Are you famous?

Whenever I told people I was a full-time musician their reactions were always the same. Are you famous? No? So, you’re a starving musician? Well, there is a place in between. It requires some lifestyle decisions, but you can still have everything a person with a "real job" has. I owned a house, but it was an older house. I owned a vehicle, it was used. I had nice clothes, but I found used name brands from a thrift store. I’m just saying that success is how your measure it. Some measure it by promotions, salary increases and acquiring assets and stuff. My measure was my ability to support my family all while doing a job that I loved and still love to this day.

Now to be clear, there was a lot of work involved. I put in way more than 40 hours a week. However, it never felt like work to me. There are many hats to be worn. I was Artist, musician, manager, promoter, booking agent, band leader, bookkeeper. It was often hard to keep track of which hat I was wearing.

As I write this, I realize that the present situation may change the landscape of the world of music and that some things will be different than what I have experienced. I will make adjustments in future blogs to address these changes. For now, let’s focus on money saving as a musician. I have always felt that there are two ways to increase your wealth. Earn more through increased gigs or spend less on things that aren’t essential. People always push to earn more money but then spend it just as quickly. They work harder, make more money and still find they are struggling. If you want to be a working musician, you must resist this. Keep your lifestyle simple and be thrifty.

Treat every gig like a job. You are in business to make money, don’t start a tab at the venue you are playing. You will leave with very little earnings. That doesn’t mean don’t enjoy it. You’ve chosen to be a musician, enjoy every second. Save the partying till your home with your family and close friends. Drinks at the bar are expensive and it can add up quickly. I have watched many great musicians quit playing because they weren’t making any money, but they were making the same as me, and I was fine.

Remember that some months are better than others. If you have a strong month with lots of gigs, save that money for the next month. You never know when gigs will fall through, and they will. I learned that after having a great summer season and spending like it wouldn’t end. It did end though and I forgot to stop spending. It was an incredibly tight winter that year. Now I spread that money through the winter and always have enough each month even when things slow down.

Buy instruments that sound good to you. Not based on the brand. I will try out several different guitars and keep them within a certain budget. You won’t make more money showing up at a gig with a $5000 guitar than you will having a $1000 guitar. I get compliments on the sound of inexpensive guitars all the time. Effects and EQ can do a lot to your sound.

Learn to cook so you are not going out to eat. People spend an awful lot of money at restaurants which is a lifestyle choice. Also, when you book a show, have food as part of the deal. Venues will usually accommodate this. I’ve had weeks where I have 5 shows, which meant five meals that I didn’t have to cook. Remember spending less is just as valuable as earning more.

These are just a few tricks. I hope this has helped a little. In my next blog I will be sharing a list of most requested songs that you should have ready to accommodate to your audience’s requests.