Music is a cruel mistress

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dragonworks

dragonworks

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I finally gave up. After 55 years of playing music, I've had it. Quit the band, my band, taking my studio equipment and going home.
 
the only way to make any real money is to tour, my days on the road are over. What passes for music most of the time these days is beyond me?
 
I feel your pain! As you indicate, the only way to make real music is to tour. Touring can be a grind even for artists who can afford to travel "1st class". For average "road dogs" it takes a real "fire in the soul" to travel in a van or school bus, sleep on the bus/in the van or on someone's fllor and if the gigs pay well enough, in a cheap motel. Eating fast foot gets old and the hours and hours of boredom (how many malls can you walk around or how many art museums can you visit). It's a challenge when you are a young musician - but the older you are, the harder it gets.

I no longer drink or indulge in other substances, so talking to mind numbing drunks at venues - or even sober but boring audience members becomes unbrearable. Maybe, a lucky few enjoy the music they play (although even original music gets sickening after playing the same songs noght after night.

Over the last few years, I've lost the fire. I still play maybe one gig a month - only if it's close to home, pays well and does no involve being in a bar until 2:00am. I'm 62 and I managed to keep the fire buring until a couple of years ago. INow I would much rather spend my energy writing and recording material that I feel challenges and interests me. I enjoy the 2-3 hours on stage (although even then, almost every song that I end up playing is something I've played waaaay too many times) - but I can no longer tolerate all the other things that go with gigging.

To me - music (at least live music) is not a mistress - it feels more like a wife of almost 50 years who nags me non-stop until I want to plunge my drumsticks deep into my brain, through my ears.
 
Hey bro, I'm 61 and even though my band days are over I'll never stop playing. Just lately I've gotten back into writing and recording at home because it's what I love more than just about anything. I'm single, my son is married with two kids of his own, so I love the "company" that music provides. I also love the fact that I can work on it for days or I can ignore it for days and it doesn't complain! I love the idea of coming up with something new and then taking on the challenge of furthering that idea and seeing what I can turn it into. I'm under no illusions of anything either...like "making it" and you know what? That's okay!!

I too slugged it out for years in bars, I traveled, put up with all the nonsense, gave it my best shot and I'm glad I can say at least I tried. But it doesn't mean I'm going to quit. I may not be this or that as a player or as a writer, but it's part of who I am and I can't deny it. So keep rolling with it and just have fun in doing so even if it's on your own.

These days my only "gig" is once every three weeks at church and purely from a "playing out" perspective I find I'm quite satisfied with that.

Good luck to you.
 
DW, if you can sing (and/or play decent lead guitar) I could use you. Not sure the genre you're into, I kinda do everything anchored with (harder) rock roots.

I stopped gigging more than a decade ago for the general reasons expressed here. Home recording has been fun, and I've sharpened my mixing skills quite a bit in that time thanks to not having to rehearse/play out all the time. There's also a tremendous amount of musical freedom in knowing that you don't have to necessarily worry about pleasing a crowd. Equally - you can make music that would be impossible to reproduce live. It certainly removes some of the shackles from the 'music' part of making music.
 
I've felt like quitting alot too. Just selling everything and playing video games instead :p

Thing is it's the only real outlet I have. Just picking up a guitar everyday and keeping record of improvements is fun enough for me. Don't really give a shit about too much else. I don't like any new music that's on the radio and don't really like how stale and predictable society has become. Music is a great example of that. It's all just a big ball of turd rolling down a hill. I say F everything and if it doesn't make you happy, don't do it...
 
FoulPhil said:
I've felt like quitting alot too. Just selling everything and playing video games instead :p

Thing is it's the only real outlet I have. Just picking up a guitar everyday and keeping record of improvements is fun enough for me. Don't really give a shit about too much else. I don't like any new music that's on the radio and don't really like how stale and predictable society has become. Music is a great example of that. It's all just a big ball of turd rolling down a hill. I say F everything and if it doesn't make you happy, don't do it...
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And Phil, it is still cheaper than chasing women.
 
Greg_L said:
Lol. There's no money in touring. Touring costs money.
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only way to actually make money is covers in local bars ....... I can pull in 4k a month doing that. But even though that's good bucks for a player ..... LOTS of real jobs pay more and I have to work hard to do that.

But touring doesn't make a lot and original music is a money loser in general.
 
Greg_L said:
Lol. There's no money in touring. Touring costs money.
Click to expand...

tell that to Neil Young (I know you don't like him!), doing venues with 4000 seats and grossing a million (and more) per show.
 
mjbphotos said:
tell that to Neil Young (I know you don't like him!), doing venues with 4000 seats and grossing a million (and more) per show.
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:facepalm: x 10000000000000000000

Are you fucking kidding me? Seriously? I know you're woefully stuck in the stone ages, but come on dude.

I'm talking about for the millions of nobodies out there. The garage bands that can't even generate a local following that think going "on tour" is a good idea. There is no money in that, and it will cost way more than they can make.
 
mjbphotos said:
tell that to Neil Young (I know you don't like him!), doing venues with 4000 seats and grossing a million (and more) per show.
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right ..... but we're talking for the average Joe who's NOT Neil Young.
Sure ....... if I can be Paul McCartney touring pays but I can't just choose to be famous.
For you and me touring doesn't make money.

If you're young and want to go on the road then by all means do it.
I spent some years on the road (touring) and even made some money because it was 40 years ago when there was a music industry that paid for music although the expense of being on the road ate into that pretty good.
But these were some of the most memorable times of my life and I enjoyed every second. I think any young player with no responsibilities yet should do it ..... it's a chance to travel and have it mostly paid for.

But even back in the day there were times when we went hungry ..... for the regular guy touring isn't the way to make any money.
 
Derek Jeter makes millions playing baseball. I should do pretty well then playing beer-league softball!
 
Greg_L said:
:facepalm: x 10000000000000000000

Are you fucking kidding me? Seriously? I know you're woefully stuck in the stone ages, but come on dude.

I'm talking about for the millions of nobodies out there. The garage bands that can't even generate a local following that think going "on tour" is a good idea. There is no money in that, and it will cost way more than they can make.
Click to expand...

I have a friend in band which is very successful right now by any measure.
They consistently chart and are known, to some extent, in many countries across the world.

They've been touring on a global scale with very powerful people behind them and, as far as I know, turned their first profit this year....
Year five!

My personal experience is limited but any income I've seen has been from gigs, like Lt.Bob says, or from royalties and you can only really be sure of getting one of those.
 
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