$$$How do you guys make a living?$$$

[OfficialDAPT]

I'm going to college for programming and I took a year off after high school to save up some cash. I just produce in my spare time. I'd like for it to be more than just a hobby but unfortunately that's probably not going to happen. We'll see though, I could be infinitely better by the time I graduate in 3 years.

[mthrfnk]

produce songs for other artists

Like, tracks for people to perform over or like "ghost producing"? Because you also said you actually produce in the fullest sense as well so i'm just curious

takes a couple of different forms. Sometimes it's a partnership-- a songwriter and I get introduced, flesh each other out, decide we'd like to work together and get in a room-- we work on melodies, etc together and then i turn around and rough out a track, he/she develops the lyrics more, we comment on each others work, maybe record a scratch vocal, and volley back and forth until we've got a finished song. Then i send them away and create a mix that sounds like actual music, rather than a demo, send it to the writer for feedback and we go from there. Then it goes off to our publishers to see if/where it can find a home. In general, this is a no-fee situation, as if the song goes somewhere, i'm a co-writer.

Other times, i get contacted by a writer who's got fully fleshed-out demos who needs them produced into songs for them as an artist-- or as something to pitch. For this, unless we make drastic changes or i re-work some words or melodies (melodyne's a godsend for this), i don't expect to be a writer on the song, thus it's fee-based.

There's also "rhythm" producing-- i get a vocal that's usually already tuned, mixed w/ backups, doubles, triples etc, and a piano guide-- and i then create the song around an already-finished vocal product. not unlike remixing, except the artist/writer/manager/label etc has a VERY specific idea of what they want things to sound like.

Sounds hard, but also so awesome.

[Ebolaman]

im on the dole. pretty sick tbf dnt do shit n can still afford stella lol

How long for? I was on the dole for quite a long time and it's depressing as fuck.

I'm in a minimum wage office job atm. Also not great but if I'm not kept busy I start to do my own head in. I don't really want music to be anything more than a hobby... it's enough to keep me satisfied.

[Electric_Head]

Mechanical engineer

[Cubicle]

I work at my parents company, we deliver beer and drinks to restaurants and bars.
It's fucking heavy and I'm sure my back is gone when I'm 50. Kegs weigh 70kgs and I have to drag them off the truck into the basement.

[Mad_EP]

Currently:

Teach cello lessons, conduct a few youth orchestras, some gigs, £/$ from record sales (but those funds don't flow like they used to), doing edits for dance groups, and the occasional remix / commission / etc. I also just started a company with a choreographer, so we'll see how that goes.


In the past:

Producer for the Chicago Symphony radio broadcasts, classical quartet gigs, booking agent, multimedia sound designer, theatre sound designer, ring-tone composer, etc.


Like Sharmaji said - there is no single way to make money from music... and if you want to do it over the long haul, it helps to be adaptable (while staying true to what you will & won't accept) and find multiple ways of making money from music.

[CYRHEN]

Designer/Developer for an insurance company.

[erratech]

I sell crack and crack accesories.

[CYRHEN]

I sell crack and crack accesories.

you goin ta jail nah

[lloydy]

Mechanical engineer

This with some electrical work involved.

[dougriley]

mechanical engineer at a company that designs/manufactures ultrasonic welders.

[the m8]

im on the dole. pretty sick tbf dnt do shit n can still afford stella lol

How long for? I was on the dole for quite a long time and it's depressing as fuck.

I'm in a minimum wage office job atm. Also not great but if I'm not kept busy I start to do my own head in. I don't really want music to be anything more than a hobby... it's enough to keep me satisfied.

about 4 years now. not planin on stoppin either tbf. shud get a free flat soon lad

[Mason]

[futures_untold]

I'm gonna repeat my question, how do you guys get started in this type of work? Like is it a question of knowing the right people or what?

I know a few people who earn their living through music, and others who do a lot of music but earn their living through other stuff.

Those who teach music practiced really hard to learn their instrument, then started advertising to local parents and schools offering lessons to learn whatever instruments they know how to play.

Several people are professional DJ's. They got their foot in the door by getting their face known around the local scene, by hanging out with others who do music related things in local bars, clubs and music shops etc. They started by doing house parties or covering for other DJ's when the first DJ couldn't make it for whatever reason. Go to your local clubs and ask the owner / management for the contact details of the promoters who put on nights in those venues then contact the promoter and tell them what you can do and be prepared to follow up quickly with proof that you're actually doing what you say you can do. Follow up regularly with all the prmoters and venue owners / managers and you'll get yourself booked sooner rather than later.

A couple of my friends are in bands of different sorts. They practice regularly and approach venues systematically offering to play a gig in return for cash. If you're good and pull the punters in, you'll be asked back regularly. But this also involves lots of hard work building the band together and contacting venues, travelling and playing show after show after show. How to meet bandmates? Put an advert on the bulletin board of your local music kit shops, talk to anyone you know who already is into music or talk to the owners and managers of venues or studios to see if they know anyone who does the same music as you. Ask them to hook you up with their contacts and take it from there.

A couple of people I know make money busking. They practice a lot in their own time then pick spots they believe will make money. They do it more for fun than money, although sometimes they make a few quid in the process.

Several other people I know book venues using their own money, then promotes theirs shows by themselves via web, posters, flyers and word of mouth. They book other artists who do related styles of music and pay them to play. Because each artist has a following, punters see a good line-up advertised and buy tickets either in advance or on the door. This is basically a promoters method but if you're an artist you can put yourself on the line-up and you get the takings from ticket sales /door entry less the cost of venue hire, promotion and artist fees for the artists you've hired.

I know some of the engineers got into it by being at the right place at the right time, e.g. they know the venue owners and when the main mix engineer can't make it they call my friends as back up. As they do a good job, they get called back as the main engineer for the night.

One guy I knew hired a PA system to other promoters/club nights and would also sell beer, water and rizlas at free parties while his rig was on.

Several people behind the music tech companies just started doing it, learning as they went along. Some examples of these people include Vojtech at Melda Production, Wok of WOK plugins, Shannon of One Small Clue, and the guys behind De La Mancha plugins, FL Studio, Camel Audio, Ableton, Bitwig Studio, SynthMaker etc. They are essentially programmers though, so they have a programming background.

One or two others also got their jobs in existing music companies simply by applying for positions advertised when they came up.

Finally, my dad has played in various groups doing pub/wedding gigs for money. He met these people through his work, friends and various local dance nights he goes to.

Oddly enough, out of all the people I know who earn money through music none of them get paid for selling their own music directly to the public as a big name artist might. Go figure...!

What it comes down to is having passion, skill and doing what you say you will do at the times agreed with the people you meet and straight up hustling/cold calling (for gigs in new venues etc)!

[futures_untold]

I get by through a combination of rent from my lodgers + housing benefit...

One day I'll replace the housing benefit from money from one of the businesses I am slowly working towards setting up.

Occassionally I go out and hustle money on the street selling drinks in hot weather, umbrellas in the rain and other assorted blags and cash-in-hand.

[dial_back]

"thank you for calling IT, have you tried restarting your computer yet?"

[hhans]

free mastering

[paradigm_x]

Acoustic consultant. Nowhere near as interesting as it (might) sounds.

[chekov]

free mastering

how do you make money off it if it's free?

[outbound]

free mastering

how do you make money off it if it's free?

Could be making money off advertising?