Turning Professional - Updated 23rd November

I started a business once that grew out of a hobby. It was internationally recognized and quite successful.

I grew to hate my once beloved hobby. I sold the business after a few short years and was never happier. I still have zero desire to partake in that hobby.

Money and success are not everything. Be careful what you wish for.
 
I can turn pretty quickly but I don't think I'd call myself a pro. Maybe when I was younger.
 
Square said:
I started a business once that grew out of a hobby. It was internationally recognized and quite successful.

I grew to hate my once beloved hobby. I sold the business after a few short years and was never happier. I still have zero desire to partake in that hobby.

Money and success are not everything. Be careful what you wish for.
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Good point and thanks for your comments. I wish for neither money nor success though - I earn 50% of the average UK wage (which is £33k) in my day job, and once I leave that will halve again.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to headline Glastonbury but I’m also more than happy playing to 40 tourists in a small pub just as I do now. It’s rewarding playing and speaking to people from across the globe who’ve come to this corner of the world. I’ve likened it to the holiday coming to me instead of me going on holiday, there’s something enjoyable about speaking to people with different cultures over a shared love of live music.

My plan B if I get bored, run low on funds or decide to cut down on gigs is to get another outdoor part time job.
 
Many years ago i was orientating on a career path and my love for drumming made the idea of 'going pro' an option. In the end i realized it would take some serious dedication, also mean that i would probably play a lot of music that I'm not interested in and face the uncertainty of a solid and steady income. Pro's and con's i decided i just keep to what I'm doing now with absolutely no pressure.

There were some similar posts here about people wanting to go pro or people that went pro and were struggling, besides a little bit of luck it would take 100% dedication. When reading your posts that is something you realize and go for it! :)
 
iCe said:
Many years ago i was orientating on a career path and my love for drumming made the idea of 'going pro' an option. In the end i realized it would take some serious dedication, also mean that i would probably play a lot of music that I'm not interested in and face the uncertainty of a solid and steady income. Pro's and con's i decided i just keep to what I'm doing now with absolutely no pressure.

There were some similar posts here about people wanting to go pro or people that went pro and were struggling, besides a little bit of luck it would take 100% dedication. When reading your posts that is something you realize and go for it! :)
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Good post, thank you. For me it’s a case of, I’ve saved a bit of money, getting tired (mentally and physically) of my job and if I fail and mess everything up I simply get another job,

I know what you mean about the dedication and playing songs you don’t particularly enjoy. It’s something I’ve learned to go along with in recent years - one gig I’m playing Sex Pistols, the next night I’m playing Britney! 😂
 
2 hit wonder said:
I took a vow of poverty when I became a professional musician.
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same here...but I also grew up poor, so it is sort of what I always knew.

@Pete The Drummer : I think what would help is finding the niche that you want to be "professional" in, and maxing that out. It sort of already sounds like you are...that of a live drummer.

I am a professional teaching drummer. And like many said, that didn't happen by flipping a switch, but I did have to decide on a specific area to focus on first, back when I wanted to be "professional" at everything. (I wanted to be a rock star, a clinician, a famous drum corps instructor, have the best recording studio in the world etc. etc.). You find a niche, get real good at that, and then other things will follow along.

I think the most important thing that has helped me is ACTING professional in whatever situation I am in. All of the sudden, after about 10 years of that, and honing my chosen craft, I am considered "professional" for some reason.
 
I only know two kinds of people personally who play music professionally:

1. Type 1: None of them have kids they are responsible for (even though some of them have fathered kids). Most are divorced at least once. They play anywhere and everywhere they are asked; there is very little turning down gigs. They play with every band who asks them, no matter the genre. They attempt to build income from every way possible: YouTube channel, teaching (either private lessons, or public school or college), gigging, songwriting (which includes those "Pay me, and I'll write a song for you!" sorts of things), home recording, Tik Tok and Instagram, inventing crummy drum products, and any other thing you can think of. Many of them record remotely on collaborations, but they've not made much from doing so. I know a couple of folks who have moved to Nashville, and while they can name-drop "famous" songwriters who they've worked with, they haven't really accomplished anything. Next thing you know, 10-15 years have passed, and you've done nothing outside of that town and not made much of anything. Nashville is known as the "ten-year town" for a reason I guess.


2. Type 2: They have money from parents, and they are able to play music full time without worry of starvation, a place to live, a car to drive, etc. I'm not bitter or anything; it's just what I've seen.


I'm not trying to discourage you or anything, but it's really hard out there. If I was going to go at it full time, I'd do my best to have multiple income streams and not just rely on performing. During this season of live music, so many of us musicians are being replaced by a Mac. We REALLY have to step up our game and provide something that the people want to see.
 
mikyok said:
If you can pay the bills, feed yourself and keep enough aside to cover tax and a rainy day, do it.

I've never been brave enough to take the plunge. Encountered far too many skint imposters pretending to be professional musicians.
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From the evidence that I've seen on this forum from you......

A) I thought you WERE a professional drummer.

B) You could make a killing out of your tubs mikyok........I really like reading your posts mate.
 
I’ll try to reply to everyone briefly. Over the weekend I’ll be doing my first update covering finance/money which should explain how exactly I’m affording it.

@Benthedrummer great advice, thank you!

@mikyok I know what you mean, I’ve encountered some of those too. One I knew was even having to sofa surf, each to their own but that’s not for me.

@Chris Whitten I’m on it, I’ll have a significant amount of emergency funds available. More details about the finance side in my update over the weekend.

@Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX Great post, perfectly put. I think my expertise is gigging in venues where a lot of drummers would struggle - there’s 2 venues I gig at where I’m the only drummer who plays there (backing a singing guitarist) purely because I’m able to adapt - sometimes I’m playing just snare and brushes.

@PorkPieGuy Thank you for the advice. Personally I don’t think I fit in either category. In a roundabout way I’m funding this myself by saving up, again hopefully things become clearer when I do a post about the finance side. I wish my parents would subside it but sadly one passed away young and the other has the attitude of ‘if you want it, you have to go out and get it son, I’m not funding it.’
 
Benthedrummer said:
From the evidence that I've seen on this forum from you......

A) I thought you WERE a professional drummer.

B) You could make a killing out of your tubs mikyok........I really like reading your posts mate.
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You're too kind, I'm professional in I play for money at weekends and it's a job like any other. They're well paid professional gigs and I do work with full time professional musicians on them, but I have a day job. I get a bit of dep work here and there which is nice.

I wouldn't wanna go full time pro. There's no chance to be a professional drummer in my neck of the woods solely on playing. I'm not into teaching either. You have to travel 99% of the time to find the good paying gigs and it's not consistent at all.

I treat it like a cheeky bit on the side that justifies going to university all those years ago and I can smile and say I've paid off my music degree through drumming! I've seen guys who go pro and it turns them into different people.

Don't get me wrong if a right place, right time opportunity arose I'd dive at it but I keep my feet firmly on the ground.

Also in my experience being a professional musician doesn't mean you're a good musician necessarily. I've played with some real shite players who do music full time.
 
Unlike most professions, there's no "career path" for the arts (unless you intend to teach at the college level.) And doing all the right things to excel at your craft and get your name out there isn't a guarantee of success... although you still must do them. Networking is a must - getting ahead isn't about who you know, it's about who knows you. There's also the luck factor - being at the right place at the right time - but there's no way to know where and when those are.

But taking a leap isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes you are more determined when you are forced to be, and persevere in ways that you might not otherwise. Obviously you must consider your finances. If you have no debts and your cost of living is low, you can certainly get by just playing club dates. Not in L.A. or New York City... but depending where you live, it can be done.
 
I'll add that corporate gigs and weddings pay well as far as local work, although DJs have become the affordable option for event planners and their clients on a budget.

Touring generally pays the most, but the work is rarely steady and it means being away from home, which is not always an option. And free-lance touring opportunities aren't very common if you're not already in a touring group... unless you're in-demand that kind of work (such as Paul Leim, JR, Josh Freese, etc.)
 
'I'd say/guess" 7% of drummers make a professional living out of it.
And I think it's always been that way from Ginger Baker's day to today.
(heck even Gene Krupa's day +/-
Hasn't changed.
It's not the end of the world though; as far as practice enjoyment benefits besides monetary and/or widespread recognition.
Local or regional can be loads of fun too
just don't take widespread recognition too seriously
- You know what happened to Janis Jimmy and Jim
 
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At the Sweetwater recording workshop with Kenny Aronoff, he told the student group that, when the music industry began collapsing due to music streaming, he had to decide where best to live. At the time he was living & teaching in Bloomington, Indiana, and the recording and performance gigs would pay enough for him to fly to Los Angeles or New York, and he would drive to Nashville.

He decided on L.A. cuz the movie biz hires musicians and he could offer marimba/bells/tympani to clients. Plus “there’s lotsa rockers there, too.”

I consider it a huge sacrifice to move from one of the most beautiful areas in the country, with one of the best music schools, to Los Angeles. I never would’ve done it.

He’s obviously done very well and feels he made the right decision.
 
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jda said:
'I'd say/guess" 7% of drummers make a professional living out of it.
And I think it's always been that way from Ginger Baker's day to today.
(heck even Gene Krupa's day +/-
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Sadly, housing/rental costs in the US have outpaced the salaries of many jobs. More-so than gas prices, utilities and food, the gap between income and the cost of a roof over your head is really wide compared to 40+ years ago.

In 1978, I was a full-time working drummer. I lived alone in a nice 1-br apartment, owned my car (a Volvo), had no debts, ate well, bought albums, and even had a little money in the bank. I played 6 nights a week - a house gig at a Holiday Inn - and made $140.

Per week.

But it worked because my rent was $125/mo. (in L.A.!)

So while a similar gig might pay 5x as much today, that apartment has gone up 20x.

My point is, housing has become the biggest culprit for how far our income goes. A working musician did fine back in the day, but those same gigs - even with improved pay - just don't cut it now (at least not in L.A.)
 
Pete The Drummer said:
A mixture of things;

I gig locally a lot, I live 5 miles from one of if not probably the second most touristy city in England (after London) which is crammed full of pubs, most of them putting on live music. Last month I did 20 paid local gigs (local to me is under 50 miles).

I paid off my house a few years ago so my outgoings are very low. I’ve also been saving money from both my job and my gigs so I have something to fall back on if gigs do dry up.

This approach probably confuses a lot of people, and sounds risky too. But the personal tragedy I went through made me realise you only live once.
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Well ok then, that makes all the difference!

Good luck!
 
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