payments and debts were excessive. I played for 11 years in this MOR dance band (we played waltzes, polkas, rock, r&b, country and top 40, if you can imagine) and we played most weekends. As Baard implies, taking a vacation had to be carefully planned. I couldn't keep up the pace once into the second marriage, more demanding job and "new family" came along so I left the band. I miss it to this day and the money was good $600 to $800 per month in the '80's. The band cameraderie was great and we are still close friends, like "family", to this day. The band no longer plays. Today, I jam weekly with new guys who, like me, can't commit to a band anymore and, yes, I have way more grear than I had in the band. I guess because it is now a hobby. Cheers, Doug.

June 28th, 2003, 01:49 PM	#15 (permalink)
Doug R Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Spokane, WA USA Posts: 127	Playing through the stages of life First Stage: High school bands. Free money (and girls!) for doing something you love to do anyway. Second Stage: Young adult. Play full-time (or as much as possible), travel & tour, work odd jobs, take some college, sex, drugs, rock & roll... Third Stage: Young married, little kids, day job, no time for bands, frustrated evening musician. Acumulate some new instruments, but not much chance to play out. Fourth Stage: Gotta Play, Gotta Play! Weekend bands, extra income for family expenses. Good justification to get out to the bars with friends - They pay me! Take the wife & kids to some fun out-of-town places. Roll over some of the gig money into better equipment, a few more instruments, start that Harley fund! Fifth Stage: Good money AND good fun. Still have day job (pays better now too), still play weekends but with much better musicians, much better (and better paying) gigs. The kids are grown and moved out, just my wife & me these days. Do more private gigs, fewer bars, much better venues. Earned enough for a new Harley Electra-Glide Classic last year. I don't play quite as fast I once did, but I'm sure I play smarter and with more taste. No stranger to GAS, have turned the gig money into lots of fun musical stuff over the last 35 years. Current collection includes: 5 guitars (2 Teles), 3 basses, 2 mandolins, 2 sitars, 2 pianos, 1 fiddle, 4 other odd instruments, 2 amps, 1 PA system, 1 light system and a new digital multitrack recorder. Music has been very good to me indeed. And playing rock after 50 is still okay in my book. __________________ It's not getting any smarter out there. You have to come to terms with stupidity and make it work for you. F. Zappa

June 28th, 2003, 04:20 PM	#17 (permalink)
MandyMarie Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Indianapolis, IN Age: 28 Posts: 2,466 65 Photos	Yesssir My husband makes our living gigging. We're thankful that he does well enough that I also don't have to have a "real job" and I gig when I can as well. I think when you play music for your living it completely changes the way you look at things - when Danny buys a guitar or an amp, it's no different than a carpenter buying a new hammer or a drill. He looks at his equipment as tools. He's got his main workhorse and he doesn't really "want" anything else... Also, when he sells something he approaches it differently than someone who doesn't play for a living - we recently sold an older RI Deluxe Reverb and got a Victoria 35310. He would have been happy just getting 100 bucks outta that Deluxe because he knew that it had paid for itself a few times over. Someone who doesn't make money playing would have done their best to get their initial investment back, he probably would have given it away to another player if I would have let him :D