All Bets Are Off - 3/01/2002

The Music Business
By Jon, Conval High School

It is so hard to get anywhere with a talent for music these days. Even if you get into a good music school and achieve a degree in music it is hard to find a job that will apply your skills. Playing an instrument is hard work. Some people don't realize the effort musicians have to put in in order to do what they love. I have to practice for at least an hour every day, plus do homework, plus go to work. It is quite a bit of exertion, but it is worth it. Sometimes it is hard to fit in practicing time every day, but practicing is essential to learning to do something better. Musicians that practice a lot become better and better at what they do, which makes them more likely to be able to get into a good music school, obviously. The point I am trying to make is that with a lot of musical talent, even a degree in music, it is often very difficult to get a job performing or playing. 

Finding music-related jobs is hard, but playing in a successful band is even harder. You have to be in the right place at the right time in order to make it anywhere with a band. You could be a member of the best rock band in the country and still not have any records out or be playing any shows. Becoming big stars all has to do with where you play and who hears you. Every day I listen to the radio and hear singers and groups that sound terrible, but they are famous because they met the right person in the right place. So many of today's artists should not be played on the radio, and so many of today's unknown bands and singers should be shining. It's like the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, if the timing is exactly right, it all works out great, but if you are off by a second it will end in tragedy. 

It is difficult for bands to make money even if they are playing at clubs. Managers take so much of their pay that unless you are a superstar, being in a band is hardly a job you can keep and survive. Managers know that members of a band will perform for almost nothing, just because they love to play. They know that they don't have to give the band members very much money and they will still play, which is not good if you're trying to make any money as a member of a band. There are many reasons why playing music is not the best way to make a living, but the most predominant reason that I can see is the fact that there just aren't enough jobs and people looking for musicians. Being a musician is not a very well paying job either. If you did get a small job or someone hired you to play for them you would only get paid small amounts unless you are playing for some big organization or band that is already made it big big. As long as you are smart and don't let your manager take all of your pay, being in a good band can be fun and a good way to make money, but that doesn't happen very often. If you think about how many people there are in this world and you think about how many times you hear the same songs over and over on the radio, there aren't too many bands and singers who make it big. Like I said before, being in a band that makes it and being in a band that doesn't totally relays on who hears you play and where.

Playing music is a great thing to do, but it doesn't bring in a lot of money. I have been playing the drums for about six years now, and I practice every day. I love to play, but I don't know whether I am going to try to play music for a living when I am older. Music is a very unstable field to go into because it is always changing. One day a song will be popular and the next it won't. Music styles are always evolving and new kinds of music become popular every day. It is true that some bands and performers make it big, but it is not often that a job in music pays off. If you love to do it than you should follow your dream, but at least have something to fall back on in case a job in music doesn't work out. 

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