Music Business

First step:
Kill yourself

a degree doesn't really make you any more successful but it will help if you ever want to teach or be on faculty.

I hope you have financial support because paying rent on a musician's income is not really possible in most cities.

are you a pianist? Your best bet is the lounge piano stuff, learn standards, pop tunes, crooner stuff. Polish the arrangements.

>>1023001
Your best bet for not starving is going the way of music education with side gigs.

>>1023039
fuck this guy
Play in orchestras, marketing yourself, you can do teaching if you like it, play as solist, play at gigs for extra money, make music for someone online for extra money, there arare thousand ways to make money out of music, and if you're really good you'll become famous, and thats brings ALOT cash

>>1023001
There's plenty of jobs in the music industry. Most of them are soulless, and you may like them however. I'd say major in something else, and keep the music on the side.
You'll grow older and realize how shitty life and humans are, and be glad you have a generic degree in finance. Good luck.

>>1023001
follow ur dreams bro

>>1023001
What instrument do you play?

>>1023001
Guizes, I figured out what instrument OP plays: the flesh flute. Get it: it's actually a massive cock that OP is sucking and not a flute at all!

An hero. Now

>>1023001

The only music money is in production or recording. In which case just go to a tech school for 2 years.

If you wanna make it as a musician, it's not something school can teach you, you just go out there and keep trying to make it happen.

File: U9bGRy9.png (6KB, 56x70px) Image search: [Google]

6KB, 56x70px

>>1023766
this is wisdom op

>>1023001

Hi anon, music graduate here.

I have 3 music degrees, one in Classical Voice, one in Music Tech, and one in Flute.

It really depends what kind of degree you're doing. Classical stream? Jazz stream? Contemp? Songwriter? Composition? Musicology? Tech? Dude you gotta be more specific.

I can answer queries if you have any specific ones, but my advice is that if you're in contemp (which is what it sounds like from the way you said 'covers/standards or originals') that you shouldn't bother. You can get well known and play gigs without a degree easy. You will lack in theory and technical skill though.

If you're in Classical stream, uni is a very very good idea. Not because anyone cares about the degree, but because it gives you 3-4 years of concentrated practise/study time. No other point in your life are you going to be able to do the 6-7h of practise a day that you'll be doing there.

Tech stream... yeeeeeah, you could. It's worth it for the connections. But you can learn everything through tutorials and the internet.

Jazz stream, depends on the uni. Some unis the jazz stream is the tard stream, some it's even harder than the classical.

Singer-songwriter/musicology/whatever, literally don't bother that shit's worth than a gender studies degree.

Will answer any questions if y'all have any.

>>1024940

Hey anon. Asking for my gf:

19 years old
graduating from some known music school
specialty is jazz
singer primarily, drums as secondary instrument (she is not into it though, just does it bc it's mandatory to have a secondary instrument)

She is a very smart girl, already makes money playing gigs throughout germany and belgium, and her group gets booked quite frequently for weddings in berlin. Without ever having asked her I'd estimate that she is pulling in roughly 4-6k gross annually already (deducting travel expenses and accomodation for the gigs it's probably much less).

She is a freaking insane singer too, and very easy on the eyes. For a 19yo very impressive imo.

I want her to be able to make it big as a musician without having to whore out completely (she loves jazz but it's not very commercially viable because 90% of peoples taste is absolute garbage). I keep telling her to take networking more seriously and try to establish genuine connections with the current big shots in jazz, people she admires. To hand out business cards and polish her website, etc.

Any tips on what I can do so she doesn't have to inevitably escape into teaching?

>pay her rent

In a couple of years I even might lol

>>1024963
Netwoooooork! Find more successful ensembles and similar groups who play weddings and stuff, and figure out what they're doing to be better than everyone else.

Making your entire living from playing gigs is extremely hard. Eventually people just get fed up with the stressful and unstable life, and start teaching. This isn't always a bad thing. For now though, best of luck.

19yo, she has lightyears. Good website/cards aren't sooooo important. Reliability, delivering a good product, and easy to work with. Those are the things that matter. Also, for singers especially, don't be a prissy diva bitch. Versatility is key. If Jazz is your thing, great. But you need to be able to fit other styles too. Otherwise you're just turning down a whole bunch of work that you shouldn't have to.

Also, take this as advice coming from another singer.

The singer is NOT the most important member of the band. Let's say you have a simple 5-piece.
>drums
>guitar
>bass
>keys
>singer

You could still play a show without the singer. The band would be absolutely fine. Take away the drummer? Everything collapses. Take away the bass? Sounds shit. Singer is one of the least important members of the band, music-wise. It's important to remember this.

I wish her good luck for her career though! Jazz is big in Europe at the moment. I hope she excels in her chosen path. :)

>>1024985

awesome man! thanks a lot for sharing, sending her a screenshot right now

Everybody is fucking retarded on this thread.

For the love of god, do not major is stupid shit.
YES YOU HAVE A PASSION BUT IT'S A PASSION THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY PAID ACADEMICS.
Play things smart and safe.
Step 1: get a degree with a guaranteed ROI OR get a job where in you can grow.
Step 2: study music from free educational sources online or get a good mentor (cheaper than college) basically, persue your passion on the side of a steady life.

I am not a musician or an aspiring one, but it is common sense that a degree in any arts won't make you famous or makes your chances grow of becomign famous, IT IS ABOUT THE AUDIENCE OF ART. EITHER THEY LIKE IT OR THEY DON'T, EDUCATION IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY MUSIC SERVICE TRANSACTIONS.

Studying at a music school is fucking stupid and the worst thing you could ever do. It is like studying business so you can become a businessman, or you study painting or acting to do those things. IT IS FUCKING STUPID.
YES YOU CAN MAKE IT WITH A MUSIC DEGREE. "CAN". HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY DO? EXACTLY, STATISTICALLY SEEN, YOUR CHANCES ARE SHIT AND THE MARKET IS VOLATILE AS FUCK AND SATURATED AS FUCK. DO NOT TAKE THIS RISK WHILE YOU CAN ALSO PLAY IT SMART WHILST ALSO PERSUING YOUR PASSION (WHILE MAKING BUCKS).

Take my advice anon, do not be another failure on street playing their music for free.

Why trust me?
My girlfriends parents both studied arts, 100s of paintings and 100K's of debt because of stupid investment plans. Buying camera's, painting canvases, paint, equipment, camera equipment etc, IT IS FUCKING STUPID AND ALSO THEY ARE NOT SMART AT ALL, THEY'RE FUCKING STUPID BECAUSE THEIR EDUCATION WAS SHIT. ARTS IS SHIT. THEY'RE NOT MAKING ANY MONEY, BOTH. AND THE MOM GOT A WAGEKEK JOB AT THE GOVERNMENT SLAVED AWAY 30 YEARS ALREADY. THE DAD IS FUCKING FAT, DOESN'T HAVE ANY SKILLS AND IS SUBMISSIVE TO HER MOM BECAUSE NO INCOME AT ALL. HE CANT GET A JOB BECAUSE HE IS OLD AND HAS NO SKILLS. ALL WASTED TIME.

TRUST ME.

A good book is worthless by Aaron Clarey, for more advice on this educational investment topic.

Btw, for the money you throw at academia, you could throw it in the direction of equipment, mentorship, opportunities etc.