There has been a blog post going around recently and a general consensus from many folk, some of whom really ought to know better, that it simply isn’t possible to make a living as a musician in this day and age. More frustratingly, is the expectation that an artist is lucky to “break even” on tour, let alone make a profit. Such reports are sending talented artists scurrying back to day jobs that they loathe, to daydream about what it would be like if only the music industry wasn’t such a non-starter.
5 years ago, I made a decision, alongside my (now) husband, to give it our best shot to make a living solely from music. Now we own our own home in the South East of England and we have plenty of time on our hands to enjoy life.
Is it easy? I guess we’re lucky because we both live and breathe music but it really has been easier than you might think. Music is something we are both deeply passionate about and therefore it’s something we’re always thinking about. We never really switch off, but then... we never really want to either.
What bothers me the most, and what prompted me to write this, is the notion that you can’t make a living as a musician, and more specifically, whilst on tour. People pretty high up the chain say it just isn’t possible. You’ll probably make a loss, and if you’re really lucky, you might just break even. In fact, in a recent interview with a well known music magazine we were asked the following question; “how do you fund your touring?”
Our act is just the two of us, and most of what we play is our own original music. We don’t get anyone else involved. No manager, no PR Agent, no one to answer to and no one else to pay. We’ve learned as we go how to do everything. From booking and advertising to mixing, mastering and recording our own albums. In fact, the only time anyone else gets involved in our operation is for the physical manufacture of our merchandise (CDs and T Shirts).
I guess you could say we’re doing pretty well.
The day jobs are a distant memory, we’ve won an award or two along the way and got some great press and airplay, which has helped spread our profile far and wide. We seem to be making waves in (generally) the right direction and spreading the word about our music.
We're finding it easier to get well paying gigs. However, this wasn't our aim during our experiment.
The day jobs are a distant memory, we’ve won an award or two along the way and got some great press and airplay, which has helped spread our profile far and wide. We seem to be making waves in (generally) the right direction and spreading the word about our music.
We're finding it easier to get well paying gigs. However, this wasn't our aim during our experiment.
The Experiment
We were so confused by the notion that you “can’t make a living on tour,” we decided to do a 10 day tour which involved cramming in as many gigs as we could. We also chose to book these gigs in Northern Scotland in order to really push the boundaries, raise the expenses and test our theory. Additionally, we made sure that we went to a tourist area out of tourist season to ensure we didn’t have any over-inflated audience numbers.
We took *any* gig we were offered. Literally... anything.
So on the 20th November 2014 we loaded up, got in our van and headed North.
So on the 20th November 2014 we loaded up, got in our van and headed North.
Day one made us £80 from a pass-the-hat house concert. Day two made us £120 from a pub gig. The week continued with more poorly paid gigs and small audiences.
The most we earned from any gig the whole tour was £190 plus CD sales.
We gave each and every gig our all as if it were a stadium. On one occasion we played to 9 people and we sold 8 CDs.
We connected with our audiences, we won friends and to be honest, we made a couple of enemies because we remained strict about the agreements we’d made over each fee we were given. Much as we love performing, it is still our business and occasionally you might find a venue that tries to take advantage. Particularly when playing the pub circuit.
We gave each and every gig our all as if it were a stadium. On one occasion we played to 9 people and we sold 8 CDs.
We connected with our audiences, we won friends and to be honest, we made a couple of enemies because we remained strict about the agreements we’d made over each fee we were given. Much as we love performing, it is still our business and occasionally you might find a venue that tries to take advantage. Particularly when playing the pub circuit.
Moving on to more positive points in the tour, we didn’t need to book a hotel in the whole time that we were away. We relied on the kindness and generosity of fans and venue owners and I think we’ve made some lifelong friends.
Many venues gave us a free dinner as part of our deal and some offered us a room and breakfast. We bought one meal out in the whole time, and that was on our day off. Perhaps we were lucky with the kindness of offers of accommodation, but even if we’d paid for a cheap hotel every night, we’d still be in profit.
At the end of the ten day tour (which took in 9 gigs) we had turned a profit of approximately £1500 after expenses.
Small change perhaps to some, but bear in mind that this was an experiment and we took literally *any* gig we were offered (guest at open mic night, pass the hat, low paid pub gigs).
We ended up in profit, which was our objective.
We ended up in profit, which was our objective.
By all means work that hard if you want to, the venues are out there, but my advice would be; be more astute and you can earn far more.
You really can earn a decent living as a touring musician. Value your worth. Develop a business head. Get creative! Great venues are out there, and it’s often the alternative ones that pay the best, have the best hospitality for the artists, have the best merchandise sales and excellent mailing list sign ups.
You really can earn a decent living as a touring musician. Value your worth. Develop a business head. Get creative! Great venues are out there, and it’s often the alternative ones that pay the best, have the best hospitality for the artists, have the best merchandise sales and excellent mailing list sign ups.
Think outside the box. For example, playing a show in the home of a fan can easily earn upwards of £500 if it's planned well.
There is something to learn from every single performance, even if it’s simply that you never want to do it again! Even the poor paying and poorly attended gigs can pay dividends in newly formed connections and experiences.
So, if your mum/partner/friend told you you can’t make a living as a musician, and then a bunch of important seeming folk-in-the-know reiterated it.. go prove them wrong...
Unless you’d rather work the 9-5 and spend your life wondering ...
