Your Top 5 Ways to Start a Real Music Career Now
If you are one of the many people who watch American Idol, and wish they could be the one on stage, with a chance at a music career, you probably know what a long shot that is.
What you don't understand is that the best music careers are available without all the stress and disappointment of trying for Idol.
Here's a short list of much easier paths into really fun music careers that can last you a lifetime.
1 - Local Music Producer.
People everywhere record music for a variety of reasons.
Some of them have a band with original material.
Some are songwriters who want to create demos of their work to try to get it placed with a publisher or artist.
Individuals and groups everywhere need to record, and few of them know how to prepare their music for recording, and for being played by studio musicians.
With some reasonable experience in recording techniques, arranging techniques, and enough knowledge of the capabilities of instruments, you really can make a living as an independent music producer.
True, the gigs may not have international audiences of millions of screaming fans, but it can be your ticket to doing music for a living.
That beats flipping burgers, right? 2 - Music Teacher.
Suppose you have no way of getting the studio experience you would need to be a producer, but you play some instrument, or sing, really well.
As long as you can read notes (and sometimes chord charts), have a good sense of time and pitch, and have a little patience, you can become a good teacher.
Local teachers don't have to starve.
If you combine an individual lesson one week with a group lesson the next (alternating), you can build a music career and make almost twice as much per hour as those who teach only individually.
Also, if the idea of a lot of college study sounds good to you, with a doctorate in music you can teach at a college or university, a choice that has many perks.
3 - Sound Engineer Jobs.
If you gain some technical knowledge, and love electronic music gear, you can build a reputation as a recording engineer.
Local studios, built in a garage or basement, can charge anywhere from $20 per hour to $100 per hour (and sometimes more), depending on how much gear, and of what quality level, they have to offer paying clients.
Skills include knowing how to mic each instrument for its best sound, how to create a music mix that is free of clutter, fun to hear, and has a lot of energy and detail in lots of different systems.
If you are both musical and a nerd, this career can be heaven.
There are also institutional jobs that you can get with these skills if self-employment is not your thing.
4 - Music Equipment Sales or Servicing.
So you are not much of a player or singer, and you have no aptitude for teaching or engineering, you can still earn a living selling the right gear to those who are aspiring to American Idol, or some other high-level music career.
There is no shame in assisting others.
And in most of these jobs, you are surrounded by the best gear; guitars, amps, drums, keyboards, you name it.
There are worse ways to earn a living! 5 - Recording Session Musician.
If your playing or singing skills are good enough, you can make $50 to $200 per hour as a session musician.
You know all that music that plays in movies and on TV? It is performed by session players.
Be warned, though, in the bigger metros, they are very, very good; often better than the artists they play for.
In smaller cities, while the necessary skill level is lower, it is still significant.
It is, however, worth every hour of practice to acquire such musical skills.
To wrap up, then, you do not need to count on a long shot like American Idol; with some dedication and training, you can have a music career as a teacher, producer, player, sound engineer, or in many other areas, and earn your living with music!
What you don't understand is that the best music careers are available without all the stress and disappointment of trying for Idol.
Here's a short list of much easier paths into really fun music careers that can last you a lifetime.
1 - Local Music Producer.
People everywhere record music for a variety of reasons.
Some of them have a band with original material.
Some are songwriters who want to create demos of their work to try to get it placed with a publisher or artist.
Individuals and groups everywhere need to record, and few of them know how to prepare their music for recording, and for being played by studio musicians.
With some reasonable experience in recording techniques, arranging techniques, and enough knowledge of the capabilities of instruments, you really can make a living as an independent music producer.
True, the gigs may not have international audiences of millions of screaming fans, but it can be your ticket to doing music for a living.
That beats flipping burgers, right? 2 - Music Teacher.
Suppose you have no way of getting the studio experience you would need to be a producer, but you play some instrument, or sing, really well.
As long as you can read notes (and sometimes chord charts), have a good sense of time and pitch, and have a little patience, you can become a good teacher.
Local teachers don't have to starve.
If you combine an individual lesson one week with a group lesson the next (alternating), you can build a music career and make almost twice as much per hour as those who teach only individually.
Also, if the idea of a lot of college study sounds good to you, with a doctorate in music you can teach at a college or university, a choice that has many perks.
3 - Sound Engineer Jobs.
If you gain some technical knowledge, and love electronic music gear, you can build a reputation as a recording engineer.
Local studios, built in a garage or basement, can charge anywhere from $20 per hour to $100 per hour (and sometimes more), depending on how much gear, and of what quality level, they have to offer paying clients.
Skills include knowing how to mic each instrument for its best sound, how to create a music mix that is free of clutter, fun to hear, and has a lot of energy and detail in lots of different systems.
If you are both musical and a nerd, this career can be heaven.
There are also institutional jobs that you can get with these skills if self-employment is not your thing.
4 - Music Equipment Sales or Servicing.
So you are not much of a player or singer, and you have no aptitude for teaching or engineering, you can still earn a living selling the right gear to those who are aspiring to American Idol, or some other high-level music career.
There is no shame in assisting others.
And in most of these jobs, you are surrounded by the best gear; guitars, amps, drums, keyboards, you name it.
There are worse ways to earn a living! 5 - Recording Session Musician.
If your playing or singing skills are good enough, you can make $50 to $200 per hour as a session musician.
You know all that music that plays in movies and on TV? It is performed by session players.
Be warned, though, in the bigger metros, they are very, very good; often better than the artists they play for.
In smaller cities, while the necessary skill level is lower, it is still significant.
It is, however, worth every hour of practice to acquire such musical skills.
To wrap up, then, you do not need to count on a long shot like American Idol; with some dedication and training, you can have a music career as a teacher, producer, player, sound engineer, or in many other areas, and earn your living with music!
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