How Much MONEY I Make As A PROFESSIONAL GUITARIST

[@thebadcat69]

I started playing clubs in the 80's. Then later I played professionally in the metal scene. I eventually got out of it but I still play and record now. I will say $15,000 - $30,000 a year playing gigs in today's economy is nothing. Even $50,000 a year is nothing in 2024. If you live by yourself, have no kids, don't own a house, then you can get by with that amount. Different world these days. I had a blast when I played professionally, I played all originals ( I hate playing covers), made some decent money, met very cool people, saw cool places, partied hard, spent a lot of time with women. Different era. It's nothing like it used to be. Good luck.

[@jakeryan_musician]

Love the honesty and transparency throughout your video. Great insight! New sub!

[@ZackSeifMusic]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the sub!

[@Penfriendrocks]

Wow, that KZbin income is great! I get around £30 at the moment from Adsense. Thanks for sharing this, I think I might have missed the "shocking truth" bit cos it sounds like you're doing really well! When I was in a covers band we got max £200 per person so again, nice work on that front. I'm a full time musician too and make original music, KZbin videos etc. It's tough at times but I love what I get to do and feel very grateful for music fans!

[@ZackSeifMusic]

Glad this was helpful! Since all of my stats are from US-based gigs it's always interesting to see what other countries are like. It's a lot of work like you mentioned but it's very rewarding on a personal level :D

[@thomasbain6566]

THIS VIDEO IS EXTREMELY WELL PRESENTED !

[@ZackSeifMusic]

Thank you so much! Appreciate the feedback😃

[@AlexG.LimChannel]

Very good bro! Very hard working 👍🏻

[@ZackSeifMusic]

Thank you so much my friend😀 glad you enjoyed this. Are things similar where you live?

[@gregmitchell6213]

Crazy to think that my 4 piece cover act back in 2005-2012 yielded over $100k per person annually. Granted, that was on 3 shows a week, but it’s just not the same anymore. Gone are the days of $3000+ gigs. The crowd that actually goes out now doesn’t drink and goes home by 11pm.

[@ZackSeifMusic]

That sounds incredible 🤩 Glad you got to experience that while the getting was good

[@gregmitchell6213]

Last year after a decade long hiatus while we were getting married and having kids the 4 of us “put the band back together” and attempted to recapture the magic now, in our late 30’s and early 40’s. Most of the venues we used to crush were now closed, and the ones that were still open were a shadow of their former selves. Places like Jenks were still OK, but not what they used to be. We kept getting disappointed, so we ended up shelving it. lol.

[@ZackSeifMusic]

*Let me know your thoughts on being a full-time musician and if YOU are making similar amounts as a musician*

[@icomedia1]

Keep kicking ass dude!!!

[@ZackSeifMusic]

Really appreciate it man, thanks for all the support over the years.

[@paulbradshawguitar]

kudos Zack on getting to this point, it's ultimately a lot of work and time investment but to do things with guitar for a living has been your goal from the start and that can only feel extremely rewarding i went a slightly different path after music school, decided to work in music and always create /play music around that, I've been a promoter in Luxembourg now for over 15 years organising stuff from Meshuggah, Bonobo, Snarky Puppy to Dream Theater, RHCP, Slipknot etc.. it's been a crazy road but ultimately the balance i wanted in life and for now can't see myself doing anything else great to see how far you've come in any case, keep up the good work 🙌

[@ZackSeifMusic]

Always appreciate your insight Paul. Life is absolutely a balancing act for sure.

[@joeydego2]

Those 100 dollar bar gigs really make sense as opposed to making 3-400 bucks 4+ hours away. I’ve done both and really I’d rather just play close by for less than spend all day on the road.

[@ZackSeifMusic]

It's definitely a give and take for sure. Typically the agency gig will give you more dates and get you infront of more people which is nice to get the "touring experience" without being away for more than a weekend. It can help grow your brand and get you into new markets, and sometimes it still pays more at the end of the day. But it does cost money and requires another level of commitment, and you better be ready to invest into your equipment, live show (tracks, lights, video etc.) and make sure every night is a good night if you want to get invited back.

[@joeydego2]

@@ZackSeifMusicI did a whole summer of gigs down in AC a few years back. It was fun, sure. Worth it over playing up north where I’m from? It was definitely no fun driving home at 2am nodding off and not even close to where I was going. I can’t say I’d want to do that again over just playing low stress low expectation local shows. We run our own sound and get typically 150-200 a man. Is it bottom feeding? Probably. Is it smarter to do? Up for debate and really goals depending.

[@gregmitchell6213]

The amount you’re paid is a direct reflection of the room you’re playing. A $600 bar is a $600 bar. Hard to get excited about playing in front of 100 people.

[@joeydego2]

​@@gregmitchell6213 I guess it is goal dependent. You playing for pleasure or for business? Those 3+ hour drives come at a real cost, both in money and time.

[@user-Brianvh5150bp]

Also at the end of the year you can set your sights on a New Years Eve gig I averaged over the years I would get $800 to $1500.00 a night.

[@ZackSeifMusic]

NYE is solid for sure. Typically $500-800 over here for those 💪🏻

[@elchucabagra]

Great video excellent quality

[@ZackSeifMusic]

Much appreciated🙏🙏🙏

[@wierdlygruesome]

I did this back in the 80s I was thinking 500 a night then just like you are now so it was much more lucrative back then. and I didn’t travel up and down East Coast. It was just all the New Jersey part of New York part of Pennsylvania hour to an hour and a half tops sometimes out in Long Island. weddings are good money, but that was it. I would much rather play in a band making $50 in a bar then play a wedding again. Every now and then I would hook up with some rich girl from a wedding and that was always good. But let’s face it weddings are lame your best bet become a mailman or get some kind of job like that and continue to do this on the side become a teacher. That’s what I did and I still do that stuff on the side. You can make some good money and then make all your extra cash playing . you’re doing it the hard way and that’s only good when you’re young .hit 40-45 and you don’t have a job and you don’t have stable Good money coming in no girl is going to give you the time of day. Let alone a bank for a car or house loan you can forget about those so be smart, go back to school become a teacher or mailman and you’ll have the best of both worlds

[@ZackSeifMusic]

Appreciate your insight and advice. I can always pick up more days teaching and have those 2 degrees I can always apply further as a backup :D I've had other jobs but nothing is as fulfilling as what I currently do. Plus I have $0 debt and could make changes at anytime so we'll keep this going and see what happens.

[@titinc10]

Here in my city in northern Chile, we got 250 - 350 for a small bar / casino gig, and maybe 1.000 for a wedding, for the whole band. We do it for the love of music mostly.

[@ZackSeifMusic]

That's amazing to hear! Always great to do what you love.

[@jesterraj]

Do they provide the PA system?

[@ZackSeifMusic]

We bring our own system so we can troubleshoot it without any issues.