Quit Yer Day Job
There’s a lot of discussion and debate going on right now around the future of the full-time musician. On the one hand, the development of cheaper distribution channels and platforms, and the rise of relatively cost-effective home recording equipment, might imply that there’s been a space created in the low- to middle-market where musicians can make money (and a living) in ways that weren’t possible before.
On the other, and more important hand, these same technologies and distribution platforms have actually had the overall effect of commoditizing recorded music in general. To the point where the expectation that people will actually pay for music is rapidly being removed by the expectation that recorded music will be free. In fact, most musicians are viewing recorded music primarily as marketing for either a live experience or a broader range of recorded music that they hope to one day charge for. Meaning, give away a song. Maybe one day someone will buy an album. Maybe.
But, if we’re honest with each other, aggressively giving away songs probably isn’t the best way to one day charge for songs. At least, that’s been my experience in business. If people don’t value it, there isn’t some fanciful hazy future where their non-value will somehow transmutate into value. If they won’t pay for it, they won’t pay for it.
Put another way: The value of recorded music is approaching zero. The question of course is “how quickly.” That’s not an immaterial question. And one that futurists and consultants probably fail to appreciate if they lack more fundamental execution-oriented operational experience. But that’s a subject for another post.
Here’s the point: It’s really really hard to make a living as a professional musician. And my instinct is that net-net it’s become harder not easier. Because the size of the market has shrunk. The money. There is less of it. Even though more people are listening to music. Fewer people are paying for it.
In the midst of this dynamic, I stumbled across this article on Music Thinktank talking about “quitting your day job.” The article references the story of John Taglieri who had a soul-searching session with himself about quitting his day job and becoming a professional musician. He realized that he was willing to do whatever it takes to make it. Here’s his motto:
I want what I want and you are either going to help me or get out of my way
Wow.
It gets better. He then goes on to articulate all the things he needed to do to “make” it as a professional musician. A major emphasis is to develop various revenue and income streams. Sounds plausible. Here are his income streams:
1. Plays original gigs
2. Plays cover gigs
3. Runs a music studio out of his home
4. Handles sales & marketing for Cyber PR
5. Owns a CD duplication machine and makes CDs for people
I read this and then, in my head, there was this incredibly awkward pause. Um.
Um.
So, let me get this straight. This guy John wanted to quit his day job. Because, ostensibly, if you have a “day job” you are not pursuing your real dream. A “day job” is a terrible thing that sucks the soul out of you and deposits it in the sewers of the city where you’re awash in feces, used hygiene products and alligators.
BUT: playing in a cover band at shitty bars and frat parties all over your respective tri-state region. THAT is fulfilling. In fact, THAT is what you’ve been meant to do all your life. EVEN BETTER: You should buy a CD duplication machine and make copies of other people’s awful music for a small fee. And spend your time running to Office Depot to buy ink cartridges. And calling the repair guy when your printer breaks. And filling out QuickBooks to handle the accounting on the $60 you just made burning a local teenager’s acoustic demos. Because THAT is your life’s purpose. THAT is what you were meant to do when you emerged from your mother’s womb. THAT is the true purpose and direction for your soul.
I thought the underlying point wasn’t the day job, per se, but the ambition to support yourself pursuing your own (or your group’s) expression and creativity. Or at least to be closer to that ability than you’d be if you spent all your time doing something else.
I must be missing something but John’s “multiple income streams” — all of them seemingly unrelated to income he derives from selling and exploiting art he’s actually created — don’t appeal to me.
If that’s what it means to “quit your day job” then I think we’ve missed the point and lost the thread somewhere. Certainly, this example isn’t compelling evidence to me that fulfillment and self-expression are just around the corner if only I cut off all my old relationships with my friends, focus hard enough, start practicing “Margaritaville” and buy another CD burner. But hey I could be wrong. That’s just me.
Rhodri Marsden thought the same thing. Check out his response here.
Tags: internet, music and the web
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All_Knowing
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theflyingchange
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realmusicman
