photo by Annie Mole
I estimate that 99.9% of songwriters hold some kind of day job. I’m talking about non-hobby musicians here — those of us who envision music as part of our professional future. It’s just the nature of this business. Only a fraction of a fraction of songwriters can actually make a living solely off of their music.
Until the royalty checks, label deals, and world tours take flight, we need to find a balance between keeping afloat financially - especially in a rough economy like this one - and pursuing turning our passion into our profession.
Don’t let the nine-to-five drain your enthusiasm! Here are some ways to use your day-job to your advantage and work it’s benefits into your goals as a songwriter:
1) Enjoy the extra cash, and spend it wisely
Money should never be the only reason for taking a job. But having cash in your pocket is never a bad thing. When you’re pursuing a secondary career outside of your current one, you will inevitably have added expenses outside of rent, bills, and groceries.
Every one’s situation varies, but working songwriters generally need to pay for equipment, rehearsal space, recording studio time, session players / band members, promotional materials, web design / hosting, gas and touring expenses, the list goes on…
Be sure to set aside a chunk of your paycheck for music-related expenses. Then be sure you are spending it wisely: Get the most out of your rehearsal and recording time, make sure your promotions are producing results, stay generally aware of how your expenses contribute to your overall progress.
2) Networking
The hardest part about beginning your career as a gigging songwriter is getting people to come out to your shows. We have all been there. Empty rooms. Bugging your friends and family to come out to a smokey bar at 11pm on a weeknight.
Working in an office or large workplace can help here. Your co-workers are another pool of friends that you can promote your gigs to. Include your fellow staff on your promotional emails. Drop your promo cards around your workplace. Encourage your co-workers to bring along friends when they come to see you.
3) Less Stress
It’s true that when you’re not struggling to pay the bills, you are less stressed. When you are stress free, you are more focused, and much more productive in meeting your goals and making progress.
As songwriters, there is an added layer of stress that must be dealt with and that is emotional stress. Songwriting is all about expressing emotion, and when you are more focused and relaxed, your creative flow is enhanced and you end up with material you are much happier with.
4) Time Management
I have been a freelance web designer for the past year, going back and forth between working from home and working on-site at client’s offices. I have found that when my work schedule is confined to a set chunk of hours in the day, I’m free to spend the rest of my day working on music. However, the downside here is that you can’t harness your inspiration at any time. It’s confined to only your off-time.
While the free and open nature of working from home offers a ton of flexibility for touring and working on music whenever I feel like it, it also has it’s disadvantages. Non-music work seems to creep up (and pile on) when you least expect it, resulting in late nights, missed band rehearsals, and less effort in promoting gigs.
No matter which field your day job is in, and how frustrated you may feel when confined to a cubicle, just remember to keep it in balance and find ways to use it to your advantage as a working a songwriter.
Enjoyed reading this post?
Get articles sent to you via EMAIL or RSS (what’s RSS?)
Pass this article on...
| 
| 
| 
| 
|
08/3/2009
11:43 am
ESP
I like the way you approach the marketing aspects of making music. I just don’t think this can be made possible in the kind of dog-eat-world economic system we have right now.
09/22/2009
7:29 am
Little Eden
I commute an hour each way by train every day, and I used to beat myself up about not spending time on my music until I realised the obvious - two hours a day during which nobody can distract my from my writing! Throw in a Macbook and Logic, and now I look forward to the journey more than any other part of the day. It’s all about using the time you have wisely.