getting noticed?

[slideboardouts]

Sept 24, 2009, 8:51am, showdownmetal wrote:"how do you make money" <--- related to music.It really depends on what you are doing with your music, but a couple ways a songwriter/composer can make money are:1. Sync Fees (money paid for syncing your music to picture)2. Mechanical Royalties (money paid for album sales or other physical units)3. Performance Royalties (money paid for the use of your music in a broadcast - TV, Radio, etc.)How you get into a position to make money in any of the above ways relies on networking, using services like TAXI, and plain old hard work. And a LOT of patience and persistence. -Steve

[fullbirdmusic]

Sept 24, 2009, 8:51am, showdownmetal wrote:no not really. i mean yeah woman are nice, but i dont rely solely on musical ability to entice them.heres a better question."how do you make money" <--- related to music.Hard freakin' work. That's all there is to it, basically. But there are MANY skills that should be learned along the way. I agree with Hummingbird and say that if you can play others' music well, then it's time to start making your own. I can play others' music well (I'm a guitar player) and I would KILL to jam with folks who play better than I; it puts me on the spot and makes me just that much better. It sounds like you're confused about exactly what you want to do in music. Nothing really pays well unless you're already a star or John Williams. I make money with licensing my songs and scoring films. I make more money with licensing that with scoring lately. The "chicks for free" comment is from Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" - great song, by the way!

[showdownmetal]

i used to be a studio artist, and with art, the usual path is to create a portfolio that you can be proud of, then send it to different places like marvel and universal studio's and stuff or go to workshops and hope you run into a scout from a reputable place.the first part of that is what im guessing would be the hardest. making a portfolio that stands out among the rest. i think thats what i need in the music realm. i need to know what that portfolio entails. what should i be doing? and i mean from any standpoint (related to music), because im not really sure what i want to do, i just know it would seem silly to me to have to look elsewhere for a career path.

[fullbirdmusic]

In music, it's similar with a portfolio. What it's comprised of is what your passion would be - cinematic? jazz? rock? funk? pop? My portifolio, so to speak, includes all of those styles and I'm comfortable playing (live guitar) in all of them. Take what you love + what you can do + all the time you have to do it and what you'll get = a portfolio and body of work you can use here at Taxi to market. You can use that work in music libraries or anywhere else you can in order for this work to be lucrative. The creative part isn't always the making of music - sometimes it's finding its best outlet.

[mojobone]

Ah, the demo reel. Pretty sure we don't call it that anymore. Demo disc? Music itself doesn't pay that well other than at the very top, like acting or baking. (I'm reminded of an interview where the journalist complimented Eddie Van Halen on his house, and he replied, "You think I could afford to live like this in LA if my wife weren't an actress?" true story) Maybe you could find something music related that you like to do, that other musicians don't, like booking gigs. (I record demos, but the money in that is shrinking, particularly for folks that don't have the skills to go with their gear) Your ancillary non-music skills are going to determine what that might be; it's a "glamor" industry, so a lot of folks will put up with a lot of horse puckey and even pay thousands of dollars a year to pretend they're in the music business. This sort of thing can make it difficult for younger folks to get noticed, or even taken seriously-when your wife sits you down to have "The Talk" about when you're going to grow up and start taking life more seriously, you'll know what I mean.

[hummingbird]

some people make money with music by busking why not do some reading. I suggest Jason Blume's "Inside Songwriting" for a bird's eye view of his journey towards being a pro songwriter (and songwriting teacher). I suggest John Braheny's "The Craft & the Business of Songwriting" for a primer on the biz. Mazz can probably suggest a book or two on the subject of scoring films.I make my living fulltime in music now, but I spent many years a) working full-time while training, b) working part-time while training and teaching/performing, c) teaching/performing & doing contract work (and still coaching myself), til today, which is d) teaching/performing, growing my skills & getting the tools, pitching & signing music, composing for libraries. I took my first voice lesson in January of 1991... gave up the full-time job in 1996, gave up the part-time job in 2002... haven't done any contract work since end of 2006 (and my last contract... paid just enough to buy me this custom built DAW... synchronicity in action).Here's one thing I'd do: search out local folks who are doing what you think you'd like to do (score films, for example), and ask them if you could interview them for 15 mins or so. Talk to them about what they do on a daily basis, etc. Explore your ideas more... as you get more information, you'll be able to make some decisions. Whatever you decide... it won't be for the rest of your life... it will be to get experience in different aspects of music until you can see your path.I don't know if you'll find this post helpful, but thought I'd throw it in the mix:http://theshysinger-songwriter.blogspot ... -yeah.html

[kevinmathie]

Hey Showdownmetal,I'm getting into this thread a little late, after other people have posted good answers, but I'll throw in my thoughts as well.Like you, I graduated with a degree in music. And, like you, I had a very strong drive to make a full-time living at music. I can't tell you how many college professors warned me that, "You'll never make it in the music biz, because no one does. Plan on teaching." Just about all of them. Of course, that tune changed after I made a full-time living at music, but that took some time. And, I did take their advice and taught privately for many years.So, with that backdrop, here's my 2-cents on your question:Number 1 rule: Treat your music business like a business! Seriously, I cannot tell you how many gigs and studio projects I've gotten over the past 20 years simply because I returned a phone call! I'd talk to clients, and they'd tell me, "I called up 5 other studios [or 5 other pianists] and you're the only person that returned my call." They'd be both irritated with the other people AND grateful to me for talking with them. And, that's the start. You have to develop customer loyalty. Unless you join a symphony orchestra or something like that, there are very few full-time jobs for musicians that pay pension and insurance, and all that. Most musicians are basically self-employed, and thus are business owners of their own business.So, like any business, you have to start out small (usually), you have to do what it takes to find your niche and separate yourself from the competition, and you have to develop a loyal clientele. That means attracting them with your own marketing and PR, then doing a good job for them and doing things on time and under budget.Also like any small business starting out, you need cash. If you were opening up a bakery, you'd get a SBA loan or something for start-up capital until you became profitable. I would absolutely NOT advise that for you! The music biz is such a nebulous market as it is, that it would be scary to get a loan, unless that loan was a very small, easy-to-pay-back loan to buy some needed gear, like a computer or software.So, for musicians, our start-up capital comes in the form of another job. Since you are a college music student, I'd consider teaching. Personally, I never cared for teaching much, but when I was starting out, it was the perfect way to raise capital for my music business. It let me pay the bills and buy needed gear, and, since I was my own boss, it gave me a certain flexibility in my schedule. Keep in mind, however, you can't be too flexible. After all, teaching is a business too, and it requires a loyal clientele just like your live gigs or studio projects do.Unless you get extremely lucky, I doubt you'll be able to go right from being a new graduate into being a full-time musician, any more than you can open the doors to a new bakery and suddenly be filled with customers. It takes time and patience to build a business. And music, both live and recorded, IS a business.

[showdownmetal]

i would say thats my biggest hinderance... i hate having to call people. if i had the ability to pay someone to be my secretary, i would. instantly. i want a texting plan on my pay as you go phone, but i hate calling people so much im not even going to bother (that and no money at the moment).i have the craft and business of songwriting. its a good book. i wish i was able to read more. i have a hard time sitting still for very long.

[mojobone]

Yeah, you'll have to find a way to get over that. I'd suggest taking a job in sales or telemarketing (you'll be surprised how easy they are to get) and start developing "rhino skin".

[BraveNote]

"The creative part isn't always the making of music - sometimes it's finding its best outlet." Profound.