It’s hard for musicians to make a living these days.
Musos have never been paid the really big bucks unless they’re at the upper levels of the industry, and every story you ever heard about a newly-signed band splashing around the cash had a sequel where they realised the money they were spending was an advance on future sales and would all have to be paid back before they started earning money.
The situation is becoming dire. Once upon a time a mid-level metal band could sustain itself on royalties, touring and merchandise once they got over that initial ‘pay back the advance’ hurdle, but those days are over. Twenty years ago, if a band at that level sold 100,000 copies of an album, it was a massive flop. Now those same numbers would equal a huge hit. Streaming doesn’t pay anywhere near what a CD sale would.
Periphery’s Misha Mansoor recently said in an interview that his band typically breaks even or loses money on a tour. So where do pro musicians earn their money now? They need a day job.
Can you imagine Motley Crue or Def Leppard holding down a 9-to-5 back in the day?
But now, many musicians take work in music industries to keep food on the table and a roof over their head between tours. Unearth guitarist Ken Susi is the artist relations manager for guitar accessory company Fishman. Misha is in a number of instrument-related ventures including a guitar effects company Horizon Devices and guitar news website Wired Guitarist. Former Life, Sex & Death guitarist Alex Kane plays for Little Caesar and Richie Ramone but also tour manages for other bands as well.
On the Australian musician side of things, Twelve Foot Ninja’s Stevic Mackay works with guitar company Line 6. James Reyne’s guitarist Brett Kingman has a steady side business reviewing guitar equipment on YouTube. Former Skyhooks and The Angels – and now Rose Tattoo – guitarist Bob Spencer has worked in music stores for years. And Ro Stevenson of I Built the Sky can’t pick up his phone without getting hit with notifications of requests for Skype guitar lessons from all over the world.
What this tells me is we don’t value music enough anymore and it’s putting the burden on musicians to make a living elsewhere when they really should be supported enough to spend their time making music for us. And the opportunities for pro musicians to make a living are pretty similar to those of regular Joes.
If you’re feeling guilty about not buying albums, or would just like to give meaningful support to an artist, you’d be amazed at how many pro musicians give lessons on the road or online. It can be a great way of helping them make a living while getting something really special out of it. If you’re not a musician, paid meet-and-greets are a way for bands to offset the costs of touring, and are fun too. It’s a rough world out there.
Music helps us to get through it but we need to make sure that those who make it aren’t getting stiffed by an increasingly difficult industry.
