How do artists support themselves??

[gnapier]

Hi everyone,

I'd really appreciate it if an interviewer would ask the straight up question:

"So, [fill in the name], it's been three years since your last CD release. What have you been doing to put food on the table and keep the lights on?"

Specifically, there are some artists that I listen to quite heavily who put out CDs and MP3s on a regular to semi-regular basis but to my knowledge don't really tour, have not licensed their tracks for commercials or movies, don't seem to offer schwag on their sites for purchase, etc. So how do these folks support themselves? Surely it's not from CD sales, or is it? I'm referring to artists like:

Boards of Canada
Helios
Kiln
Loscil
Marconi Union
Jumpel
Near the Parenthesis
Biosphere
Johann Johannsson
Julien Neto
Brian McBride
SND
Olafur Arnalds

Do they have day jobs? Teach music? Survive on arts grants? All of the above? I NEVER see anyone discuss this in interviews.

I posted this same question on my blog and in a couple of other forums. I'm hoping to gather good responses and eventually post them to my blog and share them with people. Anyway, if somebody has some insight, please share. Thanks in advance.

(My blog is http://www.nk-e.com. You can get a better - though not complete - picture of what I listen to here: http://www.last.fm/user/gnapier3)

[swishniak]

interesting question. i think its a topic alot of people dont like to openly talk about (money).

and i think there is no simple answer to the question. its probably a combination of:

-money from touring
-dayjobs (from suit + tie to working in bar)
-freelance (design / production)
-support from partner (spouse / gf / bf)
-a little bit of record sales

and dont forget the trust fund babies. . there are more of those in the music biz than you can shake a lemur at.

[altus]

I have a day job as a systems/network engineer. I know a fair amount of people who do the same while pursuing a music career. And then I know quite a few who come from rich families and never had to work a day in their lives, so they became "artists." It's a mix.

[MacGuffin]

some of the artists you've listed do tour. I've seen Biosphere and SND here in Montreal.
Geir Jensen (Biosphere) also does sound installations and other projects, which must help for governmental grants.

a lot of these artists are sort of ambient-ish or semi-experimental-ish.. which isn't always the best style to tour. most shows would be in specialized festivals like Sonar or Mutek, which there are a lot more of in Europe. Maybe they mostly tour there.

a lot of them must have dayjobs or freelance work.

this being said, are you sure Boards of Canada never licensed anything for a movie? they seem the most likely in your list to have some sort of royalties.

[gnapier]

BOC is probably the "biggest" of the names there and may well have licensed something (though I have not seen or heard it here in the States)...

[MacGuffin]

I just checked the Boards of Canada discogs page, and it all makes sense now:

They have tracks licensed on countless "chillout" compilations and so-called "lounge" music CDs. I've heard that can be pretty lucrative.

[3phase]

i guess to the biggest part with the left or the right hand...

[john doe by choice]

BOC haven't licensed any of their music to films as far as I've been able to tell, but they did license their music for two commercials, one for Telecom Italia, and one for BMW, but those commercials have been around for a while (although, to be honest, it was Chris Cunningham who directed those commercials, and I'm pretty sure he helped grease the wheels on that relationship). EDIT: Didn't know about the mix cd's and comps, don't really buy those.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQGyXVRiR5k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5hdT-Ri ... re=related

They also do produce/engineer for other people:

http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=139707

But all of that isn't regular enough to be consistent paying the bills, I'd bet. However, the other thing that BOC has is a rabid fan base...most people either love them or hate them, and even people who have been all about downloading ripped music actually buy albums from those guys. They also allow gossip and speculation to fly about their work, by avoiding interviews in general, meaning that part of what still sells their album today is the mystique behind their work. I'm also pretty sure that I've read in one of their few interviews that they wouldn't even advertise, given the choice, and that they'd rather their audience find out about BOC without any guidance. But, at the base of all of that, I'd bet they still sell plenty of albums, easily enough to live on, just on sales from itunes and bleep alone, even a couple of years after their last release. I wouldn't say it's a rich living, but enough. Warp also releases "limited stock" t-shirts for those guys once in a while through bleep (I know, I've bought one), and put a couple of their tracks on their Warp 20 compilation (or maybe they were covers of their tracks, can't remember off hand).

As far as those other bands go, I don't know, but BOC has created this world for themselves where the demand for them won't ever be fully met, which puts them at an advantage to others, I imagine. Considering that they are still an entity even though they've only released a few albums and never toured, I'd say they've got a pretty good formula worked out.

[Alextronica]

I sell drugs.

[swishniak]

BOC might be an example of another era too, as their records mostly came out in the pre-p2p age. they may even made a bunch of money with that. . . im not sure of the numbers.

but i would say its a different game now.

[gnapier]

Thanks all.

The responses have been interesting and there is some good info here. On another forum someone suggested that I actually contact some of these folks and just put the question to them.

THAT would be interesting.

"Umm excuse me. You don't know me from Adam, but I'd like to know how you support yourself between releases..."

Btw, BOC is sort of the "outlier" in that group and the most obviously "successful". I don't mean for them to distort the focus of the question.

[8O]

Over on http://www.myspace.com/heliosmusic, there's some video/commercial links - I'm assuming Helios gets paid to provide the music for these...?

Also Helios might get a little income from the fact that I tell everyone to buy Helios' Caesura, it's stunningly good.

[d-track]

many experimental/ambient artist are not only produing music but media arts/installations etc and teach at art schools and usually get grants too.
so touring not only means performing at "parties" but performing at universities, touruing between them and do workhops etc. these are usually not listed on their myspace pages for example biosphere is kind of alabove plus touring "normally" too and he makes film music.
media/design works (both graphics and audio) also a way to earn decent money.
thats how i see that, but there are exceptions of course.

btw record sales are not option for a living anymore...

[loydb]

Those that are making it fulltime do the same thing -- hustle. Teach, work as a sideman, have a solo project in the works, have collaborations in the works, always take the gig, etc. I'm sure a lot have a working spouse/partner, and you'd probably be surprised at how many have part- or full-time day jobs.

[subunit23]

BOC haven't licensed any of their music to films as far as I've been able to tell

Their track 'Gyroscope' appears in 'The Consequences of Love', directed by Paolo Sorrentino in 2004.

A beautiful movie btw