Prog musicians juggling music career and work?

I was talking to a producer/writer friend of mine who was giving my music partner and I some pointers on the biz. Two things really stuck with me that are kind of intertwined. If you want the money, you have to play live. Too many fresh musicians make their album, and maybe even sink a lot of money into it, and then go "where are my fans?" The Internet certainly makes it easier for people to access your music, but it also makes it easier to get lost. Having an exciting live scene makes you stand out. This is hard right now because of the pandemic, but liveSTREAMING is a thing. My music partner and I hope to get on that (once we get some more members hopefully). The other thing he said, which kind of goes hand in hand with the previous point, is that people nowadays are bored of most popular music right now and they don't even know it. So many interesting sub-genres are either being rediscovered or repurposed from the 70s-90s, and other fresh ones are emerging. So many people are actually open-minded to something new, but they have so many places to listen to it that it kind of bores them. This is why jazz is having a rebirth in this interesting, avant/pop/hip-hop/R'n'B way. And plenty of fresh prog groups are taking pages out of the book of outfits like Dirty Loops, Snarky Puppy (both of which should be on PA), Louis Cole, Thundercat, Esperanza Spalding. All these really sick players who have FUN. Seeing people perform on stage is exhilarating when they're playing at such a level of virtuosity and musicianship as these guys, and watching them have fun with it makes it even more accessible. My partner and I would have these backyard concerts in college (we just graduated so the last three years) called Hot Loads of Jazz. We inherited this tradition from the previous house owners (as well as the hilarious name). But it grew into much more than a jazz fest. We played all kinds of stuff, and people loved it. People whom I thought would NEVER listen to this stuff. People who went crazy for my partner's amazing prog music (he's on PA, Jarod Fedele, check him out) AND for Snarky Puppy AND for Freddie Hubbard AND Tadd Dameron. There's interest for interesting stuff out there, you just have to grab people's attention. 

Oh well. (Also if anyone wants to join a band in the Los Angeles area, hit me up. Looking to play prog with a lot of jazz influence with hints of metal. We already have an LP's-worth of music written. Maybe it's a long-shot, but hey, I might as well use the Internet wisely. I know there are other threads for this, and I'll go there too eventually, but seeming as how I have some peoples' attention...)

I have often wondered how musicians have adapted to the heart of what this topic entails, and I have seen the proof here. I often wonder how any musician can earn something back for all the intellectual effort they put in to craft a song...day jobs are a must...a far cry from the old days and dreams of becoming a full-time musician. Add to that this awful virus, which has pretty much cut into money to be earned playing live. I give credit and support to anyone doing this. 

Edited by ginodi - August 15 2020 at 10:41

Grumpyprogfan wrote: Recording an album no longer costs much. A laptop, interface, headphones and instruments. Anyone can make an album. Problem after that is how are you going to interest people to listen. It used to be the job of the record company or manager to push your music to get played on the radio to get exposure. They would pay radio stations to play a song so many times a day. Now the artist has to wear all hats and many of them don't have the patience, time and money to do that. There are too many musicians trying to juggle work and music. I can't think of many that are successful enough to quit their day job. And sales from albums are nothing unless you sell millions. Most weekend prog musicians are lucky to sell 100 copies of an album. Streaming revenue pays even less. The artist gets approximately 1/1000 of a cent for one play. Very dismal. By touring and merch sales maybe the artist can break even, but if your job pays more, and covers health insurance, it seems like you would take that over poverty for your passion.

GolfBoi wrote: It's no secret that for most artists engaged in it, progressive music isn't a source of great wealth and fame. How do underground legends and aspiring musicians manage to get by when the sole process of recording an album demands great costs? The major prog acts of old have no doubt succeeded to guarantee themselves an extravagant lifestyle through the sales of legendary albums, but how do those who operated in niche regional scenes (e.g. Rock Progressivo Italiano) fare? I would imagine music production and songwriting for more mainstream acts to be two common career paths? Curious to hear the input of those well-versed in prog lore from reading numerous biographies and interviews as well as users who produce music in this style themselves.

Davesax1965 wrote: ... It's very much like sitting in a traffic jam and complaining about the amount of traffic, when you're a part of the traffic. Hey, there's no music coming out, no touring bands, no more free releases ! - ask yourself why.

Anybody have any idea what happened to CD Baby? This once excellent site has pretty much pulled the plug on its artists but still shows up in search results. It's perplexing and a great loss for many indie acts.

This is how it goes. 

Day job. I'm the Sales and Marketing (yep, "marketing") manager of a software company in Manchester, England's second city. (Arguable statement). I have 23 years experience, so please assume I understand marketing. I've also been a musician for nearly 45 years, so please assume I also understand that as well. 

Here's the statement: live music is DEAD. The "fans" - and the internet, but mainly the "fans" have killed it through greed. 

This is a very important thread and has given me much to think about.

Edited by Awesoreno - August 16 2020 at 12:21