Why Move to New York City?
New York, NY
When I say “New York City”, I actually mean any big music city in the world. Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Berlin, London, Toronto…there are a lot of cities in the world where the entertainment industry is more concentrated, to which musicians have migrated for generations.
It begs the question – why do musicians keep moving to these places? Do you need to live in a big music city to make a living as a musician? Should you make the move?
First: you don’t need to live in New York City to make a living as a musician. I, for example, used to work very regularly as a pianist in the far suburbs of Chicago. I made a reasonable living – making a yearly income very similar to what I make in NYC, actually. I worked for schools, theatre companies, country clubs, private parties, weddings – whatever came my way. I also taught lessons, made recordings in my home studio and played with bands.
With the right networking and contacts, I would say that a career like that one is possible in any number of towns and cities all over the world. In fact, according to the 2000 census, the cities with the highest population of professional musicians per capita include cities like Lawrence, Kansas; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. With so many musicians in these cities, there must be ways to make a living there.
So, ok, you don’t need to move to New York. So why would you?
I’ve thought about that a lot over the last few years. New York can be a tough city to live in. It is, at times, expensive, crowded and unforgiving. With so many talented and trained musicians it can be hard to break into the scene. That is probably true of any major music metropolis, so why do we all keep coming here?
From my perspective, I see at least 2 reasons. First, New York is an incredible, electric, ever-moving, ever-changing place to live in. It feels like the center of the universe, and it has for more than 200 years. This is where new kinds of art are born, coddled, and cared for. In many ways this place, and places like it, offer a feeling similar to the heady opportunities that a new world offered pilgrims and pioneers in generations before us. There is opportunity to create new things here – and that idea will always be attractive to creative people.
Second, Entertainment is a winner-takes-all industry.* Mark Stern at the University of Pennsylvania wrote a very insightful paper on the topic. In it he says,
“Winner-take-all markets…are markets in which the vast majority of economic value depends on the effort of only a small number of top performers. As a result, in winner-take-all markets, a few participants reap high incomes from their work while the vast majority receives very little. Entertainment, sports, and the arts are fields in which winner-take-all markets have long been common.”
It’s clear that the higher you can climb on the ladder of the entertainment industry, the more money you will make. And here’s the thing: the top-most rungs of the music industry ladder are all located in New York City (and Los Angeles, and Nashville and Toronto, etc…). With few exceptions, the way to climb to the top is to move to a place where the top exists.
That, at least, is why I moved to New York City. To live in the center of our industry’s universe, and to live in a place where the top existed.
So should you move here? It depends on what you want. If you just want to be a working musician, it’s not necessary to make the plunge. In fact, moving to a major music hub like this one will in no way ensure that you will make a living as a working musician. Just because there are more opportunities in a place like this doesn’t mean that it is easier to make a living here. There are far more capable musicians here there are actual gigs, so finding work here can be just as difficult as finding work in a place where gigs are scarce.
However, if you want to be the best, or at least work among the best, you have to come to a place like this. If you want to try to get to the top of the business – even knowing that you might not make it – you have to come here.
This article is Part 1 of a series that discusses moving to New York City as a musician.
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*Some might argue that the recent rise of the musician middle class (that is, independent artists that are able to make a middle class living off of internet sales and indie touring) is lessening the stronghold of this winner-takes-all phenomenon, but I would disagree. It seems to me that the rise of the independent music industry and the musician middle class has made more winners, but not made the music business any more egalitarian. The dispersal of money in the music business will likely always be top-heavy.
About the author
I’m glad you made this post. I’ve been pondering things along the same lines for a while. I have just recently started making a decent living solely as a musician, which is a great personal relief from working in places like restaurants. I hope never to work soul-sucking jobs like that again. I teach lessons, have a church job, and now am in a band of very professional people with good connections and we will soon be gigging as frequently as we can.
I still live and work in the greater Birmingham AL area which is where I graduated from college (it’s easy to just linger sometimes). I was surprised to be making a decent living in this area but I am. But it is only temporary. I have my sights on somewhere big, most likely the greater Los Angeles area, which is partly where I grew up originally. I realize that the music world will be cut-throat out there (or any big city) but I can’t see myself doing anything else. I can’t stay in a small place like this. I’m just bidding my time and perfecting all my skills so that I can be very successful when I get there.
10/26/2009
I would like to add one very important (necessary?) advantage to living/working in a larger city; I believe that the cultural, educational and fraternal advantages and influences are not available in the smaller centres. That being said, I believe for some people that a sensible standard of living as outlined above may be enough.
I do feel however, that at some point in a music career, a SERIOUS artist needs to add the “grit’ of a larger centre to have given the “best shot” edge to his/hers artform. What happens next would be out of choice should be worn accordingly.
10/26/2009
I agree that one needn’t live in New York City or Los Angeles to make a living as a musician. I currently live in Pittsburgh, and have no desire to move to New York. I plan on moving to Orlando, Florida after I finish graduate school. I know there are plenty of opportunities there, even if it might seem like there aren’t. A successful musician doesn’t wait around to hear about an opportunity– a successful musician CREATES one.
10/26/2009
This was a great post. I thought the best point made was towards the end, when you said that if any musician dreams of making it to the top, then they should make the move to at least of the biggest music cities in the world, such as New York or Chicago. It is where the best and brightest stars live, but those big cities also seem to be the main centers where famous art is created and trends are set. That would be a nice advantage to have in living in one of these art capitals, to witness the creation of new art all the time.
I thought also that your description of the music industry as a winner-take-all industry was a very accurate statement and one that still rings true. Of course the rise of a musician middle class has leveled the playing field somewhat, but with the internet and several different methods of networking today, it’s now more competitive than ever because people have access to so many options.
11/1/2009
I agree with Michelle — New York doesn’t have to be the apex of a musical career. Musical opportunities are everywhere and you don’t need to go to a city to be successful. Creative musicians can find hundreds of ways to make a fulfilling and financially viable career.
11/1/2009
I think that regardless of where you live you can make it to the top, major players don’t play in just one city they tour everywhere and maybe see their house or apartment one month out of the year. I would believe that they made a lot of connections in a major city before getting to the top, but it today’s world i wouldn’t be surprised to know that you can make it to the top from anywhere as long as you’re willing to tour.
11/2/2009
I am considering making the move to New York in the near future. Some people I know seem to think it is a crazy idea– I will probably be forwarding them the link to your article. I think as a music student I would be doing myself a great disservice to not spend some time studying and listening in New York. There is a high level of playing around my area, but there is so much more great music in New York.
11/2/2009
It does seem that the main advantage of moving to New York would be the almost unlimited number of networking possibilities. The best musicians will be tend to be concentrated in the major music cities, and if you want to have a shot at playing with the best, or eventually rising to the top, New York is for you.
On the other hand, I tend to agree with Xd in how he/she says that many musicians will be touring much of the time. Such musicians will only see their home a couple times a month, but maybe the networking opportunities could make it worth the increased cost of living in New York.
11/2/2009
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