Who here works professionally in music??

smartabletonuser · Post by **smartabletonuser** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:22 pm

Who here works full time or full time freelance in music/music production?
How long has music been your primary source of income?

Just curious to see what other people are doing. Engineers, composers, DJs, Live PA etc.

I work as a freelance TV composer full-time. I've been doing it and related for 6 years.

EvilEvilEvilEvilEvil · Post by **EvilEvilEvilEvilEvil** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:47 pm

sorry

jb61264 · Post by **jb61264** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 10:01 pm

EvilEvilEvilEvilEvil wrote:who makes the best professional music?

Dr. Dre?
iTunes?
Danny Elfman?
Cubase?

Evil, your stupid little surveys and questions are cute and annoying in the same sense as long as they are within you own thread...what you've just done is hijack this guys very cool thread with your very stupid post.

SmartAbletonUser - I appreciate your post because I've also wondered who else on here is doing this professionally which I suppose is a subjective classification...do you consider someone professional if they get paid for their first 3 or 4 gigs or do you consider someone professional if they make their living at it...I know, I know semantics but just curious what your measuring stick is.

the last one · Post by **the last one** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:21 pm

i do. but it isn't my main income.

i can't imagine how anyone can make more than a few hundred grand in electronic DAW music these days without selling their souls to commercialism.

jb61264 · Post by **jb61264** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:11 am

the last one wrote:i do. but it isn't my main income.

i can't imagine how anyone can make more than a few hundred grand in electronic DAW music these days without selling their souls to commercialism.

i would LOVE to make just 1 hundred grand in electronic DAW

and hell, I would sell my soul to commercialism if it meant more...I mean, really, if you're making serious cash to buy serious equipment and continue doing not only the stuff that pays the bills but you'd certainly be able to work on your own interests also wouldn't you?

for me it is purely hobby and I really admire anyone who is good enough to be doing something they love and making money/living at it.

be interested to hear others feedback on this one.

slow riot · Post by **slow riot** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:39 am

haven't made a single penny from music, but I would like to think that one day I could earn enough from it to pay the bills.

Smartabletonuser how did you get into that field?

pieter · Post by **pieter** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:42 am

since march i work in a studio that makes music for television series, commercials, films. finally a nine to five job that i love.

jb61264 · Post by **jb61264** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:46 am

pieter wrote:since march i work in a studio that makes music for television series, commercials, films. finally a nine to five job that i love.

What was your background that enabled you to get that job?

andrew_ · Post by **andrew_** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:53 am

I make my living through this: http://www.songstowearpantsto.com

muscleandhate · Post by **muscleandhate** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:54 am

I suppose this discussion is on the fringe of the 'selling out' debate. Personally if I hear an Aphex Twin track used on an advert, I wouldn't really consider it 'selling out' per se. However if he had been vocal throughout his career about anti-commercialism or what not, then I suppose it I'd think of him as selling out. If someone offered me a few hundred grand to use my track I'd jump at the chance and I don't blame anyone for doing so. If I was a world class producer, I'd happily produce the next Madonna album etc.

jb61264 · Post by **jb61264** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:05 am

muscleandhate wrote:I suppose this discussion is on the fringe of the 'selling out' debate. Personally if I hear an Aphex Twin track used on an advert, I wouldn't really consider it 'selling out' per se. However if he had been vocal throughout his career about anti-commercialism or what not, then I suppose it I'd think of him as selling out. If someone offered me a few hundred grand to use my track I'd jump at the chance and I don't blame anyone for doing so. If I was a world class producer, I'd happily produce the next Madonna album etc.

I agree M&H...Crystal Method has their music all over commercials and the likes that I would never consider a "sell out"

pieter · Post by **pieter** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:12 am

jb61264 wrote:
pieter wrote:since march i work in a studio that makes music for television series, commercials, films. finally a nine to five job that i love.
What was your background that enabled you to get that job?

i studied law but audio production after that (6 years ago already). when i finished that it was hard to find a job in music, so i ended up in a publishing company (which was more related to my law degree). when i moved to canada i found the studio job that i'm doing now.

it's all about having a good portfolio and having the right connection. having the degree in audio production didn't make a difference, but the course helped to build my portfolio and network of course.

the last one · Post by **the last one** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:33 am

jb61264 wrote:
the last one wrote:i do. but it isn't my main income.

i can't imagine how anyone can make more than a few hundred grand in electronic DAW music these days without selling their souls to commercialism.
i would LOVE to make just 1 hundred grand in electronic DAW and hell, I would sell my soul to commercialism if it meant more...I mean, really, if you're making serious cash to buy serious equipment and continue doing not only the stuff that pays the bills but you'd certainly be able to work on your own interests also wouldn't you?

for me it is purely hobby and I really admire anyone who is good enough to be doing something they love and making money/living at it.

be interested to hear others feedback on this one.

i've been working under 3 or 4 different moneymaking identities for a few years now. people get to know you for a particular type or style of music, and you can't deviate from that.

so i have a chill-out/ambient/jazz name, a poppy dance name, a hiphop name and a conventional rock/acoustic name.

when i used to do all under the one name, i repeatedly confused and lost half my fanbase.

my greatest tip is knowing how to brand yourself and produce consistent work in a recognisable genre. if you deviate too much, your public won't like or understand it.

a funny thing that recently happened is i produced a hiphop track that was quite successful but heavily sampled another relaively popular track i'd done under my rock/acoustic name a few years before. several people in the press cleverly spotted both the sample and the lack of credit made to the original artist!

i think they are expecting me to sue myself...

muscleandhate · Post by **muscleandhate** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:42 am

Get in.

micah frank · Post by **micah frank** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 2:06 am

I've been working professionally in music for almost 5 years. Now I'm mainly running the Puremagnetik site, but I still do everything from ad music to teaching and sound design for everyone's favorite music software

I must tell you, it wasn't an easy road. 5 years ago I was working part time in a studio and the other part of the time I was putting up billboards in the west bank! Then I worked part time at a pet store. Finally, when I moved back to NYC, I got a job full time in a studio and built my reel up from there. Either way, it's still a job, and now I work 70 hours/week indoors on the cpu all the time. Sometimes I miss those old jobs, sometimes I dont.