Making a Living

snoopy4ever · Post by **snoopy4ever** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 2:29 pm

Hello pulsarians!.

First don't get me wrong, I consider music a very noble profession, that comes from the human soul. For me and other home studio owners it's a labour of love and most of the time we do not expect any profit out of it.
But I'd like to know how many of you guys actually make a living out of your home studios, or anything similar to it. I think a career on the music it's also the dream of many of us. You don't have to be specific about your business, I just want to know what percentaje of you actually pay most of the bills with your music income.

.

thanks in advance.

snoopy

Post by **hubird** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 3:42 pm

I'm afraid those man and woman don't have time to hang around here, at least the most of them (obviously not subhuman

).

subhuman · Post by **subhuman** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 5:11 pm

I don't make a living doing music, either, definitely just a (serious) hobby... and I'm having less time to hang out here on Z as I get busier at work (programming).

eliam · Post by **eliam** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 5:57 pm

I'm doing all I can to earn a living with my music, and I'm beginning to see that the fruits of my unwavering musical determination are ripening... But I still have a way to go.
What I find both difficult and challenging is that I have to do everything from scratch alone, because people who share my dream have yet to manifest.
I also want to say that for me, music starts from a piano, my voice and my words most of the time.
As for making a carrer in music, I see it as the ascension of a mountain: the more determined and constant you are to reach the summit, the faster it will happen

paulrmartin · Post by **paulrmartin** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 6:39 pm

I agree with the mountain analogy Eliam brings. I do make my living with music from TV work to arranging to programming MIDI files. The one thing about this business is the never-ending advances in technology. Once you've climbed a part of your personal mountain you have to struggle against the odds of new software, new soundcards, new effects that come and go like fashion... Also, the producers' confidence has to be constantly renewed with the ongoing fads(i,e. today=Techno, tomorrow=new age, the next day=who knows?)

You just have to stay on top of everything that's going on in the industry, keep your ears open for any new sound that might be the sound of the day(remember the "Intruder FX" sound on the Roland D-50?)

Most important, ENJOY YOURSELF as you LEARN!

Hubird, you are wrong about pros not having time for forums. They all have to learn how to get their cards going fast(!) and PlanetZ is BY FAR the best place anywhere on the WWW. to get the show on the road as fast as possible.
_________________
Paul R. Martin

I think I may get the hang of this after all!

[ This Message was edited by: paulrmartin on 2002-03-31 18:39 ]

[ This Message was edited by: paulrmartin on 2002-03-31 18:42 ]

[ This Message was edited by: paulrmartin on 2002-03-31 18:42 ]

wayne · Post by **wayne** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 11:33 pm

I earn some kind of a living with music - that is to say that, in a good year, I'll only have 4 months with no income - but it involves working in all sorts of bands and theatre companies across Australia ( tyranny of distance rules here). I'm 37 now, and have always managed to survive this way, only with music that I wanted to play. Needless to say I've often been quite broke along the way, and have been looked after from time to time by my ever growing music/theatre family - we support each other as the gigs gradually dry up in the cities and the corporate pushes out the community. But I wouldn't change a thing, and am happy singing the songs and telling the stories - that's a living!

tell ya what, though, I miss me Pulsar, it's 3500km away

oh, I almost forgot - ROCK ON REGARDLESS!

[ This Message was edited by: wayne on 2002-04-01 00:33 ]

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 11:58 pm

Unfortunately, I do not earn my living through music. I whish I could! This is my dream, the problem is that I've never got into commercial things, I've always done my own staff, what I like, sometimes it gave me something to eat, sometimes didn't.

In bygone days I did, and did it well...

It's very depressing when you think you are doing a kind of music one in a million people will be interested in, even if you kill yourself learning and have passed your life studying very hard a given instrument you have chosen to play.

I certainly agree with Paul when he says we need to be constantly on top of the wave, cos if you don't you die out fast and sure. This is what happened to me a few years ago cos I kept been an Analogue Man, and got into Digital Music a bit late. Well, now I'm all right, of course still learning a whole lot cos is a completely different concept. One think I have to say, I love Pulsar to the most, I can't stop being surprised of what I can do, it's so big!

Nevertheless, I would like to be able to buy an SRB, to change my computer which now is already getting alder, to be able to buy all the software of 3th party Homes for Pulsar and, of course, the Software Creamware themselves created for Pulsar.

Well look… I've just bought the ProPack, and that's all I could afford for months and months, cos I don't have a penny! I could have lots of money from music but never wanted to get into this side of things I don't like. I don't know… let say like playing bass for a singer you hate and people love, so you have to express amusement for them to believe you're happy.

What I most like is to compose, if I can find something as a composer, that would be perfect for me, but not as a player of something I don't like, no way, I'm going to remain faithful to myself.

WayneSim · Post by **WayneSim** » Mon Apr 01, 2002 12:10 am

I wish I could say i earn a living off music. I guess i'm at the bottom of the mountain. My aim and determation is to make some sort of money next year, doing what I/we all love.

But until then, I work full time slugging away in a dead end job to set up my home studio. It's really hard. But it will be worth it. "Live the dream" I say, whatever the cost.

caleb · Post by **caleb** » Mon Apr 01, 2002 5:29 am

Well, I don't make a living from my music. I decided a while ago that I didn't want to go in that direction necessarily. In fact, I definitely decided I didn't want to be a star. NO WAY!

I must be going through an anti-fame phase of my life at the moment.

I just want to write music for various purposes. I would like to write soundtracks, whether for credits of TV shows or documentaries. I don't really mind.

I would also like to write songs for people. I would love to have a song I wrote become popular and not even have to worry about any notoriety because no one will notice anyone but the singer.

I would like to be respected by my musical peers, but public adoration doesn't mean much to me.

So it looks like I'm more likely to make a bit of money on the side with my music while having a "daytime" career to support myself.

And with writing music it's never too late to be at the beginning. Age is not really a factor unless you want to head up the latest boy band.

remixme · Post by **remixme** » Mon Apr 01, 2002 1:52 pm

I'm young, and I know that the music business is about who you, not what you, Excellent people skills is all that is need to keep money in the bank.

spacef · Post by **spacef** » Tue Apr 02, 2002 12:35 pm

[slightly edited

too personal, i didn't want this post to stay very long in here, but hope the message was heard]

[ This Message was edited by: spacef on 2002-04-04 16:27 ]

Post by **hubird** » Tue Apr 02, 2002 1:07 pm

Hubird, you are wrong about pros not having time for forums. They all have to learn how to get their cards going fast(!) and PlanetZ is BY FAR the best place anywhere on the WWW. to get the show on the road as fast as possible.
_________________
Paul R. Martin

May be you're right, but well, I don't see so mutch song uploads that obviously are ment to 'sell'.
Also, to me it is not so sure if the most pros are coming back on planetz so often, after they got the card running.
It takes some time to stay in tune on planetz

BTW, I do know two CW pros.
Wenn I got my Pulsar, I asked them if they visit Planetz for problems, and they said, no, if there is a problem, there's allways an other way to get out.
Made me thinking.

About myself: I have a small job for two days a week for the mony, but the other 5 days I talk to my Mac

, and sometimes I make mony with it.
So I'm not a pro.
That's why I'm here.
No no, lets start again...

And for sure, there's no other planet than planetz!

Let There Be Music!

grandpa · Post by **grandpa** » Wed Apr 10, 2002 1:45 am

well guys, I for one am a real pro. make a living playing music, composing and recording music for theatreplays. started out in a hippyband 1968 and the music has been good to me eversince. in those days you had musicians and technicians, now we have to be both so there's a lot to learn. that's why I look at planetz every day before I start working.

bosone · Post by **bosone** » Wed Apr 10, 2002 2:34 am

i play and compose only for hobby, and i have no hope in earning money with my music, beacuse i'm a bit deaf: i have a high frequency hearing loss (50 db at 8000HZ), so i cannot hope to make "professional" recordings.

however, even if in life i'm doing the opposite as playing music (i'm a PhD student and have a degree in Phyiscs), all that concern music IS my life (and Beethoven is my idol

)

Fede · Post by **Fede** » Wed Apr 10, 2002 4:11 am

I don't earn with music at the moment, but I'm planning to make some pro use of it. At the moment I'm finishing my studies and getting the degree as electronic engineer(i'm a bit late for it because of my love for music

). Here in Italy there aren't much chances to make music and earn with it, but I'll go on trying...

Air_PoLLo · Post by **Air_PoLLo** » Wed Apr 10, 2002 3:23 pm

I work as a recording engineer and right now I'm producing one album for a girl band.

sandrob · Post by **sandrob** » Wed Apr 10, 2002 9:24 pm

i work on island's radio and have small studio at home. i have band "kvartet gorgonzola" and we had no1 in croatia about 3-4 years ago.
now i'm working with popular croatian singers - produceing some songs for pop festival. i live from music, but this is not "big money". in croatia you can make money only if you're realy popular and if you're on the road all the time.
croatia is small... and still poor country... but now when war it's ower must be better

"europe, wait!! we are here too!!!"

_________________
"without deviating from the norm, progress is not possible" - frank zappa

[ This Message was edited by: sandrob on 2002-04-10 22:24 ]

Post by **garyb** » Thu Apr 11, 2002 10:32 pm

just one of the many ways to make cash..............

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Fri Apr 12, 2002 12:48 am

How much I earn really depends on the job.. like, last year was a good year for me. I had a steady income composing and doing sound effects for a movie project.. That's was also when I got my Pulsar II so you get the idea. But this year... sssheww.. the bubble kind of lost its air at only 1 commercial job so far. Actually, I've been wainting for the payment for 4 months already. But, my careful money management is still feeding me.

I got a couple of bigger projects comming up later this year and early next year. Those are serious money so I'm crossing my fingers. The lucky thing is, my family owns the house and living in it is free. So I just have to pay some electric bills and all my food money.

Actually, I spend a fortune buying a bunch of real instruments so I gotta start thinking!

FreiFlug · Post by **FreiFlug** » Fri Apr 12, 2002 1:17 am

Hi Snooopy4ever,
for me its just a hobby to make music, but i working on it too to earn a little bit money that makes the hobby a little bit cheaper. Perhaps in the next 2 years there will be a lot of jobs to do but we´ll see.

Best FreiFlug