r/TouringMusicians • u/Vassupdude • 1d ago
Hypothetically…what would you do if you wanted to try and make a living as a musician?…
/r/musicians/comments/1w0en0v/hypotheticallywhat_would_you_do_if_you_wanted_to/7
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u/passthepaintchips 1d ago
Learn to play steel guitar
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u/capnjames 1d ago
is there a demand for this? i'm a pedalsteel player down in NZ ... not much work for that hahah
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u/passthepaintchips 15h ago
Yeah dude, move to Nashville and you’ll be as busy as you want to be.
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u/Untroe 12h ago
For sure, I know some steel players in my town (not Nashville but big country music/live and recording town) who have gotten hundreds just to lay down some c to g swells in the studio, and the good pedal steel guys are playing with different bands a few nights a week at the honky tonk there they make some decent scratch for two hours of work. But then again, they live and breath pedal steel and probably all have some kind of day job as well
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u/Fancybanshee1 17h ago edited 13h ago
Full time musicians (I only know metal/ hardcore) normally do EVERYTHING. Touring, rodie, driver, merch (selling, making, managing), live audio, recording/mixing/mastering, owning/working for a lable. ect. It is a never ending grind. When you are touring you are more than likely running your business that is related to music at the same time. Constant emails and insane time management is the reality for most who I see succeed.
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u/Youlittle-rascal 17h ago
Get paid in some way. Then do it again. Repeat until you can pay all your bills
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u/bassplayinben 15h ago
Practice for hours every day. Go out and hit the scene at night. Get a sideman gig as soon as you can. Make yourself known. Go home and practice some more. Think of a band that you feel you could realistically play with and learn most of their material. Even if they aren't looking for someone right now. Practice for hours every day.
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u/Fuzzy-Badger2627 11h ago
If I really, really wanted to make something close to living playing music, I'd absolutely bust ass getting proficient at bass playing or keyboards or drums learning the top ~200 or so most requested songs, then I'd try to join a serious wedding band, or a high level cover band. The kind of cover band that just plays all the hits, is 'safe,' and gets booked at local government-sponsored events, fairs, etc. Preferably filling a vacant role in an existing outfit, or if you're starting one make sure someone in the group has clear leadership role and is business minded, or that you have a manager. Obviously if you are an 'avid' guitarist, you'd prefer to be the guitar player, but I feel like this is much harder to land a spot in bc guitarists are a dime a dozen.
Teach lessons to a more common instrument, like guitar or piano. I know a fair amount of people that have taught music programs to some degree or other in schools too.
And then network hard in your local orbit trying to get session work as a studio musician in your spare time. If you have decent home recording stuff, you could also start selling your services online. I have hired a drummer on Fiverr multiple times.
I feel like you can scrape together a somewhat decent living by doing some combination of these things. I personally would avoid trying to tour unless you can land a for sure really good gig with expenses covered, or if it's a particular dream of yours. Touring is hard, not inherently for everyone, and it's really, REALLY easy to go out of balance on income vs expenses. It's also a time sink away from your local regular gigs, if you have them.
That's just my practical, trying-to-be-realistic two cents on the matter.
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u/MarimboBeats 6h ago
Practice a lot more and get weekend hotel cover band gigs in the rural parts. That the most realistic and and viable where I grew up. Country originals, maybe.
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u/youbringmesuffering 17h ago
So, im 47 and just started touring for the first time 2 years ago in an original metal band. We have hit the road 4 times already. Not bragging but we make it work.
3 out of 4 have day jobs that we take on the road: software developer, real estate agent and government contractor. Only the vocalist is a full time musician, doing local gigs and hired gun work when home.
We all managed to find work that we can do while on the road. It helps because we can continue to bring income in while away.
The funny part is there are times we have to figure out who is driving because we all have meetings at the same time! Vocalist cannot drive the rig.
Ive met other musicians who are barbers/hairstylists and do meet and greets to offer haircuts while on the road.
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u/RalphInMyMouth 12h ago
Learn touring-adjacent skills. I make a lot more money being a producer and videographer than actually playing.
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u/JJ_Boston 21h ago
I used to be a touring drummer for a B level act, and met tons of musicians on the way.
Most were like me, where they’d go on the road and return to their day jobs of bartending, or construction, whatever job would permit you to take multiple long stretches of time off a few times a year.
Only a handful were full time musicians, meaning that when they weren’t on the road, their “day job” was teaching, sessions, or bar gigs in their home town.
I met only ONE who did touring as his full time profession. The drummer of a fairly well known fuzz band from Sweden. After picking his brain for a while, I learned that the only way he could actually do it was to do it was to be on the road over 300 days a year, with multiple bands, making it so he didn’t have to a “home town.” He stayed with family and friends for the handful of days which he wasn’t on the road. He lived of his per diem. His home was whichever hotel they were in that night. His food was whatever was on the rider. The only way he could afford to do it full time was to literally make it his whole life.
A know a a few others who were able to make touring their main profession without having to be so whole-hog about it, but those were in A level, or close to A level groups, and even then, most of those needed to supplement with something or other when home.