12 Ways to Make Money as a Musician in 2024

[@RayChenViolinist]

Practicing in front of people regularly will help with you with performing/auditioning in front of people. Do it for free on Tonic: tonicmusic.app/practice-together Good luck! 🙌🏼

[@lilys946]

Yes Ray! This Video I so Good ❤🎉

[@lilys946]

Ray is Just So Cool!!!🎉🎉🎉

[@lilys946]

Practise on Tonic! It’s a great app to listen to other people play and boost confidence!🎉🎉

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

I wanna play in jam sessions!

[@carolineg.5461]

Bonjour M. Ray Chen !! 😊 J'ai une question pour toi qui pourrait peut-être faire un tuto. J'aimerais savoir ce que signifie les noms des chansons dans la musique classique. ex :Sonate pour piano no 1 op. 11... Opus et autre chose que je ne connais pas et qui m'intéresserait de comprendre. 🤩 J'aime tes tuto et ton énergie. J'adore t'écouter et te voir jouer du violon. 🥰🥰🥰

[@zevelgamer.]

Answer: Be Ray Chen

[@michaelnielsen7782]

Wrong: Become Ray Chen!

[@IgorVasquesBarata]

Hahahahahahahauajhaha I'm laughing

[@IgorVasquesBarata]

​@@michaelnielsen7782 Some say "musicians are born, not made"

[@jaegertiger384]

Or Ray Chen's CADDY...

[@FrMage]

everyone is already taken. dont focus on being the next ray chen. be the first you:)

[@sabrinai]

"Before I won all my competitions." Not Ray casually flexing his talent and hard work at us 🤣.

[@mvdum29]

He was very humble about it. He did just say it like a matter-of-fact thing, other successful people would probably take the time and hammer it in. It's why we all like him so much. 😊

[@liloruf2838]

Privilege

[@mellissadalby1402]

I was going to be a musician but then I came to my senses and spent the next 42 years as an Engineer. Now approaching retirement, I plan to play more music until my hands fall off or until I get arthtitis. I use the Tonic App.

[@cainagnascimento]

I'm in a similar path. I always loved guitar, and at the time i was studying for college entrance exams, i got into the world of the classical guitar. My father told me to go to a college that would allow me earn money, so i ended up studying Computer Engineering. This is supposed to be my last year of college. I've been slacking of on that because i want to spend more time with my guitar than studying for my graduation.

[@EchoTV_66]

Wow thats exactly what I am considering right now! Do you regret choosing engineering over studying music?

[@Pawl0solidus]

I’m also an engineer and in my 30s I’m coming back to music and started learning to play piano.

[@orionmckenzie3009]

The most important thing is to not be snobby about the work you do. You can make a lot of money as a musician playing pop songs over a track at a wedding or in Times Square, but not a lot of people are willing to do that. You have to start small, you’re not going to immediately go play in the Berlin philharmonic right after college, especially if you don’t know the style they play in. You have to be willing to play things you don’t want to play and teach students who don’t want to learn, but it’s all worth it because you are doing what you love. I love ray Chens advice here and there are so many opportunities for musicians than what people give us credit for.

[@lucienazario2786]

Your effort in sharing your ideas in helping musicians earn more is much appreciated. Your concern for others like this video shows you have a kind heart.

[@Msmcarlos]

Ray is a good speaker, he can be a good events host… he speaks clearly, can pull off some humor

[@blessakim]

Thank you for this video! I remember being very disheartened when my parents told me I can't do anything in the arts because I'll starve... I wish I had this video to show them then that there are many different avenues to maintain a liveable life and future. Whether it's music, visual arts, theater, or anything else you're being discouraged from doing, if you REALLY want it, you'll definitely go get it!!!

[@michaelbonesmusic]

I play in community orchestra, write and record my own music, record as a session musician, teach, and am trying to build on KZbin - it is a hard road but just like with violin if you keep improving daily you will eventually get where you want to get - thanks Ray!

[@LeSalondelaMusique]

The educational system is failing our young musicians. The burden of student loan debt is becoming increasingly monstrous, with many graduates struggling to find work in the music industry. The music industry is changing at a rapid pace, and it is no longer sufficient for artists to simply be good at their trade. In order to survive in this ever-changing world, musicians must also have the ability to market themselves effectively. Musicians must learn to think and behave like entrepreneurs. They must learn how to market themselves and create opportunities for themselves. This means taking control of their own careers, and not relying on the traditional paths of the past. They must be able to understand the music market and how it works, and they must be able to find ways to stand out in it. An entrepreneurial mindset is vital for the survival of young musicians in today's music industry. It's not just about being good at your craft, it's about being able to make a living out of it. Musicians need to think outside the box, take risks and be creative. They need to be self-motivated and take the initiative. They need to be able to create their own opportunities and make the most of them.

[@kamish957]

Each branch of the US military has a musician job. Funnily enough since it's military, it's one of the most stable careers for someone who wants to continue doing music as a career.

[@janmusil4537]

Exactlyyy. Military band is a great stable relatively well payed job. I had an opportunity to play together with President's own Marine band. They were amazing people , satisfied with their job and extreme profesionals. I play in Castle guard band in Prague and it's great also. Have a stable salary every month, do just what I like and still have free time to play on many gigs to make additional money.

[@Chiya35p]

13. Play flight of the bumblebee as fast as you can and go on bbc

[@janmusil4537]

Haha right 😅😂

[@SlapMyBass3825]

Rehearsing on Tonic as my band prepares to open for Godsmack in July. I could use as much encouragement on there as possible.

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

You're the guy in the Daily Wire host channel's comment sections. Are you a virtuoso musician?

[@SlapMyBass3825]

Ah a fellow DW member. I am in no way a virtuoso, but I do the best I can.

[@laceandribbonsviolin]

I, too, understand being terrible at everything but violin😉 I wanted to share my perspective living in a semi-rural area. 1. Concert Soloist: if I was one, I’m sure I could travel and tour; I’m a violin teacher and wedding violinist/performer and Mom! Which means I’m also a wife, chauffeur, nanny, babysitter, teacher, scullery maid, cook, baker, and candlestick maker! And so on and so forth. It would be a little bit harder to get started doing that where I live (currently Mississippi gal); I could probably explore Memphis, Birmingham, and other big cities in the South since there is the Memphis Symphony, a symphony in Birmingham, and 3 or more symphonies in Mississippi, and see if I get success that way or if I can network enough to collaborate or audition with bigger/more well-known symphonies/musicians. 2. Chamber Musician 😩😩😩 I’ve been trying to get the few classical musician friends and colleagues I know in Mississippi to join a chamber music group with me, which honestly is my favorite musical form. 😍 almost every day I miss chamber music and I’m so sad for taking it for granted when I was in college. So far it hasn’t worked out, since my colleagues are another mom of 4 who is too busy, and a doctor of music who I’ve worked with for years who stays busy with his Suzuki studio on weekdays and his wife, daughter, and grandbaby. I knew a violist that used to live in Tennessee and was close enough for us to meet some, but we were never able to and then he moved out of state. The area where I live has mainly marching and concert band programs in schools, but not as many orchestras or string orchestras😥 but that just gave me the idea to contact those teachers and offer to start or join a chamber music group with those students🤩 3. Orchestral Musician: there’s no orchestra in the semi-rural town I live in, but I’ve been able to audition for 2 different symphonies/orchestras in other cities, and there are 2 or more other ones in Mississippi that I could audition for and sustainably join because distance and time don’t prevent me, but being a mom, I would want to be able to bring my husband and children to some or all of the performances to give them access to culture/fun activities/vacation/tourism opportunities. The older they get the easier this would be; I remember how hard it was to find babysitters or arrange my schedule with my husband’s work schedule or my families’ schedules for childcare when they were younger, but that is only going to get easier. I’ll be back, gotta fix said children brunch and I’ll talk about being a Suzuki teacher🙋🏻‍♀️and the other items on Ray’s list. 🤎🎻

[@heymambo]

Even if other orchestras are further away, I think it makes sense to show up at auditions from time to time: get to know other musicians, maybe conductor will remember you, etc.

[@Luke.feng.11]

Gee. What a speech

[@cthdacentroterapeuticoholi3284]

The information you share here is very clear and useful, as well as fun. Thank you for giving that advice to musicians who have talent, but as you say, they can't always audition or compete in competitions. You're great. Infinite blessings 🙏

[@violinmari]

Thank you for starting this conversation! I'm currently on a path to prove to my musician friends that you can make a living being a musician! I think I would've dive deeper with the performing route though. I've learned over the last few years is that, it's not just who you know or auditions. Yes practice helps! But treat your performances as a "product" and understand how to run a business. You have to market your own music like selling a product in a store. Clients don't know what you offer unless you put it out there!!! I honestly could keep going on this subject! Don't give up fellow musicians and creatives! You got this!

[@ellybargmusic]

as a law student trying to make content around my compositions I really needed this, thank you 🙏

[@JMS070]

As a drummer i think I should consider taking all these paths as its a rare but growing instrument. I think the first path is social media and conservatory and then i could take orchestral auditions in jazz big bands or freelance gigs.

[@ajsorensen2585]

Thank you Ray, I've been playing and performing violin since I was 4 and it's nice to hear tips like these, I'm currently working on some of them and hope to earn something doing my own music, I own a recording studio and I've been recording other peoples music for soo long, finally I've reached a point where I can afford to be working on my own projects some of the time and that is a great feeling! I did get to work on music all this time which I think is important for any musician and owning a studio I acquired all the gear and a space to do my own music, I'd say the best way to do anything is to get started : ) Thanks again for all the advice, truly inspirational Ray.

[@angeldandikov1652]

That’s actually very helpful! Thanks!

[@eveywrens]

Thank you for sharing so many options!

[@procrastipractice]

Ray really spilling the tea here 🍵 Thank you for sharing your views on the many options. Super interesting!

[@TheSparshofMusic-wn7de]

Thanks for posting this!👍👍👍 This video was very helpful! I like how he plays the Mendelssohn violin concerto in the background!

[@shannonmoro401]

You are a very great violinist. Great video.

[@mehraneahmadi645]

THANK YOU for this video ❤

[@vesselinatp]

Nicely done... ❤. Thanks. 🎉

[@jh.y00N]

Perfect for wit, and the best analytical skills!! Professor Ray😆🎻👑✨It's elegant and luxurious, but it feels like a glimpse into a new world😮

[@owenmcneill7746]

I love how Jasmine Choi's face was the flute player example lol

[@hibachalhoub8224]

Thank you for everything ❤

[@heymambo]

Great summary! ❤

[@ShruthiM_7344]

Ray Chen sir says only practice makes man perfect 👍🏻 After so many days sir is back on KZbin🙏🏻

[@BlackHermit]

I will ALWAYS make money as a musician. 🙏

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

I listened to an A.I generated "song" once on a music channel and I can say I have written stuff better than it before (not with lyrics but still). And according to the channel it was coming from the very BEST music generator out there. I can't believe this is being viewed as a worthy replacement for real musicians and artists.

[@Viewer13128]

the best at the moment is not worthy of replacing real musicians, but imagine how you were as a child then getting better as an adult. AI is going to grow up but it's going to become the super genius version of growth. AI starts off like a fool but its potential is insane.

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

@@Viewer13128 Yeah I am afraid of that. Not only the idea of no longer being able to be successful at making music or any art, but that I might not be able to create anything truly original, because, somewhere out there, an A.I song generator has already come up with that melody.

[@HonneySantos1]

Fear is thinking that technology will grow so much that it gets out of the hands of humans and that we become as dependent on it as on Wall-e. or catastrophe as in terminator. or the probability of merging into a supersonic world and working and living well. or the last option, which creates so many problems that it collides under its own weight and certain things are prohibited and we start again in a more rudimentary way.

[@helenho325]

@@Viewer13128 And AI is fast, it might take a human to write a song in a few days, a week? AI can do it in one minute.

[@maxoutmaddox]

Love the content Ray!

[@rec2you]

Thank you! Very helpful! All that remains is to learn how to play! 😄

[@bastetplants4878]

Nice video! I have one more - the good old street player. I have some friends that surprise me how much they make for 1-2h of playtime.

[@billsalas9643]

Ray Chen You Are my HERO. (And no, I’m not a musician).

[@ThomUnderStars]

Cover artist gang, les go!!!

[@stevev5510]

You didn’t mention professional busker. Guitarist John Butler said he went to the Fremantle Markets, played for a couple of hours, and made 90 buxcks... and said dude, this is awesome... I don't have to work anymore.

[@lilaclaicc]

Yeah busking should be a point on its own rather than clustered with point 10: Content creator

[@hhz246]

Thank you!

[@selgeaus]

If you want to become a soloist, being good looking does help. It is a lot easier to gain followings on social media if you are young and attractive

[@tashilama5513]

Thanks for advising me

[@김수환-y3l]

Is there a script? It seems very good to study English. I hope i get it

[@MicahKonitshek]

Yes

[@eshleynn7142]

Thanks for sharing

[@jaegertiger384]

Session musicians are the epitome of being MERCENARY. You MUST produce or youre done !!

[@richard_4675]

Every like= me running Don Juan excerpt

[@fool3087]

Another band to check out for sure, time for three super cool

[@burburchacha]

i've just graduated with a bachelors degree in violin performance and i have to say life is tough, really isn't easy to find work at all...

[@ssatjapot]

Wow. I've never seen anyone spill this kind of tea before. Bottom line still...aspire to be like Ray Chen.

[@이혜선-q2h]

Ray hi good to see u again ^^

[@HonneySantos1]

Great vídeo and words !

[@yukiyavalentine5867]

We can admire how good looking you are when the violin is not around :D

[@laceandribbonsviolin]

What’s the name of the concerto playing in the background? I recognize the finale but I never learned that one and wanted to learn in high school. Kabalevsky?

[@joshablatzheim9075]

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Greetings from an Classical-Tenor-Violist, from 🇪🇺🇩🇪, Yours, Josha 🙋‍♂️

[@reipfvn]

If you are a pianist, there is an option to become a freelance collaborative pianist / staff pianist for schools. I’ve been working part time at university for 18 years.

[@samr2249]

What comprises your work at university? I currently work as a choir accompanist in a public school district.

[@reipfvn]

@@samr2249 At university I mainly play for students’ degree recitals, masterclass, classes, lessons, departmental recitals, juries (performance exams), and concerto competitions. If students ask, I go play for outside competitions.

[@sherryshaoling]

love your playing, saw you at disney hall, love your content and i'm a fan... just wanted to say that the background music makes your speaking challenging to process, it's a bit of an undesirable sensory overload, perhaps consider eliminating it? i want to really listen to your points :)

[@luistonicher2152]

I am considering giving up the violin career If I wont land a job this year, it has been really hard so far

[@AM-pz6xu]

Could you make a video on how a high school/college student could make a few extra bucks? I know you can preform at parties and stuff but could you have a video and tell us how to get those gigs?

[@jurjenbos228]

Why did you number them 1 through 12? How about C, C#, ..., B?

[@shanysrodriguez8720]

Now can you make a video about wining competitions please?🙏🙏

[@sophielee570]

Ray is generous to mention twist

[@DannyDavyMusic]

Let's be real no one will ever pay too listen to AI, when I go busking or play a piece more emotion and soul is put into it. AI can't put emotion into anything and that is why it is obsolete

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

I hope you're right, because I'm seeing a lot of stuff popping up about it.

[@DannyDavyMusic]

​​@@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov I see what you are saying but if you look at modern jobs like call operators, even less important than music and other arts, people prefer to speak to real people. Humans like to interact with other people. People will not let art be taken over by AI, if it does then we will live in a dystopian society.

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

@@DannyDavyMusic Yeah I know. But of course the internet is already becoming over-saturated with A.I generated stuff and how does one boycott something that cost less than a dollar to make?

[@DannyDavyMusic]

@@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov Well I hope that since AI art does not take over any where near the majority of modern art (2023-2024) it will not take over the majority of music but a dystopian society is still possible and probable

[@yosoykibbles]

Money removes the fun in art 😢❤❤🎉🎉🎉

[@CaRadJa]

Does Ray respond to comments ? 👀🎻

[@Tori_TooT]

I am a pharmacy student but this is so helpful 😂❤ not for me 😢😂😂

[@joaobastosO_O]

We have Ray Chen bait before GTA VI 🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@SlapMyBass3825]

As much as I would kill to quit my desk job and become a full time musician, the market is too unstable and biased. Unless you write the next big pop song played on repeat on every radio station, the income will be hard to come by. I have friends in the industry who went broke during the pandemic and had to get labor intensive jobs to survive.

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

Do you have music in your dreams? Maybe try to remember those and write them down and if they're any good then maybe release and it will become a hit. That's what happened to "Yesterday" by the Beatles.

[@user-fo5ej2tg5k]

would doing music on the side when you have free time be plausible for you?

[@SlapMyBass3825]

I do play original music live for fun, but the profit margin is not enough to put gas in my car to get to the venues. Still, i enjoy what I am doing now.

[@janmusil4537]

You can be payed by a state for making music. If you join US military music program.

[@piotrwalerych927]

When will trombone be added to tonic?

[@carolineg.5461]

Bonjour M. Ray Chen !! 😊 J'ai une question pour toi qui pourrait peut-être faire un tuto. J'aimerais savoir ce que signifie les noms des chansons dans la musique classique. ex :Sonate pour piano no 1 op. 11... Opus et autre chose que je ne connais pas et qui m'intéresserait de comprendre. 🤩 J'aime tes tuto et ton énergie. J'adore t'écouter et te voir jouer du violon. 🥰🥰🥰

[@jaegertiger384]

When all else fails.... PRACTICE !!

[@philipseatoncomposer6890]

Interesting that you didn't mention "writing your own new music"!

[@nekocafe8420]

Probably only 3 real options, free lance, violin teacher, and orchestra musician, you can do 3, but if you cant, you can do freelance and teach, that works good for real money, i think.

[@lepodcastdarthur]

nice coffee setup btw Ray

[@barancheraghi-zr4lg]

Nice

[@ciriuflus]

step one: find random pianists on public pianos recording themselves

[@吳恩恩-n4o]

l am going to your concert in kaohsiung 113 .6.2

[@Federgeistchen-cg2nr]

I'd love to be a chamber musician. Glad to hear I just need to be accepted into a conservatory for that, because that's just 1 impossibility instead of multiple... :D XD I guess, I'll be a biologist after all... (which is also very cool)

[@vothanhthien4687]

Passion is important but you have to make money from it.

[@meroserros]

Orra, genial, vey!

[@chisaomusician7752]

Hey guy, are you going to make a desktop version of tonic? I'm not a nerd with a smell phone you nerds.

[@hithisismine61619me]

❤

[@BobaPlayzsolsrng]

Ok so at 0:06,If Ray dosent make money as a musician,how does he have a 10mil dollar violin?

[@Iispj]

It’s on loan. He pays insurance on it

[@Temuproduct]

that one parent that makes their kid pretend to be poor outside of the local target to get extra money...💀

[@sasha_yrtk]

-“how to earn money as a classical trained musician” Me being a jazz musician 👀👀👀

[@HonneySantos1]

Here a musician win in two hours what a normal worker win in a week. But the Merch here its play covers.

[@benjers-2187]

Les gooo

[@harshmalhotra28]

anything for indians?

[@FireAndIce414]

Um, can you make money as a composer and making your own music

[@ericchionh9766]

Answer: advertise for tonic

[@ccnailgs]

First: be good at playing the instrument you prefer.

[@ilannmagalhaesdemorais5150]

😀 !!!

[@zinme8875]

Ray Chen Are you Chinese?

[@魚丸-w3z]

ling ling can be all of them at the same time

[@GooberDos]

Coems🤑

[@-peleghiba8589]

if u go live on tiktok and play song people asked and are paying for live on tiktok isnt is a way to make money from tiltok as a musician ? me personally im a rapper so i can freestyle with words people sakes on live

[@jaegertiger384]

Answer: Extort your neighbors with the THREAT that you will PRACTICE unless they pay you $200/wk.

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

Because of A.I I have decided against ever having kids until something is done about it, which probably nothing ever will and it will just get worse. I don't want any future children of mine to grow up in a world where A.I makes all the music and art, not them, and where the only love, relationships and intimacy they will ever get is from robots, not humans. I want to have kids so I can turn them into something like musicians, artists and composers. And I wouldn't want them to be as lonely and isolated as I was.

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

@@handlenot030 What?

[@ly2867]

What does this have to do with the video?

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

@@ly2867 Because of the increasingly use of A.I in the music industry (so I heard. I'm not fully informed about this).

[@HonneySantos1]

Well you can have a kid and teach hem to do normal things and work, and music without AI. And you can put limits in your life with technology.

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

@@HonneySantos1 Sure but how am I going to afford like lessons? I definitely don't want a robot to teach them. And how can I protect them from this stuff and not let them be lonely and isolated as well?

[@TheLeaf1]

Step 1: Become doctor

[@mydogisbailey]

Ray be my gay husband please

[@jonahcabral9693]

Thanks for sharing! But let’s be honest, all Ray knows is how to be a Concert Violinist… this video is so misleading for the average musician just about to graduate uni.