Originally Posted by Planobilly
<…snip…> Music does not pay as well as some other things even if you are Taylor Swift. <…>
Not sure about Ms. Swift, she seems to be doing all right.

Very few musicians make the 'big time', but then very few of any business make 'the big time'.

I was a Cable TV Field Engineer for a few years, and it paid much better than music. But I wasn't as happy as I am being a musician.

By analyzing what the market in my area desires, and fulfilling that need, I have never been rich, but I've never been poor either. My house, in a nice section of town, is paid off. I did that in 10 years. I don't have luxury items, but I also have zero debt. My small, music business, pays the bills.

Life is way too short, and at an early age, I decided to get the most joy and happiness I can, and the least amount of stress and irritation. Other than 2 different day-jobs while testing what it is to be normal, I have, and continue to make my living doing what I would do for free — making music. I'm having a very happy life, so I call that a success story, even though I never made 'the big time'.

Each of us has our own tastes and desires, so my life might choices might not fit anyone else.

Originally Posted by Planobilly
<…snip…>We never played many true covers. Some covers yes but very different from the original. We never had any more difficulty selling originals than covers. I think that was because of the really exceptional musicians I got to play with and the fact we were serious about entertaining. <…>

Good for you.

I've played with some incredible musicians that were entertaining, but worked one gig per week. Perhaps because I'm in a small market area, nobody is hiring originality.

Analyze your local market, see where the demands are, then supply it. In my area, the gigs that offer steady work are hiphop, country, or pop/rock — all cover song gigs. There is a one day per week jazz venue, and a few that cater to Caribbean or Latin American music. But the gigs are not steady, and there are many more musicians trying for those gigs than there is a demand for them.

I play pop/rock, probably 80% covers, done our way, sometimes close, sometimes not. We also mix in country, Caribbean, Latin American, blues, jazz, and a few other genres. Variety seems to work for us, and with over 650 songs, we can adapt our music to the audience of the day (or night).

There is more than one way to make money doing music, what works for one person might not work for another and what works for one area might not work for another. What is the supply and demand where you want to gig?


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