Why you SHOULD (or shouldn't) get paying gigs as a musician!

[@enaugle1]

Thanks for the story. Wow, I am glad no one and no equipment got hurt! I thought that was coming next in your story. Live and learn for sure!

[@AKLowEnd]

I seen some sh*t in my day! A huge bar room brawl broke out once towards the end of the night at the house gig I had in my twenties... place was packed.. we stopped playing, but the stupid drunk singer kept yelling and instigating it more in the microphone. I saw the bartender and a doorman go down on the floor on there backs into a booth.. both getting beaten up.. then another bouncer (that I had a friendly conversation with earlier in the night) ran up to the bandstand... puts out his hand as if to hand me something... and dropped his bloody two front teeth in my palm "Hold these!!! I'll be right back!!" It all ended with the place being cleared out with bear spray. Five to ten cop cars in the parking lot. Only a little crazier than a typical weekend night at the long gone Arctic Bar in Fairbanks Alaska

[@CommonSenseMusician]

That is INSANE. Thanks for the story!

[@dr.timschurig234]

I have been playing in amateur bands for over 35 years now, and our only goal is to avoid "pay to play", which is tough when you play self-written material exclusively. Even though people say, hey your level is high, why don't you switch to the professional side, we all love our dayjobs and enjoy recording and doing a gig here and there, and we love it. I always feared that the need to play for money would effect my love for the drums in a negative way. These days I work on concepts how to teach rhythmic theory to non-musicians and make it fun by "clapping away our everyday issues". I love your little channel of wisdom, all the best from Germany.

[@markusjuenemann]

THIS is the real spirit!

[@CommonSenseMusician]

Thank you, again, for watching. I’m grateful that what I’m putting on KZbin is resonating with a few people. All of the people I play with also have day jobs, and even though it’s good to get paid, the real “pay” is that we still get to make music together. I absolutely love it. Thanks again for the comment.

[@transistorboy311]

I love playing out. I agree that it helps with mental health. You have a lot of great points about building relationships. I’m very fortunate I play with guys that I’m close personally with. I do get paid with the bar gigs and usually covers expenses. I don’t mind taking a loss for gigs because I am having fun with friends playing musix

[@CommonSenseMusician]

Agreed. Everybody needs something to do that they love, with good people. And if it covers your expenses, you’re doing great! Thanks for the comment!

[@hummingrhizomes]

Really happy to discover your channel! Looking forward to future interviews. Subscribed:)

[@CommonSenseMusician]

Thank you!

[@ChrisM541]

I'd strongly encourage any musician to get out there, make connections and play live. If you're lucky and your location supports live band venues then there is nothing better for a musician than to play in front of people, hopefully getting paid. I'm keen to see how you secured your own gigs across the pond and what 'the scene' was like...types of venues, music played etc. I'm a guitarist in the UK, Glasgow with over 30 years playing at functions/weddings/social clubs/etc, basically bums off seats gigs, all paid. Kept my day job so only Fri-Sun bookings. If you're an 'originals' band then also having a steady income will help greatly in the early stages as you look to make your mark. For myself, I was lucky to be living in a city with lots of well-established big, popular social club venues, especially those associated with the Clyde shipyards (many had multiple halls). Unfortunately, things changed greatly over the last 15-20 years, with backing tracks 'enabling' more and more downsizing...and thus, miming. Also allowed the club committee to backhand themselves more and more by diverting cash for the band. Very sad/depressing to witness. Today, most of the big halls in these clubs only open for functions, leaving the smaller halls and 'backing track acts'. However, even today I see that the young folk out on a weekend are keenly interested in experiencing live music, especially large pubs/venues with plenty seating area. Extreme auto tune (melodyne primarily) use/indoctrination is real, unfortunately, so my strong, strong advice is for musicians to 'keep it real' when playing to an audience.

[@CommonSenseMusician]

Lots of excellent points. Thanks for watching! More to come!

[@luisfernando-mm3jt]

Nice work have been playing professional for over 30 years what i have found is that when you say yes to to manny unpaid gig you get call back to more unpaid gigs ....good to balance that out

[@Cameron-qu8vz]

I am a novice musician, but an experienced social dance instructor and DJ (specializing in Swing, Blues, Tango, and Fusion). I instruct and DJ because I love dance and music and want to share that with people, but if I do that for an event, I expect some compensation. Compensation is a tangible sign of respect for my time, expertise, and effort. The money itself is insignificant to me. Numerous times I've taken it and just dropped it back into the till for the event, but it's important that they make the effort to put it in my hand to show they value what I do.

[@CommonSenseMusician]

Excellent comment. I agree completely!

[@drskilleto]

I think you’re pretty spot on about being a bit selective about the gigs you play if you can. I tried the professional musician gig for a bit but I didn’t teach lessons on the side and didn’t make enough to sustain myself. I played in a cover band for a number of years and watched the money stay the same, and the gigs get further and further away. After that band I decided to keep away from cover bands and just play original music. It kind of became a trap as well since there was little to negative money in doing that. 2018-2019 I had built up my reputation to the point where I was playing a lot (80-100 gigs a year with a full time job). That was a bit too much. 2020 obviously slowed that down to nothing, but since then I’ve found a pretty good balance for me playing several times a month. Mostly originals with a few cover gigs thrown in. Here’s my line in the sand on playing. I will play gigs for free or low pay if it’s original music that I’ve worked to develop, or if it’s for a charity event. I avoid gigs that cost me money i.e., gigs where I have to drive a long way to play for free and/or get a hotel. I also avoid gigs with weaker players. I recently had a drummers nightmare gig where I played with a bassist who not only couldn’t keep time but actively sabotaged it by not listening to what was happening around him. I refuse to play any more gigs with him and now have a rule of not playing with people who make me sound like I’m a bad player. Like what you’re doing here, looking forward to more content.

[@CommonSenseMusician]

Such a great comment. Thank you!

[@alfredosincovichmartino5027]

Waiting for more video stories

[@CommonSenseMusician]

I’ll be releasing one today. Thanks for watching!

[@johnrepucci4777]

Your bar story sounds a lot like the movie 'Roadhouse" 🤣 But yea, as someone who has been playing drums professionally for 30 years, the stories/experiences from the road are the best part. I always got paid unless it was a fundraiser for a good cause but the money just funded the continuation of my career, the most valuable things I took away from those years were definitely the stories. When it stopped being fun (thanks covid) I retired but now I play for free for my church and absolutely have fallen in love with music again.

[@CommonSenseMusician]

Great comment. Thank you!

[@only4crap]

very underrated channel

[@CommonSenseMusician]

Thank you! Glad you found it!

[@InnocentAbyssinianCat-eb7ge]

With non paying gigs is really just about doing it for fun so just turn up if you agree to but shouldn't be expected especially when you have other things to do in life like other interest ,family friends and other ways where you have to make an income

[@mysteriousplankton]

My first paying gig was when I was 13. I had a garage band and needed a mic so we went to a local square dance hall and asked the price for a Sure SM58. The owner said we can have it for free if we come back the next week and play for the square dancers. We did and I think we played 4 or 5 songs and went home with a $37.50 Sure mic as payment. I still get paid to play but it's a lot more than $37.50.

[@CommonSenseMusician]

Nice. Gear is as good as cash sometimes!

[@robertharker]

I agree about mental health. Thanks1

[@MagicCyclops]

Been performing for 24 yrs and just played meow wolf they paid zero which checks out from a almost billion dollar “artist” collective they actually wanted me to ask touring heading band for money like being on the road these days is lucrative. I did no such thing.