Best and Worst Day Jobs for Musicians
New York, NY
Bad news about the economy streams out of the media like water from a bucket these days. As I talked about in yesterday’s article, it’s clear from the closings of venues and performance groups that the economy is hitting musicians nationwide. It’s possible some musicians are starting to look for temporary work outside of traditional musician income sources. Also known as: a day job.
Below are two lists, first of good day jobs for musicians – and later of bad jobs for musicians. Feel free to add your suggestions or stories in the comments.
The Best Day Jobs for Musicians
Temp Jobs
Temp work can range from data entry, to answering phones, to making copies. In other cases this can be an actual position in a corporation – for instance, if a company calls in a temp worker to cover the maternity or paternity leave of one of their full-time employees.
Temp jobs are attractive to musicians because the are flexible and usually pay relatively well ($18-30/hr in NYC for instance). Musicians can be attractive to temp agencies because they are usually highly educated and often very skilled in organization, follow-through and professionalism.
Companies that use temp or staffing services pay the temp agency directly, and the worker is then paid through the agency’s payroll. For this reason companies are rarely expected or required to extend the same benefits to temp workers that they offer their regular employees. Recent articles have reported that temp work may actually be on the rise in the current recession, as companies look for noncommittal and low-cost alternatives to hiring new employees (See: In bad economic times, companies turning to temp work).
Food Service
This includes waiter/waitress jobs, bartending, catering and other food and restaurant jobs. Artists are found so often in these jobs that it’s nearly expected that every waiter in LA and caterer in NYC is waiting for their big break into the entertainment business. Musicians excel in these jobs for the same reasons they excel elsewhere – they are intelligent and often highly educated, and, moreover, they frequently have the great interpersonal skills, charisma and self-confidence that accompany a life spent onstage.
For one lonely summer in 2002, I, personally, was the worst waiter to ever have worked at the Cracker Barrel in Bloomington, IN. I have absolutely no skill for it. Other friends, though, have told me that it’s possible to make $300 a night at the right place (and the right night). So while you may not see me slinging drinks and burgers anytime soon, it’s something that you might want to look in to if you need a job.
Sales
Speaking of charisma, sales can sometimes be a good day job for confident musicians. Successful freelance musicians spend a lot of their time networking and selling themselves the same way other salesmen do. The difference, perhaps, is that musicians are not just selling a product – they are selling their product. In the same way, a successful job in sales for musicians – I would imagine – would need to center around product that they really believe in.
Bottom line, though, a sales job can be great for musicians because it’s possible to make decent of money and like the previous jobs, it could be flexible enough for you to continue your performance/teaching schedule.
Creative freelance work (design, editing, copy-writing)
This can be a tricky one. Creative freelance work has to be hustled for, and that can take a lot of time and energy out of a musicians main, musical hustle. But if these jobs come to you, they can be very rewarding. Musicians are inherently creative people, and having creative output in another discipline (writing or designing for example) is sometimes refreshing.
For example, I once worked part time as a copywriter for an art company outside Chicago. I wrote a 200 page manual on how to teach children to draw. (Despite this I have no idea how to draw.) Another time I worked for a backend web developer as his graphic designer when he was in a pinch. Both jobs came and went after a few months, but I was glad for the creative outlet (and the cash!).
Author
Have an idea for a book? Fictional? Instructional? Autobiographical? Get writing. You never know what will happen. For musicians that can write, a book could be just as valuable as an album. Think of the great musicians before you that have written successful books – Miles, Sebesky, Mingus, Ellington, Rimsky-Korsakov – all musicians and, later, authors.
Certainly this is a job that also requires some hustle, and may take some time to pay off – but think about it. It could be worth it.
The Worst Day Jobs for Musicians
Full-time job in music business
You may disagree with me here, but fellow MW blogger Cameron Mizell himself – who you may remember worked for three years at a record label – told me to list this. According to Cam, and I believe he’s right, working a full-time desk job in the music industry may teach you a lot of things about how the business is run, but it’ll be long hours, little pay and – these days – a near constant threat of down-sizing.
On the other hand, working at a record label taught Cam a great deal of things that has made him not only a successful independent artist, but also a popular blogger, consultant and iMix celebrity. So you choose. Just remember that working in the music business is not the same as as working in the musician business.
Full-time corporate jobs
There are a lot of benefits to a corporate job. Stability, benefits, salary – the works. If that’s the gig you dig, then by all means you should do it. But as far as your career as a musician goes – it very well could kill your time and eventually your ambition. There isn’t a lot of flexibility in a 40-hour work week (with the exception of the weeks that it balloon to 60 hrs…70 hrs…80….). And soon you’re looking at that fat check you get from the payroll department…and it seems pretty comfortable. Maybe you weren’t meant to do music afterall…maybe you’ll just stay with the company a few more years… Then BAM! You start calling work a career and you start calling music a hobby. Ten years later your kid asks, “Dad, is that your guitar under the bed? I didn’t know you used to play guitar.”
Ouch.
Butcher/carpenter/that guy I recently saw on the Discovery channel that worked at a factory and was missing two fingers
Let’s say you go to your first day of work and you are paired up with a guy named “Lefty” who is missing two fingers on his right hand and will be training you. And your first responsibility is to stick your whole hand into the darkness of that big machine over there and…
Quit that job.
Also in this category is a suggestion from Cameron, who believes that becoming a bouncer at a club might be a bad gig. As he says, “Punching somebody in the face is a risky career move for a guitar player.” (Here, here.)
Essentially, this category includes any job that poses the imminent threat of mangling your hands or chops. Get OUT of there.
About the author
I just stumbled onto your blog and totally dig where you guys are coming from. I worked in the music business for 12 years as a suit with a corner office on NYC’s prestigious Park Ave. I have to agree with Cameron, working in the music business does not necessarily enhance your musicianship. Yes, I got the gig primarily because of my musicianship but that was being compromised on a daily basis. I started taking less and less gigs and one to none in the students category. Currently, I’m teaching 25 to 30 students per week, am also taking lessons again, perform with a general biz band (Atlantic City and corporate events), and am one of those writer/musicians that you described above. I’m making less money and have no benefits but I am gaining back my soul back one gig and student at a time—and, it feels good.
Cheers,
Ed L.
3/22/2009
I have a full time job or career that isn’t music related. I work as a fork lift operator making 40k a year only working 15 days a month. This is accomplished by the companies rotating 12hr shifts. That means i work 36hrs one week and 48 the next and back to 36 and so on. Now I will say that as of this time i am a career man and a part time musician but to me this isn’t a bad thing.
I play an average of 3 times a week making 5-10k a year padding what I make in my day job. I also spend time in the recording studio putting down saxophone tracks for any local talent who wants it for a modest fee. I basically work for enough money to pay for my own studio time and it gives me plenty of contacts if lightning should strike, I could quit my day job and return as a full time musician if i chose to. There are many ways to continue being a musician even if you don’t want to spend it full time like many people do. Its a matter of what you want in life. I have the highest respect for full time musicians since I was one at one time. It is not for everyone and I miss it to a point but I play enough to keep myself happy.
5/11/2009
I agree full-time corporate job will kill the dream. I’ve had one for ten years, and haven’t played music professionally in all that time. I couldn’t even find a community theatre production I could participate in while maintaining my work obligations.
So, what other choice have I got? I am over thirty, my half of the rent is $1300 (I live in New York City), and I have many other expenses as well. What other job can I take to meet my financial requirements that would leave me time to play/write/act/anything???
For a while I had a great job that was easy, flexible hours, I could practically come and leave any time I wanted. BUT, I made less than HALF what I make at a “real” job. I ran up thousands in debt while working there as I was earning less than my day-to-day expenses. Only recently have I gotten pretty much paid up. Anything less than $50K a year is pretty much not an option for me.
so now what????
9/2/2009
I feel ya’ Karen!!!
I’m in the same boat… I drive a truck for a living (wife is not presently working) and I feel trapped due to the need for the company benefits and the wages I cannot replace with music if I were to quit suddenly. I can’t afford to quit!
The problem with this job is I work from 9 am to 9 pm and have a 30 minute commute to St. Cloud, MN.
Then, when I do get home from work, I have another 30 mile commute to Minneapolis if I were to have gig. That puts me there about 11 pm (if I shower and get dressed at home before commuting!)
No band will tolerate that sort of “commitment”. The best I’ve been able to do is either work on Saturday night (only) or as a sub when the band is desperate enough to deal with my shitty hours of availability.
I have so little time for music, which is my passion so I resort to writing on the weekends… but, “it’s better than nothing” (…is my mantra). — Andy
9/12/2009
hey,
I’m from the Uk, 29 and a pro drummer. I feel for all those musicians out there sucking it in crappy jobs. I’m on job number 32 now having temped in offices, done contract work, gardening, meter reading, bar work..you name it i’ve done it! None of it has been for good money either so it’s tough paying rent and having the essential extra for rehearsals/ equipment/ transport.
I got lucky for 3 year and got in a signed band on a major but we got dropped and i went straight back to a call centre vowing i’d never do it again…imagine touring the world, playing arena support slots to come straight bakck to where you started..it wasn’t pretty
I picked myself up again and started gradually getting session work and bit and pieces..still got the day job but gradually getting back into playing. My point here is you really do have to keep going, if you believe you’re good then just go for it! Don’t be afraid to take a few risks, you never know what will happen. But don’t expect too much either, just enjoy the ride. That applies to life. good luck!
9/14/2009
I am a full time music teacher at a public school and though the pay isn’t bad the hours are somewhat inflexible. You can’t just take off when you want to take off. The bonus is that you have summer off where I normally dedicate more hours. However during the year my job is exhausting which makes rehersal difficult sometimes.
10/7/2009
dear all,
I’ve just come across this site and have read all the entries with
Interest.
Music has always been important to me, as it clearly is to all of you.
For us it has always been a balance between our love and the rent!
I live in the UK and teach part-time, which i have found is the only
way i can find the time to take on my private students and work on my
own projects.
As long as you can find a way of keeping your dream alive somehow,to
“FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT cannot be a bad thing.
Courage
10/20/2009
My day time jobs is sales, I can make a good presentation about a product talk about it for hours etc. but my problem is I for some reason cant sell my self as a performing musician, I ocacionally play(on call) on fancy restaurants and corporate parties yet its so hard for me to find key people to talk to in those venues, then when I finally make the right contacts they seam not to interested in my product even thou I offer an audition. so what Am I doing wrong here ?…I dont know how to approach booking agents either..
10/21/2009
@John – Make a list of what you love about your favorite artists when you see them perform. Then make a video of yourself performing. How many of those things are you doing? It’s hard to look at ourselves from an outside perspective, but if your product isn’t selling, maybe it just needs a little work. Get the opinions of people who you respect, and make sure they’re constructive. There’s always SOMETHING to work on, sometimes it’s just a matter of identifying it.
10/22/2009
“It’s possible some musicians are starting to look for temporary work outside of traditional musician income sources. Also known as: a day job.”
*Insert lightning-horror-psycho-bathroom-scene sound fx here*
=)
10/26/2009
I have enough trouble managing my time for music while going to school For music… so I definitely see the value in this post. Having a flexible job would be ideal, and it makes sense that a musician would not want a job in which there is a high risk of injury. Thanks for the insight on what makes a good day job.
10/26/2009
Great post!
Have you ever considered online surveys? There are legitimate websites out there who are willing to pay for people’s honest opinions and if you sign up with a bunch, you can end up making a lot of extra money from it. And since musicians are busy people to begin with, you can do as many surveys as you feel you are able.
11/2/2009
I completely agree about the full time music company job. While I learned a lot at the publishing company and labels I worked for in LA, the 9-5 schedule and constant stress over other people’s music really killed my ambition. It took quitting and moving out of LA to be inspired to write music again. Who knows what will come or if it was a good move in the long run, but creatively..I think it was.
11/2/2009
Hi
I have found that a good job for a musician is to be a teaching assistant. The hours are normally from 9 am to 3 pm, and you can often get part time work. Some schools give you free lunch too. But, reflecting on earlier blog posts, it’s all about how much risk you are prepared to take. In order to have time to practice, promote yourself etc, it’s hard to hold down a 9-5 monday to friday job.
Henri
11/8/2009
Waiting tables does work if you can work mostly lunch shifts. Don’t make the mistake of taking on weekend night shifts because the tips are better. I did and quit playing for a couple of years.
Federal or State government jobs are pretty good day jobs for musicians. Pretty much limited to no more than 40 hours a week and you accrue leave that you can take for those gigs where you need to travel out of town. The paid holidays and insurance are nice too.
12/14/2009
I totally agree with the whole Temp job thing. I’m currently at a temp agency that only really had me do Security work, but hey! It’s great security work that I had done. There is nothing wrong with being a temp if you’re skilled in a lot of things. In a way, it’s like being a freelance musician. You get contracted through your agency to do something for a company that they don’t have enough of at the moment, or you’re filling in for someone for a little while. Either way, you get money.
Personally, I believe that some seasonal jobs are good for musicians too. Let’s do the math of someone who I knew up in Seattle who made a KILLING
12/16/2009
I totally agree with the whole Temp job thing. I’m currently at a temp agency that only really had me do Security work, but hey! It’s great security work that I had done. There is nothing wrong with being a temp if you’re skilled in a lot of things. In a way, it’s like being a freelance musician. You get contracted through your agency to do something for a company that they don’t have enough of at the moment, or you’re filling in for someone for a little while. Either way, you get money.
Personally, I believe that some seasonal jobs are good for musicians too. Let’s do the math of someone who I knew up in Seattle who made a KILLING with part time jobs. Let’s say that I did what he did. Here’s how it would be:
Let’s start at minimum wage. In Oregon, it’s $8.40/hr. If I had enough jobs to work 15 hours a day each day of the week, then $8.40 x (15 x 7) = $882/wk before taxes. That’s really not that bad. That’s $3,528/month. My friend did this for 6 months only doing a BUNCH of part time jobs and he lived at his mom’s house. $21,168 is what he made for busting his butt 15 hours every single day for 6 months straight, then he quit all of those jobs (except for a couple) and went back to school.
Think about it. Bust your butt for 6 months straight then live totally on your own and work 20 hours or less each week which would be more than enough to just basically be pocket money. Now, let’s do the same math for my friend in Washington. It’s $8.55/hr which isn’t much more, but check out the final 6 month number:
$21,546
Not much higher, but my point is that it’s so worth it to just live off of your hard work for 6 months – 1 year. Also, if you work many part time jobs and just work til you make RIGHT under $600 for any one place and you don’t have to pay federal income taxes on it! How nice is that?
12/16/2009
I’m a Part Time Rocker with a full time job. We’ve started a site on how to make it work.
1/27/2010
Nice site Mars Booth. I dig that design.
1/30/2010
I’m a composer/producer (electronic musician) and former pro basketball player. I made a decent amount of money playing in Europe and Mexico, after I left college, and have been living off of it for the last four years while I taught myself how to compuse/produce music on my computer. Long story short, the money ran out and I’m 1/3 of the way through creating my first unique, authentic, and sufficiently original musical idea. I am now faced with an oppressive, mentally disorganizing, and depressing reality. In spite of the fact that the music I’m making requires my full-time attention and dedication (who doesn’t feel this way at least a little bit?), I’m forced to jump into the job market. Of course, at this point I have a four year gap in my employment history (really, the last non-basketball job I had was in 1999), which will undoubtedly be interpreted as a purposeful failure to disclose unflattering employment experience on my part. But, that’s not really what I’m wrestling with. I’m considering going into financial ruin, and further into the margins of society, in order to continue making music. Suffice it to say that I would do nearly anthing to continue creating music at the same pace and with the same frequency that I have been making it. I don’t feel like I exist without it. I lose all since of time (mostly past and future) without it, and I feel aimless and completely empty. I feel it’s only fair to mention that as an infant I was hidden under a table in an abandoned restaraunt every day by my nanny until I was old enough to open the door and walk out (only to be given to another nanny who would burn my feet on the stove when I cried). I’d love to hear from anyone who makes music compulsively and who becomes psychologically decompensated without it (anyone whose personality functioning depends on constant music-making).
2/7/2010
Hey Mace – you’ve got a great story, man. Pro ball overseas? Sounds like you’ve had an interesting life.
You’ve got a good thing going with your music too. Here’s what I would say, though: you gotta think more long term. A music career is a marathon, not a sprint. And sometimes you have to stop for water if you’re going to make it the whole way. You’ll do your music a disservice if you live a life that creates a negative situation (ie, totally broke, stressed, not eating, etc.) in order to create your music. Put another way, music is not a punishment, so don’t ruin your life in order to do it.
Give a day job a chance. Everybody that has written for this site has had a crappy day job at some point. It’s part of the life. And it’s often not forever.
Your a pro athlete, you’ve got the discipline to keep your eye on the prize. Don’t be afraid of stopping for water.
2/7/2010
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