drummingman
Gold Member
Not a bad option......you'll need a band first though won't you? That's your first point of call mate. I'm yet to see a solo drummer on MTV....christian or secular
Very true i must say
Not a bad option......you'll need a band first though won't you? That's your first point of call mate. I'm yet to see a solo drummer on MTV....christian or secular
Hey Drummingman,
Here are some ways to make money/a living from drums:
1) Join a function band or create one
2) Do sessions and tours for existing bands, composers, shows, events
3) Demonstrate gear at trade shows
4) Offer online sessions
5) Teach
6) Write for the magazines
If you diversify a little and do even a couple of these really well you'll be able pay your bills and fund your bigger goals.
Another piece of advice, never ask someone who hasn't made it, how to make it. Doing what you want is far from easy but it is possible if you have a good business brain to compliment you drumming skills.
Another piece of advice, never ask someone who hasn't made it, how to make it. Doing what you want is far from easy but it is possible if you have a good business brain to compliment you drumming skills.
Hey Drummingman,
Here are some ways to make money/a living from drums:
1) Join a function band or create one
2) Do sessions and tours for existing bands, composers, shows, events
3) Demonstrate gear at trade shows
4) Offer online sessions
5) Teach
6) Write for the magazines
If you diversify a little and do even a couple of these really well you'll be able pay your bills and fund your bigger goals.
Another piece of advice, never ask someone who hasn't made it, how to make it. Doing what you want is far from easy but it is possible if you have a good business brain to compliment you drumming skills.
Fantastic article! " a Gig Whore may claim to be working "in the trenches," the jazz musician within knows that he's really plumbing untreated musical sewage."
Thanks for sharing
I should've attached a warning- it's pretty dark satire! I don't believe he means to brutalize struggling musicians- he self-identifies as being at least a partial gig whore, like virtually everyone else who has ever worked professionally.
Since you've just given the OP six, actually seven points of advice I guess it's fair to assume that you yourself have "made it," no?
I certainly get where you are coming from, and to a degree it's a point well made.
But on the flip side, I don't have to hear it directly from Sir Edmund Hillary's mouth to know that climbing Everest is incredibly hard.....and that far less people who set off from base camp actually reach the summit.
Knowledge can be garnished from the experiences of many.....whether it be Tommy Lee or the guy working the local circuit.
This piece by the great Bill Anschell is written for jazz musicians, but much of it certainly applies to other areas of music. Probably even more so.
I totally agree with you pocket full of gold. Everyone has knowledge and experiences that we can benefit from but when the advice is primarily negative, un-useful and offers no practical solutions then you've got to ask where is this coming from and what use is it to me?
At least that's how I view the situation, I'm a solutions guy! ;-)
Thanks for your post man. Lots of good info!
Man, you read quick Aydee!!
but when the advice is primarily negative, un-useful and offers no practical solutions then you've got to ask where is this coming from and what use is it to me?
I totally agree with this. In my time online asking about how to make a living as a musician, especially in the context of one main band, the majority of things that i have heard have been negative. And i find that to be truly sad to be honest. Because it just shows me that a lot of people have given up on their true dreams and they live with a mindset of defeat when it comes to what they want to do. People have to remember that most of the bands that have made it started at the same place that we all start at. This just shows that it is very possible for any band to make it.
Incorrect. I've given up on nothing. You are missing my point.