Best and Worst Day Jobs for Musicians
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
David,
Wow. I guess my thinking had become pretty rigid. It’s funny. I usually get annoyed when crazy people use blogs and boards to vent and receive unsolicited counsel; and here I was spewing my guts out. Truth be told, I was feeling pretty overwhelmed, insecure, and in need of an external perspective. Thank you very much for your nice comment. You genuinely helped me. I was at the end of my rope, so it seemed. I really needed a shot of reality couched in reasonable and dignified terms. Thank you for that. I think aspiring (unpaid) musicians tend to get treated in an undignified fashion. I can’t imagine I’m alone in this observation.
Since your kind-hearted response, a local marketing agency selected my music for a promotional video they were doing for a luxury car company. No money yet, but they were excited about my music, so I’m optimistic. Also, upon reading your response, I took a job as an unarmed gaurd at a local shopping center. I ride a bike around a parking lot for 6 hours a day, thereby killing two birds with one stone (I gained nearly 50 pounds since I stopped playing basketball and started sitting in a chair for 10+ hours a day).
The transition from full to part-time musician has actually been beneficial. I now spend a greater amount of time planning what I will do once I get in front of the computer, and am thusly more efficient and focused. I could never have guessed this would be the case. Apparently, alot of my time as a full-time (unpaid) musician was spent spinning my wheels. My thinking had become so stagnate that I never would have forseen such a positive outcome.
So, once again, thank you for your eloquent response to my comment. As you might have guessed from my short background, I don’t have much of a social-safety-net (I come from a family of bat-shit-crazies). So, your blog and your response to my comment were exactly what I needed to hear at a very crucial point in my life.
Your newly-dedicated reader,
John
P.S. The email I listed in this comment is my actual email address. Sorry about the first one.
3/2/2010
Hey John –
Wow man, that’s incredible. Thank you so much for writing. I’m really impressed with your resilience and positivity – it’s not easy to make these kinds of huge life changes. I’ve shared your comment with another musician and we’re both really taken with your perspective on the day job. It’s really intriguing that you feel more focused when you sit down to music – heck, maybe we should get a day jobs! That sounds like a really positive outcome.
I’m honored to have you as a reader. Please keep in touch.
Dave
3/3/2010
Very insightful. Great points. I feel lucky because it only took me 1 year to realize that I was NOT cut out for corporate America.Not only that, I’ve become an expert at not getting sick and staying away from germs due to no health insurance. lol.
Overall I’m in between gigs now, so the money is just enough, but I too get worried and wonder if there are some plan b options for supplemental income. This article gave some great advice!
3/12/2010
I’ve come across and have been reading this blog all morning now and have to say thank you, it’s a great blog and I’m learning a lot. I’m a drummer for 25 years (self taught) and have been struggling with issues related to day jobs for quite a while.
Since I was a kid just starting out on drums all I ever wanted to be was a full time rock star (didn’t we all). I played in some great bands and came close to making it but it just never quite panned out. At around 30 I gave up pursuing that dream to get married and have kids etc.
I’ve always had day jobs usually as a laborer or driver of some sort but at this point I was giving up music and had to find a career. I tried everything from selling cars to being a cop and then back to driving trucks. I could only stand being away from music for a couple of years so I started playing in cover bands on the weekends to satisfy my musical craving and still be able to work during the week. This has worked for the past 6 or so years but every time I change jobs I think about being able to play full time.
In this economy I was laid off a while ago from a good paying union driving job and haven’t been able to find much in the way of good paying local work since. On top of that my wife and I are on the verge of bankruptcy, foreclosure, and divorce. Since we are separating and losing the house I feel like the silver lining in all this is now maybe the chance to find a way to play full time. I’ve been on unemployment for a while and since that was extended for another 26 weeks I have time.
I am looking into another day job just in case but I’m also looking into getting into a full time touring band and maybe getting some more contacts and doing some session work as well. I’m a rock/pop/country type drummer so finding something shouldn’t be too hard. I think now may be the time for me to finally pursue the dream I gave up on 8 years ago.
I’m not sure what all this has to do with the above article but it sure feels good to get it off my chest and who knows, maybe make a contact for some work in music. Thanks.
3/29/2010
Hi Michael:
Try posting on esession.com: http://esession.com/home/index.php. My best wishes to you!
3/30/2010
Hello David,
I’ve been going through your site and I applaud what you’re doing here. Great information and helpful insights. I’ll keep a lot of them in mind.
4/1/2010
Hey! It’s me again.
How do you work a non-music-related day job and a reputation as a capable musician into your college education? What do you major in?
4/2/2010
Hey everyone – good discussions.
I’m a computer programmer in my day job and have been playing the drums for over 10 years. Once in a while I’ll take calls to play in a community theater pit and jam with my band of friends. I’ve been trying to get back into the community by teaching lessons on nights and weekends. It seems that every studio/shop that gives lessons in my area is looking for people with college degrees in music! Is this a normal request? It’s not like I can’t read music or anything like that.
I really love playing and would like to teach. I just feel like I’ve never gotten in touch with a music community, though.
4/14/2010
I have just stumbled upon your very useful page..and before I go on I must thanks you for this forum..in these hard economic times it’s much needed..I have managed to be a full time musician (Blues guitarist and vocals) for the past thirty years …I have found a mix of clubwork..divework…performing in psychiatric facilities through a great organization called Hospital Audiences Inc….but mostly I have been performing in the Subway under the MTA Music Under new York banner..this gig is like doing an all day audition for the thousands of people who pass my case..so I garner a lot of opportunities here that I could not find anywhere else..it has been an incredible adventure…however with the plummeting economy and the rampid new technology having everyone plugged into somewhere else.it seems like the end of the dream..yes…the dreaded day job…it has been so long since I,ve had one that it is downright “SPOOKY”….I expect to be checking in here frequently for ideas and support….THANKS AGAIN..Luke
4/17/2010
I’m just about to graduate with a math degree but I decided literally last week to become a musician! (must have been that new bass I bought) I’ve been playing electric guitar since I was 15 (now 25) and I was totally into it for a few years but never got very good because I didn’t know how to practice. Then afterwards I got distracted with college and so forth and the guitar kind of gathered dust. I really thought I wanted to be an economics professor but then I became disillusioned with academia and quit grad school, thinking I’ll work on this math degree while I decide what to do. I’m pretty disillusioned with corporate culture as well, not that I’ve had a corporate job but I don’t see it fitting my personality at all. I’ve had this war going on in my head for the last year about whether I should try to be a writer or a musician, and if so which one. Or if I could possibly do both. So finally I decided to focus on music, with maybe a little writing on the side. But that leaves the question of what to do for money while I’m getting good at music.
So it was great reading the article and the comments, but I still haven’t found a resolution. Right now it seems like my options are these:
1. Full-time professional career, music on the side. Looks like the possibilities are being actuary (calculate risk in insurance) or working for the government. Probably neither of which I’d enjoy that much, but perhaps I could grow to like it some. It would probably be more enjoyable than a lot of jobs anyway. And of course the money would be good. But I’m worried about this sapping my time and energy.
2. Working part time as tutor or teacher’s assistant. I’ve been tutoring for the last year and I’ve grown to like it moderately. I find it to be very low stress, rewarding when I successfully explain things, and at the same time not boring because I’m always trying to improve my ability to explain things. The pay is meh though. But perhaps I could get a higher paying tutoring job or maybe I can look into being a teacher’s assistant.
So I’m just totally stuck about what to do: if I could limit my hours to 40/week then should I go with option 1? But on the other hand should I try to work as few hours as possible to maximize time for music, and forget about the money? Does 5-10 fewer hours a week make that much difference anyway? Also I had this crazy idea of going all out with being an actuary, even though I’m not that attracted to the field, but if you pass all the tests you can make upwards of like $100,000/year…then maybe I could just quit and live off of that haha. But then I’m worried about this: “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.””
This is such a hard choice! Can anyone give me some advice?
4/22/2010
Hi,
what ever you do, do it for yourself.
By that, I mean, become self employed.
What ever skill you have, just start your own business doing it. I used to repair TVs and VCRs etc, and if I had to leave early on a Friday afternoon to go to a gig, well no prob I just let the phone go to voice mail. As long as you call people back next day you’ll be cool, I always had more work than I could handle.
I knew a guy who washed cars, he had a few regular clients and car yards on Mon/Tue/Wed, then he had the rest of the week to do gigs and practice etc.
Maybe you can program, or do books, or whatever – just do it for yourself.
7/29/2010
I’ve been a “part-time pro” guitarist AND a full-time piano technician since the mid-1980s, and it’s worked very well for me. With four kids to support, I simply couldn’t rely solely on music income. The two fields have actually dovetailed nicely a number of times over the years–some contacts I made through the piano service work then led me to performance opportunities.
A friend of mine who’s a very busy pianist also has a great day job, given his background: piano sales!
8/12/2010
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