Careers in music

[SteveXFR]

I recently had a conversation with my daughters A level music teacher, he strongly believes she has the talent and attitude for a career in music. 

We had discussed this in the past and come to the conclusion that it would be a rewarding career but pretty low paid so maybe not worth investing in university. Had we got it wrong? Are there careers in music which can pay a wage for a comfortable living? 

We're going for a meeting with the music teacher but it would be nice to get some info from those in the music industry as well. Apparently she has quite a talent for production as well as playing.

[Supernaut]

Contacts, not degrees, get you better paid gigs. 

[BigRedX]

What sort of music is she interested in?

 

This will make a big difference for what you should do next career-wise.

[Fishfacefour]

A music degree is not just good for a career in music. Any good music degree will teach a raft of transferable skills - critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, reaerch and writing skills as well as meeting a bunch of interesting people to start building networks with. 

 

The dominant narrative pushed by the government that a degree should be judged by the career that it qualifies you for is rubbish. If she's interested in music a music degree can be rewarding in itself and she's more likely to do well and get a good mark than in something that supposedly gets you a good job. 

 

Not all music degrees are the same, some are conservatoire style where you focus on playing your instrument and becoming a professional instrumentalist, some are more generalised where you can explore and specialise in a range of musicology, historical, technology or even psychology related topics. 

 

I did a music degree in the 90s (when it was still free) and Im know a technical manager. I use (non musical) stuff from my degree every day. 

The fees these days mean that you will think really carefully and feel under loads more pressure on your choices. 

 

 

 

 

[SteveXFR]

32 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

What sort of music is she interested in?

 

This will make a big difference for what you should do next career-wise.

 

She's mainly in to rock and metal but is more than happy to play anything, she gets roped in to theatre activities and playing for bands missing a bassist or guitarist. I think she'd be quite happy playing pop or musicals as a day job as long as she could find time for a metal band for fun.

[SteveXFR]

12 minutes ago, Fishfacefour said:

A music degree is not just good for a career in music. Any good music degree will teach a raft of transferable skills - critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, reaerch and writing skills as well as meeting a bunch of interesting people to start building networks with. 

 

The dominant narrative pushed by the government that a degree should be judged by the career that it qualifies you for is rubbish. If she's interested in music a music degree can be rewarding in itself and she's more likely to do well and get a good mark than in something that supposedly gets you a good job. 

 

Not all music degrees are the same, some are conservatoire style where you focus on playing your instrument and becoming a professional instrumentalist, some are more generalised where you can explore and specialise in a range of musicology, historical, technology or even psychology related topics. 

 

I did a music degree in the 90s (when it was still free) and Im know a technical manager. I use (non musical) stuff from my degree every day. 

The fees these days mean that you will think really carefully and feel under loads more pressure on your choices. 

 

Good points. My degree is in engineering and that's the only career I've ever had so I'd never thought about the transferable skills. If only I could transfered my knowledge of metallurgy and swearing to another profession.

[Barking Spiders]

Friend of mine's son has a BA in music and sound production and is making a very nice career for himself as a freelancer. Not sure of the details but he's in much demand and he's still only 21. From what he says it seems that's where the opportunities lie if you want to make a decent living

Edited August 16, 2023 by Barking Spiders

[Fishfacefour]

10 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

If only I could transfered my knowledge of metallurgy and swearing to another profession.

Plenty of that at my job in an art school

[SteveXFR]

24 minutes ago, Fishfacefour said:

Plenty of that at my job in an art school

 

If there's a genre of art which uses only circles and straight lines and 3rd angle projection then that's the job for me

[snorkie635]

If your daughter completes a degree in music, she could teach the next generation, either in schools or in Further Education. If she completes a higher degree, she could teach/research/write from the position of a university lecturer. I'd say go for it - you cannot predict which doors might open in the future. Best of luck to her, whatever her final choice.

[meterman]

Your daughter might envision a particular career path but flexibility and diversion might be what helps and sustains her long term. Two examples:

 

One of my musician mates is a talented self-taught all rounder, he’d always got by, playing in bands, DJ-ing, doing production and remix work whenever possible, also putting on club nights, basically ducking and diving but doing okay. Then his girlfriend got pregnant and he enrolled on a music recording technology course and got serious. Now he’s a senior lecturer Monday to Friday in a music college and still doing all the other stuff as and when he can. He earns a decent wage, has a nice house and a viable career that he can evolve with over time. He’s sorted.

 

Another musician mate was basically a child prodigy and studied at the Royal College of Music. He had a 20 year career playing in successful bands (as in daytime Radio 1 successful, multiple Glastonbury appearances, major label albums, tours with Oasis, Paul Weller, etc) and did pretty well financially because 20 years ago it was still easy to make money from records and tv and film syncs. But when his band wound down he moved to the US and got heavily into production and mixing, and is represented by Universal. He’s super sorted now but it’s taken him 25 years of hustle and graft and some luck to get to where he is. 
 

But times have definitely changed and I reckon now more than ever, unless you’re a genius cellist or composer or producer and get discovered early on, and have a single track to go down, diversity is the key to a music career. Be prepared to change tack if needs be. But lucky breaks and good connections are still part of it.

 

I’ve scraped a career over 30-odd years by doing my own records and working as a session player and a sideman, but also by taking function band gigs when necessary or playing in covers bands or DJ-ing in crappy clubs for cash just to pay the mortgage. Single minded determination over talent has seen me through. If I hadn’t been prepared to be flexible I’d probably still be living at my Dad’s house recording demos on a 4-track, bitter as heck about not getting anywhere. But I’m mortgage free now and can pick and choose my projects so I’ve done okay. Not gold plated swimming pool and private jet level okay, but alright. 
 

It might be a good idea to try and find out what how / what / where your daughter envisions herself being in 5, 10, 20-plus years from now and if she’s prepared to have fallbacks in case of lean times? Above all, I wish her the best of luck. And maximum respect to you for supporting her dream 👍

[la bam]

Just my opinion - and I'm not one to say don't follow your dreams - but I think vocational rather than academical is the way to go for music. I'm an average player compared to most highly educated players and those taught at college and uni, but I've got by due to hard work, luck and networking. Being involved in bands then meeting other bands, sound crew, lighting guys, venue owners etc. Learning promotion and putting events on. Being known as a reliable player people can rely on. Learning people skills and how to be likeable. 

 

Only my opinion, but I believe there's more chance of a career by diversifying and actually being out there, rather than studying music academically at college - especially with the fees nowadays. 

 

True, some make it and get in orchestras, touring parties etc, but proportionally how many don't? 

 

I can see how learning Bach inside out makes you a more rounded musician, but I don't see how it would make you more money. 

 

Make yourself an asset - learn your instrument well. Get out and play. Learn another. Learn sound engineering. Own some lighting. Learn how to promote. In short, make it difficult for people to get rid of you once you've got your foot in the door. 

 

Add to that, be prepared for late nights, humping gear around, dealing with people and pretty much anything but the playing side of things. 

 

[meterman]

23 minutes ago, la bam said:

Just my opinion - and I'm not one to say don't follow your dreams - but I think vocational rather than academical is the way to go for music. I'm an average player compared to most highly educated players and those taught at college and uni, but I've got by due to hard work, luck and networking. Being involved in bands then meeting other bands, sound crew, lighting guys, venue owners etc. Learning promotion and putting events on. Being known as a reliable player people can rely on. Learning people skills and how to be likeable. 

 

Only my opinion, but I believe there's more chance of a career by diversifying and actually being out there, rather than studying music academically at college - especially with the fees nowadays. 

 

True, some make it and get in orchestras, touring parties etc, but proportionally how many don't? 

 

I can see how learning Bach inside out makes you a more rounded musician, but I don't see how it would make you more money. 

 

Make yourself an asset - learn your instrument well. Get out and play. Learn another. Learn sound engineering. Own some lighting. Learn how to promote. In short, make it difficult for people to get rid of you once you've got your foot in the door. 

 

Add to that, be prepared for late nights, humping gear around, dealing with people and pretty much anything but the playing side of things. 

 

This ^ says it better than I ever could. Networking might well be the #1 skill that makes all the difference to a potential music career. I’m not especially good at networking (cheers, Aspergers!) but a few times crossing paths with better connected folk than me has undoubtedly saved me from having to visit the jobcentre plenty times over the years.

[NJE]

My oldest friend makes a very good living from music, but it took being open to any opportunity, flexible musically, and some clever ideas to find opportunities to make money in the less glamorous side of music.

 

He has worked in a lot of library music for tv etc, done recording session work for musical artists and also composers. He wrote guitar backing tracks, did dressage music, lots of things that meant he could write music and play guitar.

 

Through being professional and nice and easy guy to work with, he has now got movie credits to his name and is now getting into recording bands and producing, but that is not where the money has been for him.

 

He is a guitarist first and foremost, but he’s a talented multi instrumentalist now, just down to necessity. He jokes with me that he’s made more money playing ukulele than guitar.

 

So basically there is good money to be made, but be prepared to find a niche or make money from music in less obvious ways than being in a band, or recording bands, or even playing live at all.

[OliverBlackman]

2 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

I think she'd be quite happy playing pop or musicals as a day job as long as she could find time for a metal band for fun.

These two gigs are extremely competitive and difficult to get full time work in. The majority of musicians I went to uni with make a living from a mix of teaching, sound engineering and cover gigs (weddings ect).

Our teacher in first year said only 2/15 in the class would make it full time and he was right. 
 

I’ve had a long journey in work in the decade since I graduated but work in finance. I could be doing music part time at the weekends but have chosen not to. Despite this, those three years studying music everyday were the best of my life and I still play as often as I can at a much higher level than I would had I not gone. For me that makes the degree  worth every penny.

[Skybone]

My son's applied for a music course at the local college, fingers crossed he gets a place. He was asking me about how he could pick up session work (he's a drummist). I have no idea, but networking is key.

[Jonge McLengo]

I would give a +1 about transferable skills, a career in music doesn't have to be the end result of a music degree. My partner did music at a not particularly prestigious university so the chances of having a professional music career directly resulting from the course were slim. However a great time was had and the course led them to find a job in therapy, and from that  friendship group a couple have become teachers & one is now a photographer. 

[diskwave]

'A career in music'. Are we talking about being a musician or just working in the industry. To be a pro 'musician' has to be a 100% vocation. It has to be something you cannot live without. I did a lot back in the 80's but even as a younger guy the constant out all night every other nite started to wear on me.....It's a big decision to give up all other opportunities and to do it full time.  

 

 

[Dan Dare]

12 hours ago, Fishfacefour said:

A music degree is not just good for a career in music. Any good music degree will teach a raft of transferable skills - critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, research and writing skills as well as meeting a bunch of interesting people to start building networks with. 

 

The dominant narrative pushed by the government that a degree should be judged by the career that it qualifies you for is rubbish. If she's interested in music a music degree can be rewarding in itself and she's more likely to do well and get a good mark than in something that supposedly gets you a good job. 

 

Excellent points, in particular that a good degree course (it isn't specific to music) will teach transferable skills - critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, research and writing and so on. A degree also demonstrates to a potential employer that a person is capable of achieving a high level of educational attainment, which is not specific to the subject studied.

 

Degrees in STEM, professions (law, medicine, etc) and similar are usually requirements for entry into a particular field, but they don't necessarily limit you to it. If a person has an aptitude for a particular subject, they are more likely to get a good degree in it. A first or 2.1 is a valuable thing to have, almost regardless of subject.

 

There's an old maxim - training is for plants and animals; education is for people.

[MichaelDean]

A music related degree doesn't have to be all playing either. I did a degree in audio and music technology, but it was a BSc and covered things like programming in C to make plugins, 3d game audio, and an introduction to acoustics. While I haven't gone into the music tech field, the ability to pickup new software/programming languages quickly and have to deliver assignments on them has really helped me stay adaptable in work. For my current role I've taught myself SQL, Power BI, and with a bit of guidance I've been doing a fair bit of Salesforce admin stuff. Getting the foundation of logic structures was a really useful part of my degree.

 

Not saying your daughter necessarily needs to take that route, but there are definitley useful and transferrable skills to be attained from a degree. Plus lots of networking opportunities that she might not get if she stays at home.

[Skin Lewis]

Recently semi retired at 70, I've had a lifelong career in music as a freelancer since the early seventies, working in most areas of the industry, variously as backline tech, truck driver, tour manager, production manager, studio owner, producer, educator, bass player and singer. No degree or other qualifications, they weren't available back then. It's had its lean times, but also a few bonanza years, which ultimately paid for my house. It's a big leap of faith, but if you're committed, good at what you do, reliable, roadworthy, and good at networking, there's a fulfilling, interesting and varied freelance career to be had if you're prepared to recognise opportunities and take them.

[gjones]

I have 3 friends, from Edinburgh, that completed music degrees.

 

One is a piano tuner in Berlin.

 

One is the drummer for Texas.

 

One went to Nashville to be a session drummer and ended up in a boyband (as the singer). He left the boyband and got himself a publishing deal and will soon be putting out an album under his own name in the US.

 

They all seem to be happy but their income situation (including my Nashville friend) is pretty precarious.

[ambient]

14 hours ago, Supernaut said:

Contacts, not degrees, get you better paid gigs. 

Maybe. But having a portfolio of music related skills will help even more. 

[ambient]

I did my music degree in 2012/15.
 

My main instrument was bass but I kind of got sidetracked and fell in love with the production/composition side of my course. So much so I did a masters followed by a PhD in composition.

 

I now teach music production, composition and music business at Level 3 and at degree level. From September I’m going to be teaching some performance courses too.

 

I absolutely love my job. I can only do it because I went to university. If I hadn’t gone then I probably wouldn’t have discovered my love for producing. 
 

Courses also equip you with a lot of so called ‘soft skills’ that employers really love.

 

You make invaluable contacts, both through your tutors and fellow students. 

[BigRedX]

All the people I know who have made a career in music have done it one of two ways.

 

The first group didn't bother with education beyond the sixth form college and often beyond GCSEs. They simply went out and got on with playing, writing or producing music and the most important bit which is building up contacts and general networking and making the most of any and every opportunity that came their way. In order to make this work, you'll need to be living and breathing music non-stop while you do this.

 

The other group who did go and get a music-related degree have ended up teaching the very same subject that they studied. Although there are plenty of other people I know who also studied something to do with music at university and now have jobs that have nothing to do with their degree course and do very little musical with the rest of their lives.

 

What I have found for those who make a living out of any creative endeavour (I include myself in this since my main source of income is graphics), is that for a long time you have to say yes to absolutely everything that come your way, work just about every hour that your not sleeping, and unless you are extremely lucky for every job you do that is artistically and creatively satisfying, there are a whole load of others that you will need to take on just to be able to keep paying the bills.

 

Good luck. You'll need it.