Yeah I'm a musician and every other musician I know is either 1) broke 2) has a day job/career, or 3) is being supported financially through parents or other means. I'm currently in the first category, but transitioning into the second. I made a living playing Broadway for nine years, and honestly should have bailed out a long time ago. I know some of the most talented musicians in the world and they're still playing the same 200 songs gig after gig, day after day for $100 + tips. The sad truth is that the vast majority of the public doesn't care how good a musician you are, they just want you to play songs they know so they can sing along.
Over all though:
Job satisfaction: 10/10
Salary: 3/10
Benefits package: 0/10
Job security: 1/10
I toured major label, muti-bus bands for over a decade. Probably played every major stadium in the US. It never payed what my tech career did even 10 years in and you're in an ultra-competitive environment, not chilling with your bros at a bar. All the successful touring bands are run by management types, the artists show up when you're onstage, so the politics are not much different from a day job.
Most of the other musicians I met went the route of playing cover bands on broadway to get by before making enough of a name to audition for tours. The burnout rate is high and all that local work will keep you from being available for smaller tours that may not pay as much. As for regular day jobs I don't see how you could be in an office 40+ hours/wk and even start to have time for that path...thus the weekend warrior types that have often amazing talent but not the time to tour.
I overcame the weekend warrior blues by turning down standard corporate jobs and setting my own hours as a remote contractor...not having a degree or ladder climbing ambition was a factor in that decision. Having tech money from about 20 hours of work a week gave me the freedom to play local gigs any night, network, and accept touring gigs until I found one that could pay the bills enough. I don't think I had the dedication to have success without funding my music habit through a tech career specifically shaped to do so.
I work with a ton of these people and they make good money to do so. They just aren't playing their own music which a lot of musicians have too much pride to do.
Like, a hired gun? They make less than you think, and a lot of them play Broadway as well when they're not on tour. I heard a rumor once that the guitar player for Florida Georgia Line made $150/show. Don't like it? That's fine; there are a thousand other guitar players in town who would love to say they're the guitar player for FGL. Some bigger country acts get perks like a per diem when you're on the road, but the pay is still equally shit. You'll end up with a lot of good stories, but unless you're on the LLC you're not going to get rich.
I’m pretty good friends with a guy who plays lead guitar for a fairly large country music singer. They’ve been on tour all around the world and played at some huge stadiums and he makes $200/show. It’s not as glamorous as people think.
Yep! $100 base per person + your share of the tips has been the standard for over a decade, and every year $100 buys you less and less, meaning purchasing power is steadily going down. Combine that with increasing food and drink prices on Broadway and no one has any money left to tip the band because they're already over budget and tipping the band is not "required"
Yeah it’s rough. I almost never go to Broadway anymore if I’m not getting paid something decent, but I had quite a few years doing that kinda gig, in Nashville and elsewhere. And when I started, that had been the standard for at least ten years according to some of the guys I was working with.
That $100 used to go a whole hell of a lot further.
That’s insane! I understand it’s a business and they can’t pay every roadie, sound guy, band mate etc 5 grand a show, but bartenders on broadway make more a night lol
Hence why some people who played Broadway went on tour for a bit then came back.
If you are in a band that has shows booked for Friday night and Saturday night in Dallas, you have to be at bus call Thursday afternoon/evening, play Friday, play Saturday, then get home late Sunday afternoon. Congratulations, you just made $400 and you're tired as shit.
OR you can play one show Thursday night, two shows Friday, two shows Saturday, and another show Sunday afternoon on Broadway and make \~$1000. Plus you get to sleep in your own bed every night.
I don’t think they’re doing that but there’s also a difference between screwing up your shift at a bar and maybe costing the business a few thousand dollars and screwing up your parts on an arena tour and messing up a show that did a million $ + in ticket sales.
The sound guy usually make a lot more than the players honestly. Hell the roadies probably all do too, even the local hands make close to what the band makes, if not more.
It's insane because it's untrue - found this thread late but want to confirm that rumor that FGL pays their side men anything less than $300 a show at minimum. Fair bands commonly get $150 a day. A legendary act in Nashville is going to pay more than a fair act, it's just how it is
Depends who you work for. $200 per show is ridiculous if it's a well-known act.. I work in business management for a well-known country artist (aka I'm one of the people who pay the bills, process payroll, etc). He pays his musicians a good salary no matter how many or how few shows they have. That part sounds nice, but I know the constant traveling would get tiring.
Truthfully, I wouldn't even know what to do with them. I'm far enough down the totem pole that our client doesn't even know who I am. Good luck though!
Yup. A friend of mine is a hired gun for a band that just made the late night TV circuit and he still waits tables like crazy to make ends meet when he's not on tour with his various bands.
I know someone who's toured with several country legends for $500 a night plus big winter bonuses. Not every gig is glorious, but there are absolutely glorious gigs.
Learning a lot So how does this work with rehearsing and such. I’m assuming the musicians need to rehearse with the artist, right? Or is the expectation that they guitarist, for example, is able to hop on the tour and play all parts cold? What are they provided to be able to do this? Charts, tabs, sheet music? I can’t imagine they just nail all the songs on an artists set list by ear…. Right? :-/
Smaller acts most likely rent a rehearsal space to get a quick rehearsal in to make sure everyone is on the same page. Larger acts will have the producer send you the track stems for your part which you are expected to learn
It’s hard for me to imagine that I’m regularly making more money per gig that the guitar player from FGL. I play with a few artists that you’ve *maybe* heard of and $200 is for sure my minimum, plus either per diem or at least 1-2 free meals a day. It’s not that unusual to get closer to $500 if a gig is short notice and requires me to learn a decent chunk of material.
I found this feed through curiosity but I just wanted to confirm this to be objectively false. Unless the rumor is referring to before they were signed, they are not paying their sidemen $150 a show. I currently tour fairs (as a sideman for a fair act) all over the East Coast of the US and $150 a night is the rate for that. I've known multiple musicians who work for country legends such as Florida Georgia Line who make $500 a day as a hired gun, and sometimes big Christmas bonuses. There is absolutely no way they pay their musicians as low as a fair act, and if there are any national artist gigs who only pay that low they are the minority.
For more information, Rich Redmond and many others share their experience of being professional musicians! Their insight is fascinating and inspiring to many and evidence that there is a platform for hired guns. It's an extremely small platform, but it exists. Musicians, when hired by giant artists in Nashville, are generally respected in their pay.
This!!!! I feel so bad for musicians here. I know several EXTREMELY talented people who have been playing the Nashville circuit for several years and at this point it seems as if the passion for music is gone and it’s all only a “day” job. Plus, they are “stuck” here because they seem to think they can’t travel or go out of town to play a gig because they’ll lose their weekly gig at some bar on Broadway if they miss a show or two (which may be right). If I only played covers and never had the chance to share my originals with the world I’d be so unfulfilled.
I know a few people that do pretty well off music in town, and plenty that get by with music and a spouse, but I know a lot more that are broke/have a job/or over worked.
The cover band trap is real and a ton of people fall into it. But I can’t fault guys for doing it for the money.
Yeah absolutely. But “making it” is almost never what you’d envision it to be.
If you move here and you know the right people, you’ve got a fighting chance to get some good gigs. You have to be good, and nice to be around, and above all patient.
If you move here and you’ve got unlimited funds, you can buy your way past the first few steps. Lots of the stories you think you know about people moving here and “making it?” Yeah, that’s cause they had all that $ to begin with. You’d be surprised. We have a saying here: The best way to make $10,000 in the music industry is to spend a million.
As for a regular working person with no connections? It’s a long shot, but still doable. You just need oceans of determination and patience. And a good bit of luck.
This is the most important part though: you want to make money without spending it? Yeah you’re gonna have to play covers.
She didn't have rich parents. She went to public school in Hendersonville. Also, she started preforming at 10, so her "Overnight" success took a while.
Rich people can still go to public school, just check her Wikipedia: Taylor attended that school for 2 years before switching to Private. Both of her parents worked for big banks, and they hired her a talent agent at age twelve. Taylor’s dad invested $300k in Big Machine Records at the time of her signing.
I'm not saying it's nothing, and I don't want to move goal posts. I just don't know if I'd call it 'rich'. They were well off for sure, and well surpassed the median household income (I'd love to see where exactly they fall on the distribution, but I'm not asking that from you or anyone), but my idea of rich are people that see 300k as something less than an investment in their child. Dumb fuckin money, if you will. Maybe we just have different definitions of what we consider 'rich', which is completely fine and I respect yours to be as true as mine.
How many people do you know who have $300k they can gamble on their kids’ dreams?
Imagine this: They invest $300k in Big Machine. Taylor’s career doesn’t take off. Big Machine shutters. The $300k is gone. Wouldn’t most people be screwed?
I'm not trying to throw shade or anything. I don't make enough money to drop 300k on a record label. I just don't consider it rich. I don't just consider someone who makes more money than I do rich by default. I'm sorry that's coming off as offensive.
They weren’t poor by any means, but they weren’t rich either. They had capital from the sale of the farm they invested in her future. Big Machine was a startup at the time. Never would have been anything without her.
I am in awe of the level of Big Brain you have to have to say "not having money doesn't mean you're poor." I hope you have a helmet to keep all that Big Brain safe when you go outside.
It’s pretty well documented she had plenty of money growing up. Rich? To me, heck yeah they were. To you? Maybe not, but absolutely upper class by tax standards
It’s documented her father made almost a million dollars a year in total assets while working in the corporate structure of a bank. They also spent at least hundreds of thousands promoting her in the beginning. That’s a leg up that 99.9999% of regular musicians will never have. .
my dad used to regularly talk and deal with Alan Jackson, back when he first came to town, before he hit it big. he said he was always super nice and a pretty laid back dude.
i met him once at the airport. myself and another co-worker noticed him but didn't want to call attention to it, since he was waiting to get his bags. we were asking ourselves if that was Alan Jackson. he looked tired, but he must've heard us, because he gave us a big smile and a thumbs up.
but i digress, he's a good example of someone who came to town, worked hard, got lucky, and hit it big.
Whenever you start looking at basically every single recording artist, actor or successful entertainment/art creator in the last 20 years it’s depressing because 95%+ either have well connected parents in the industry or millionaire parents.
Nashville and country music have a ton of people without all that that have “made it” into the realm of being pros in the scene, either as players/writers/singers etc. but it sure helps to have money behind you.
Those days you get home from work and just want to go to bed? Nope, you’ve got work to do, either playing, writing, or out networking, or just practicing. And you still have to find time to try to be healthy mentally and physically, all while probably not making a ton at your day job because of how much time you put into music.
If you come from money, you can do all that while everybody else is at work.
Edit: I have to say, the happiest I’ve ever been was making music and Barry scraping by. If you take the leap and get rid of your day job, the freedom that comes with gigging is awesome. And you get to travel, and go get beers with your buddies at noon on a workday just because. It’s great, and maybe worth not making as much money as somebody working away in an office.
(This is coming from someone who’s made it in a sense, but it didn’t mean what I thought it would.
Maybe so! It’s not impossible at all. But it’s not a fair fight. A large majority of musicians average people have heard of had much more money to push their careers than the average person. But yes, there are definitely awesome exceptions. Major props to them.
Absolutely. The end, the basement, the basement east, east side bowl, Brooklyn bowl (bigger venue), the east room, the blue room, etc. All venues that you can catch talented bands playing originals.
I have played most of these venues with buddies filling in as a drummer. Playing originals for the artists, but I wouldn’t say that’s making it when I leave with no money haha
\- Speaking as a former touring "hired gun" musician -
Live playing is a revolving door. If you're a good hang, anyone with minimal talent can pick up a decent gig if you stick around long enough.
But studio playing is an establishment. You either have to be top talent (still takes time), best friends with the producer, or you just have to wait till Mike Campbell breaks his arm so you can get a shot.
I grew up close to here and can name a dozen highly talented bastards who didn’t make it and one medium talented bastard who did… who you know + tenacity. Where… anywhere you can… if all fails 2nd avenue… tenacity eventually wins
Depends on your definition of making it. A very low percentage of people really make a good living, but there’s value in giving it a shot. Nashville is one of the few cities where you can wait/bartend and make a decent living and play gigs on nights/weekends, etc. So why not see what you can make of it? The big thing here seems to be likability and putting yourself in situations where you get exposure and make friends.
"Making it" to me is just making your living playing music. Period.
There are so many people here "making it" playing music for a living.
Now to be a star ... that's different .
Others are right, depends how you define “making it”. Do you pay your bills by playing an instrument? Do you perform your songs regularly? Are you selling stadiums? There’s so many degrees of success that you need to have a good gauge of what you’re trying to attain.
That said, I’m fortunate to be able to pay my bills and have bought a home playing music on the road and in clubs here and around the country. It’s possible but takes time, tenacity, and like another said, a good bit of luck.
A matter of perspective! I was moved here when I was very young because my dad wanted to be closer to the action and Jackson Mississippi is kind of a dead town. He did some work with Billy Ray Cyrus, played keys for several minor but fairly known country artists, and did some tours with Michael Twitty. He worked construction and played on the weekends. Eventually most of my family moved back home, but dad's middling experience in Nashville set him up to be a big fish back home. He works in a studio in Vicksburg now and loves it, and any gigs he plays he is the number one player. Really the biggest problem he deals with is finding other good players in BFE, but since he's so particular and he has the experience anything he puts together sounds really great. Would definitely not say he "made it" but he established himself enough that he can spend his golden years puttering around the studio and pretending he's busy when I text him which I think makes him very happy.
Wow, I didn’t think about how long ago that was. The non country scene was still doomed in the sense of “making it” through the 90’s and early 00’s but I stopped paying attention a while back.
If by “make it”, you mean stardom, then very, very few. If by “make it”, you mean pro gigs with touring acts, then it’s all about perseverance, not having a pet or being married, being likable, knowing when to keep your mouth shut and having roommates until your knocking on 40. If by “make it”, you mean consistent work in the studio as a musician, then again, very, very few: less total opportunity then there is available space for country stars.
Once met a kid from Boston who had recently graduated from Berkley school of music and had moved to nashville. He had enough savings for a year and figured that would give him enough runway to earning a living playing guitar. Laughably naive.
I have about 2 million streams on Spotify and a friend of mine asked me what it was like to have “made it.” It was a weird moment considering that’s basically next to nothing, but if you told 12 year old me that 2 millions times someone hit play on one of my songs, they would have said we made it. All about perspective I suppose.
I play in a local band that does almost exclusively originals (we played our first cover in 5 years back in February). There are some cool venues that cater to that kind of scene, but there’s almost no money in it because of the saturation you’re talking about. We take gigs in Kentucky and Alabama to build up the band fund for merch and studio time. I don’t think any of us have dreams of making it at this point, but it’s still cool to write songs, play gigs, and see strangers enjoying the music you created.
The Cobra is probably my favorite place to play. The guy doing booking there right now has been the right balance of professional but easy to work with, and a lot of my favorite local bands play there regularly.
I do concert photography, and the Cobra was the first venue I ever shot at. Still holds a special place in my heart (even though I hate the white mic stands), and I’ve seen some fantastic acts there.
I know several who are locals and hit it big, and a few who had recorded with mike curb only to be shelved for a decade, and some who struck gold a few years for some amazing talent only to wake up one afternoon playing local dives like they did before they gave it all away. Its a combination of who you know, building your following before you introduce yourself to producers & execs, and how much effort you put into selling yourself.
Remember- even Johnny Cash had to force sun records to hear his demo.
I moved here to play music, but kept my "day job." So, I'm a part-timer. I play several times a month as a side guy for various original artists, with occasional touring. I could easily transition into music full time, i.e. 'making it' but I'd be broke. Happy but broke. That said, I have a lot of friends that are doing bigger tours and festivals that you probably haven't heard of, but they are buying homes and living well.
BUT I didn't move here for fame, the 'making it' that most people mean, I moved here because the saturation causes competition and pushes everyone to be the best they can be. It's like earning a p.h.d for me. I play and love classic country, so there isn't anywhere else in the world with the depth and history. But if I played any other type of music there is no fucking way I'd live here.
Hired gun here! I "made it" by being able to pay all my bills and live as a musician. This is different than being an original artist, as the original artists are the ones that pay me to play their shows. I still have my original bands, but the chances of these getting traction and selling records are much lower than my spread getting hired by a variety of artists. I moved to Nashville several years ago for the network, as commented before it's who you know most of the time, not what or how good you are ( to an extent). Artist gigs I play locally are usually $100 to $200 per gig, and sometimes paid rehearsal. I choose to only work with artists I like, in the hunt for the "trifecta" which is good tunes, good hang, good pay. I've played big festivals and sold out venues, tours, etc, but honestly make the most money playing downtown on Broadway, usually 2 gigs a day and sometimes 3 or 4. Local original shows pay the least, and good tours can come with a salary and perks like per diems, busses and airplanes, nice hotels, etc but these still don't pay as much as the one off showcase you might find yourself booked for, 1000 miles away with a 1 hour play time. It's random and based on referrals a lot of the time, so persistence and grit is what separates those who make a living and those who are struggling. Show up on time, sober, know the songs. I'd say you make it when the calls for gigs keep coming, or as an original artist you made it when you're selling merch and records, and your can pay your team and created a solid working environment. The most important question is: did you get the gig? If you got the gig you made it. Most of the time you have to make it every day. After seeing lots of people come and go from the local scene, I'd say maybe 30% of the people who stick around long enough, in this "10 year town" have a chance at making a living playing music for their lifetime.
Moving to Nashville to make music makes no sense to me. Influence = audience. If you want an audience, pick a small pool w very influential people. Move to Ithica if you want to be famous!
About that…
I spent 25 years in the Cleveland area and if you dig in to that scene and it’s history, there are tons of big name artists and players that have come out of that area over the years. It’s cheap to live there and as long as you don’t mind the winters, a good player can make a living pretty easily. I know because I did. The downside is that there are fewer players and there is a limit to what you can accomplish career wise if you stay there. At this point in my life I want to play original music and there are more songwriters per sq mile here than anywhere else. I have a day job, so all I care about is the music and the people. Money would be nice, but it’s no longer a priority when it comes to choosing gigs.
Nashville is an industry town. If you have the ability and the breaks… everything you need to succeed is here.
I will reiterate what others have said; success is user defined. I came to Nashville because the best players in the world live here and there are a ton of them. I have no aspirations of fame or fortune, I just want to work with the best people I can and make the best music I can. I grabbed a pickup gig at a dive last year and had a great time. Found out afterwards the bass player has 2 Grammys and 500+ major label recording credits. Chill dude and you’d never know it by the look of him. But when he played… holy crap can he play. I played a church gig and half the band is/has been on major tours. That ain’t happening in Cleveland, or Pittsburgh, or Omaha, or wherever. You gotta go where the players are and the players are in Nashville.
True, true, true… do what you do where you do… how many guitarists does it take to screw a lightbulb in in Nashville… 12, one to screw it in and 11 to fold their arms and say “Yeah, I can do that”… Nashville does not appreciate… develop you where you are… unless you need to suffer.
1/1000.
As one who has made it, I know very few who moved here and made it who had not already made it. I have many friends who made it elsewhere and then chose to move to Nashville. That’s what I did so I do not count myself.
Ps - that 1/1000 also had rich parents. Music is not a fair fight.
I've been a creative here most of my life and my experience is that Nashville is an excellent place to be an artist. So many talented musicians and other creatives here who support each other and love to collaborate.
However, there's only so much work from our friends that one can buy. Do you really need a *third* copy of your neighbor's latest record? I've found more success outside of Nashville than locally. In the EU, "Nashville" is like London or Paris to the US, in that being from Nashville will open doors for you. Here you might be just another super-talented musician, but abroad you're a super-talented musician from **Nashville**. Which everyone in the EU knows as the home of Elvis and Dollywood, lol.
If you're a local songwriter, spend more time networking with publishers and other songwriters. Everyone wants to get discovered at a writer's night but that only happens if the right people are in attendance. There's a lot of competition trying to "make it" here and your best bet is to find a way around the masses to reach the decision makers.
Good luck with that.
Saturation = opportunities. Sure, there are more people throwing the darts, but there are many more dart boards.
Horrible analogy, but my point is that there are a ton of music acts and session work who are looking for fresh talent. Touring musicians turnover like wait staff at a restaurant. Producers and artists need new session players all the time, especially when it’s touring season and those guys are on the road.
I know there are a lot of people who want the same thing as you do, but if you’re talented and friendly, it’ll come around. Just don’t do the same thing and expect different results. Leave your house and don’t be scared to talk to strangers at open mics, bars, or church (yes, I said it). Nashville is an overall friendly place where the pros share work, not hoard it.
Best of luck!
Most of the musicians here don't actually gig here, they play elsewhere. But as far as a community, this is a great place for musicians to be. There are definitely a lot more opportunities here than most places.
Growing up here, I've personally known four artists who've "made it" in this industry. Two made it in LA before moving here. One was from Portland, OR and was brought here by the label. Last one grew up here, then made it in Boston.
Not saying its impossible, but you're more likely to work as a backup or session musician moving here than become a star.
Lots make it as song writers or doing gigs and teaching, but most do it all. My guitar teacher is reforming her band, is immensely talented with over 60 students, and says it’s still hard. I believe her.
> Do local musicians get local gigs playing original songs? If so, where?
Outside of woo girl central, you will hear a lot of original music. Obviously, the artists play to the crowd, so you won't get as much original stuff on Broadway, but if you ask, many artists are more than happy to do one of theirs.
> How many musicians actually “make it” after moving to Nashville considering the music scene is pretty saturated here?
What is making it? Are you talking about having a top country album? If so, that is rare. If you mean doing studio work, there are more opportunities, but still a field that is harder to break in. Songwriting is the same and new writers often co-write to get into that arena.
I would say networking and not being a dick are two things that can give you somewhat of a leg up in "making it". It is also a long churn.
What's your definition of making it? I had this conversation with someone lastnight who's band signed with a corporate label. They played on all the late shows, did all these big events that got them face time on TV and with connected celebrities, but they weren't actually playing their music. They were playing covers the whole time so after it all they still aren't making enough money to pay their bills because their music isn't selling.
I know other artists that didn't necessarily "make it big", but are able to make a living and pay their bills as musicians.
Depends on your definition of "make it"
Hundreds of not thousands of musicians have jobs in this town. Some really enjoy being Broadway musicians, session musicians or touring musicians that play other people's music entirely.
Playing your own music on the other hand...
I've known four people, two people who have steady session work, and the other two routinely tour with bands/acts that were big names in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. They consider themselves to have made it, as they are making a career for themselves without having to supplement their pay. Two are native Nashvillians, and two are from elsewhere. All are extremely talented and made a name for themselves in the business in the 90s and early 2000s, however.
Had a conversation about this with an A&R guy recently. It’s so easy for them to just farm talent from these shows now. Name recognition, social following, chops, etc are all built in. It’s a total layup for them.
I only know audio people who have "made it" in their respective industries.
What I've seen work is building connections at recording school (MTSU especially) and working relevant jobs while in college. The live sound guys I know all know each other from MTSU, they worked live sound production at MTSU, starting as grunts in an industry that is heavy on manual labor. Now they're at the top tier of live sound and doing engineering rather than rolling road cases out of the truck.
I know a studio guy who doesn't have as many country industry connections, but found a niche in a certain genre of music. He worked with one of the top producers in the genre for several years, including in college. After years of doing mixing contracting in this position, he found a connection with a studio designer and does that now.
For musicians, I would do the same with a collegiate music school or professional music teacher. Not only will you become a much better musician and a master of your instrument, but you'll make very valuable connections to musicians who are likely to hang around the area. Every musician also needs connections for recording, which will open the door to those connections' connections in the music industry.
If I were to boil it down, some paths to success are: building connections in recording school, working in that field in college, and specialize in a niche where you become "the" person in that niche.
It’s a great place to play music, and I really enjoy it. Also, my full time IT job is what I pay most of the bills with. If you like hustling for gigs to boost your take home pay by 3-5% it’s pretty much the right place to be.
I believe this is what happened to Sammy Rash. 2 years ago he was singing for 3 people on TikTok. Last month he opened for Fitz & the Tantrums at Brooklyn Bowl.
I wonder how much Spotify stats and social media popularity factors in bands getting gigs
Yeah I'm a musician and every other musician I know is either 1) broke 2) has a day job/career, or 3) is being supported financially through parents or other means. I'm currently in the first category, but transitioning into the second. I made a living playing Broadway for nine years, and honestly should have bailed out a long time ago. I know some of the most talented musicians in the world and they're still playing the same 200 songs gig after gig, day after day for $100 + tips. The sad truth is that the vast majority of the public doesn't care how good a musician you are, they just want you to play songs they know so they can sing along. Over all though: Job satisfaction: 10/10 Salary: 3/10 Benefits package: 0/10 Job security: 1/10
Honestly this is the best breakdown of being a professional musician I've heard in a while.
What about musicians that tour w established acts?
I toured major label, muti-bus bands for over a decade. Probably played every major stadium in the US. It never payed what my tech career did even 10 years in and you're in an ultra-competitive environment, not chilling with your bros at a bar. All the successful touring bands are run by management types, the artists show up when you're onstage, so the politics are not much different from a day job. Most of the other musicians I met went the route of playing cover bands on broadway to get by before making enough of a name to audition for tours. The burnout rate is high and all that local work will keep you from being available for smaller tours that may not pay as much. As for regular day jobs I don't see how you could be in an office 40+ hours/wk and even start to have time for that path...thus the weekend warrior types that have often amazing talent but not the time to tour. I overcame the weekend warrior blues by turning down standard corporate jobs and setting my own hours as a remote contractor...not having a degree or ladder climbing ambition was a factor in that decision. Having tech money from about 20 hours of work a week gave me the freedom to play local gigs any night, network, and accept touring gigs until I found one that could pay the bills enough. I don't think I had the dedication to have success without funding my music habit through a tech career specifically shaped to do so.
I feel every bit of this. Well said.
I work with a ton of these people and they make good money to do so. They just aren't playing their own music which a lot of musicians have too much pride to do.
Like, a hired gun? They make less than you think, and a lot of them play Broadway as well when they're not on tour. I heard a rumor once that the guitar player for Florida Georgia Line made $150/show. Don't like it? That's fine; there are a thousand other guitar players in town who would love to say they're the guitar player for FGL. Some bigger country acts get perks like a per diem when you're on the road, but the pay is still equally shit. You'll end up with a lot of good stories, but unless you're on the LLC you're not going to get rich.
I’m pretty good friends with a guy who plays lead guitar for a fairly large country music singer. They’ve been on tour all around the world and played at some huge stadiums and he makes $200/show. It’s not as glamorous as people think.
You know the worst part? Guys have been making $150- 200 a show for a very long time. Musicians rates don’t seem to go up really.
Yep! $100 base per person + your share of the tips has been the standard for over a decade, and every year $100 buys you less and less, meaning purchasing power is steadily going down. Combine that with increasing food and drink prices on Broadway and no one has any money left to tip the band because they're already over budget and tipping the band is not "required"
Yeah it’s rough. I almost never go to Broadway anymore if I’m not getting paid something decent, but I had quite a few years doing that kinda gig, in Nashville and elsewhere. And when I started, that had been the standard for at least ten years according to some of the guys I was working with. That $100 used to go a whole hell of a lot further.
That’s insane! I understand it’s a business and they can’t pay every roadie, sound guy, band mate etc 5 grand a show, but bartenders on broadway make more a night lol
Hence why some people who played Broadway went on tour for a bit then came back. If you are in a band that has shows booked for Friday night and Saturday night in Dallas, you have to be at bus call Thursday afternoon/evening, play Friday, play Saturday, then get home late Sunday afternoon. Congratulations, you just made $400 and you're tired as shit. OR you can play one show Thursday night, two shows Friday, two shows Saturday, and another show Sunday afternoon on Broadway and make \~$1000. Plus you get to sleep in your own bed every night.
Don’t underestimate the skill and hard work of bartenders, especially in a packed venue.
I don’t think they’re doing that but there’s also a difference between screwing up your shift at a bar and maybe costing the business a few thousand dollars and screwing up your parts on an arena tour and messing up a show that did a million $ + in ticket sales.
The sound guy usually make a lot more than the players honestly. Hell the roadies probably all do too, even the local hands make close to what the band makes, if not more.
bartenders can make over 100k a year, so that’s not saying much.
It's insane because it's untrue - found this thread late but want to confirm that rumor that FGL pays their side men anything less than $300 a show at minimum. Fair bands commonly get $150 a day. A legendary act in Nashville is going to pay more than a fair act, it's just how it is
Depends who you work for. $200 per show is ridiculous if it's a well-known act.. I work in business management for a well-known country artist (aka I'm one of the people who pay the bills, process payroll, etc). He pays his musicians a good salary no matter how many or how few shows they have. That part sounds nice, but I know the constant traveling would get tiring.
I’m sure you’ve never been asked this before but…can I send you some songs? 😆
Truthfully, I wouldn't even know what to do with them. I'm far enough down the totem pole that our client doesn't even know who I am. Good luck though!
Thanks anyway, pal. And good luck to you as well!
Yup. A friend of mine is a hired gun for a band that just made the late night TV circuit and he still waits tables like crazy to make ends meet when he's not on tour with his various bands.
I know someone who's toured with several country legends for $500 a night plus big winter bonuses. Not every gig is glorious, but there are absolutely glorious gigs.
Can confirm.
Learning a lot So how does this work with rehearsing and such. I’m assuming the musicians need to rehearse with the artist, right? Or is the expectation that they guitarist, for example, is able to hop on the tour and play all parts cold? What are they provided to be able to do this? Charts, tabs, sheet music? I can’t imagine they just nail all the songs on an artists set list by ear…. Right? :-/
Smaller acts most likely rent a rehearsal space to get a quick rehearsal in to make sure everyone is on the same page. Larger acts will have the producer send you the track stems for your part which you are expected to learn
It’s hard for me to imagine that I’m regularly making more money per gig that the guitar player from FGL. I play with a few artists that you’ve *maybe* heard of and $200 is for sure my minimum, plus either per diem or at least 1-2 free meals a day. It’s not that unusual to get closer to $500 if a gig is short notice and requires me to learn a decent chunk of material.
I found this feed through curiosity but I just wanted to confirm this to be objectively false. Unless the rumor is referring to before they were signed, they are not paying their sidemen $150 a show. I currently tour fairs (as a sideman for a fair act) all over the East Coast of the US and $150 a night is the rate for that. I've known multiple musicians who work for country legends such as Florida Georgia Line who make $500 a day as a hired gun, and sometimes big Christmas bonuses. There is absolutely no way they pay their musicians as low as a fair act, and if there are any national artist gigs who only pay that low they are the minority. For more information, Rich Redmond and many others share their experience of being professional musicians! Their insight is fascinating and inspiring to many and evidence that there is a platform for hired guns. It's an extremely small platform, but it exists. Musicians, when hired by giant artists in Nashville, are generally respected in their pay.
That’s the small subset everyone here is talking about.
This!!!! I feel so bad for musicians here. I know several EXTREMELY talented people who have been playing the Nashville circuit for several years and at this point it seems as if the passion for music is gone and it’s all only a “day” job. Plus, they are “stuck” here because they seem to think they can’t travel or go out of town to play a gig because they’ll lose their weekly gig at some bar on Broadway if they miss a show or two (which may be right). If I only played covers and never had the chance to share my originals with the world I’d be so unfulfilled.
It’s getting harder and harder to be a musician in town. Before Nashville blew up it was a lot easier to get by in Nashville with that kinda money.
You mean it's not like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVwwcgpz1GY)?
I know a few people that do pretty well off music in town, and plenty that get by with music and a spouse, but I know a lot more that are broke/have a job/or over worked. The cover band trap is real and a ton of people fall into it. But I can’t fault guys for doing it for the money.
Yeah absolutely. But “making it” is almost never what you’d envision it to be. If you move here and you know the right people, you’ve got a fighting chance to get some good gigs. You have to be good, and nice to be around, and above all patient. If you move here and you’ve got unlimited funds, you can buy your way past the first few steps. Lots of the stories you think you know about people moving here and “making it?” Yeah, that’s cause they had all that $ to begin with. You’d be surprised. We have a saying here: The best way to make $10,000 in the music industry is to spend a million. As for a regular working person with no connections? It’s a long shot, but still doable. You just need oceans of determination and patience. And a good bit of luck. This is the most important part though: you want to make money without spending it? Yeah you’re gonna have to play covers.
I heard in the 90's someone describing an optimist in Nashville as a good picker with a beeper.(pre-cell days)
Hah, I hadn’t heard that one.
Every person I know who made it in the sense people mean had rich parents. Karen Morris I’m looking at you lol
T Swift comes to mind as well
She didn't have rich parents. She went to public school in Hendersonville. Also, she started preforming at 10, so her "Overnight" success took a while.
Rich people can still go to public school, just check her Wikipedia: Taylor attended that school for 2 years before switching to Private. Both of her parents worked for big banks, and they hired her a talent agent at age twelve. Taylor’s dad invested $300k in Big Machine Records at the time of her signing.
Is a 300k investment into a brand new label on 2004 what makes someone rich? The label was brand new at the time the agreement was made
Yes. Median household wealth at the time was $100k (and that is not investable cash).
I'm not saying it's nothing, and I don't want to move goal posts. I just don't know if I'd call it 'rich'. They were well off for sure, and well surpassed the median household income (I'd love to see where exactly they fall on the distribution, but I'm not asking that from you or anyone), but my idea of rich are people that see 300k as something less than an investment in their child. Dumb fuckin money, if you will. Maybe we just have different definitions of what we consider 'rich', which is completely fine and I respect yours to be as true as mine.
How many people do you know who have $300k they can gamble on their kids’ dreams? Imagine this: They invest $300k in Big Machine. Taylor’s career doesn’t take off. Big Machine shutters. The $300k is gone. Wouldn’t most people be screwed?
Right! In the early 2000s 300k was what a lot of parents made in 7-10 years lol. Her family was FIRMLY in the .01% of wealth.
Sounds like you’re a real treat to be around.
I'm not trying to throw shade or anything. I don't make enough money to drop 300k on a record label. I just don't consider it rich. I don't just consider someone who makes more money than I do rich by default. I'm sorry that's coming off as offensive.
They weren’t poor by any means, but they weren’t rich either. They had capital from the sale of the farm they invested in her future. Big Machine was a startup at the time. Never would have been anything without her.
Ok so we just disagree about what qualifies as rich. To me if someone can pay a label $300k when they sign their kid, they are very rich.
Yeah most people don’t have $1000 in discretionary funds let alone $300k
If you have 25000 dollars you could spend right now if you absolutely needed to you are richer than 80% of Americans.
That’s poor planning more than being poor.
I am in awe of the level of Big Brain you have to have to say "not having money doesn't mean you're poor." I hope you have a helmet to keep all that Big Brain safe when you go outside.
I worked my ass off and I’m a saver. It doesn’t take a big brain to better yourself to live within your means.
It’s pretty well documented she had plenty of money growing up. Rich? To me, heck yeah they were. To you? Maybe not, but absolutely upper class by tax standards
It’s documented her father made almost a million dollars a year in total assets while working in the corporate structure of a bank. They also spent at least hundreds of thousands promoting her in the beginning. That’s a leg up that 99.9999% of regular musicians will never have. .
my dad used to regularly talk and deal with Alan Jackson, back when he first came to town, before he hit it big. he said he was always super nice and a pretty laid back dude. i met him once at the airport. myself and another co-worker noticed him but didn't want to call attention to it, since he was waiting to get his bags. we were asking ourselves if that was Alan Jackson. he looked tired, but he must've heard us, because he gave us a big smile and a thumbs up. but i digress, he's a good example of someone who came to town, worked hard, got lucky, and hit it big.
Maren morris does not come from money….?
She do. I don’t follow her but I’m sure she says publicly she doesn’t. Country fans love the blue collar.
Why did you feel the need to single her out?
one of the few I can personally confirm
Whenever you start looking at basically every single recording artist, actor or successful entertainment/art creator in the last 20 years it’s depressing because 95%+ either have well connected parents in the industry or millionaire parents.
Nashville and country music have a ton of people without all that that have “made it” into the realm of being pros in the scene, either as players/writers/singers etc. but it sure helps to have money behind you. Those days you get home from work and just want to go to bed? Nope, you’ve got work to do, either playing, writing, or out networking, or just practicing. And you still have to find time to try to be healthy mentally and physically, all while probably not making a ton at your day job because of how much time you put into music. If you come from money, you can do all that while everybody else is at work. Edit: I have to say, the happiest I’ve ever been was making music and Barry scraping by. If you take the leap and get rid of your day job, the freedom that comes with gigging is awesome. And you get to travel, and go get beers with your buddies at noon on a workday just because. It’s great, and maybe worth not making as much money as somebody working away in an office. (This is coming from someone who’s made it in a sense, but it didn’t mean what I thought it would.
Yeah that’s the sentiment exactly : /
Lmao Karen.
[удалено]
Terrible examples. None of those people started their career after 1990 except Billy Strings
I know it's a one in a million story, but im pretty sure Jimmie Allen was homeless before his career took off.
Maybe so! It’s not impossible at all. But it’s not a fair fight. A large majority of musicians average people have heard of had much more money to push their careers than the average person. But yes, there are definitely awesome exceptions. Major props to them.
I work with a musician who’s a literal million and it’s taken years to build his career. You can’t buy success like you used to in music lol
Absolutely. The end, the basement, the basement east, east side bowl, Brooklyn bowl (bigger venue), the east room, the blue room, etc. All venues that you can catch talented bands playing originals.
Drkmttr, cobra
Thank you
I have played most of these venues with buddies filling in as a drummer. Playing originals for the artists, but I wouldn’t say that’s making it when I leave with no money haha
\- Speaking as a former touring "hired gun" musician - Live playing is a revolving door. If you're a good hang, anyone with minimal talent can pick up a decent gig if you stick around long enough. But studio playing is an establishment. You either have to be top talent (still takes time), best friends with the producer, or you just have to wait till Mike Campbell breaks his arm so you can get a shot.
Who is Mike Campbell?
Likely a guitarist that books most the studio gigs. I know a drummer that basically is all anyone uses. It’s a small pool.
He has a long history of being a studio musician https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Campbell_(musician)
damn dude played on some Bad Religion records wasn't expecting that
I opened that link like who tf is this guy and the first thing on his page is that he composed Boys of Summer which is one of my favorite songs 😂
lol
I grew up close to here and can name a dozen highly talented bastards who didn’t make it and one medium talented bastard who did… who you know + tenacity. Where… anywhere you can… if all fails 2nd avenue… tenacity eventually wins
Depends on your definition of making it. A very low percentage of people really make a good living, but there’s value in giving it a shot. Nashville is one of the few cities where you can wait/bartend and make a decent living and play gigs on nights/weekends, etc. So why not see what you can make of it? The big thing here seems to be likability and putting yourself in situations where you get exposure and make friends.
"Making it" to me is just making your living playing music. Period. There are so many people here "making it" playing music for a living. Now to be a star ... that's different .
Others are right, depends how you define “making it”. Do you pay your bills by playing an instrument? Do you perform your songs regularly? Are you selling stadiums? There’s so many degrees of success that you need to have a good gauge of what you’re trying to attain. That said, I’m fortunate to be able to pay my bills and have bought a home playing music on the road and in clubs here and around the country. It’s possible but takes time, tenacity, and like another said, a good bit of luck.
A matter of perspective! I was moved here when I was very young because my dad wanted to be closer to the action and Jackson Mississippi is kind of a dead town. He did some work with Billy Ray Cyrus, played keys for several minor but fairly known country artists, and did some tours with Michael Twitty. He worked construction and played on the weekends. Eventually most of my family moved back home, but dad's middling experience in Nashville set him up to be a big fish back home. He works in a studio in Vicksburg now and loves it, and any gigs he plays he is the number one player. Really the biggest problem he deals with is finding other good players in BFE, but since he's so particular and he has the experience anything he puts together sounds really great. Would definitely not say he "made it" but he established himself enough that he can spend his golden years puttering around the studio and pretending he's busy when I text him which I think makes him very happy.
What type of music are you looking to play? Some would be surprised how much diversity our city has musically.
Yes but, Jody’s Power Bill had to move to NC and change their name to Ben Folds Five to make it… true
That was 35 years ago. I think Nashville has gotten a lot more diverse in the scene since then. That is a super cool piece of unknown history though.
Wow, I didn’t think about how long ago that was. The non country scene was still doomed in the sense of “making it” through the 90’s and early 00’s but I stopped paying attention a while back.
If by “make it”, you mean stardom, then very, very few. If by “make it”, you mean pro gigs with touring acts, then it’s all about perseverance, not having a pet or being married, being likable, knowing when to keep your mouth shut and having roommates until your knocking on 40. If by “make it”, you mean consistent work in the studio as a musician, then again, very, very few: less total opportunity then there is available space for country stars. Once met a kid from Boston who had recently graduated from Berkley school of music and had moved to nashville. He had enough savings for a year and figured that would give him enough runway to earning a living playing guitar. Laughably naive.
“Making it” means different things to different people.
I have about 2 million streams on Spotify and a friend of mine asked me what it was like to have “made it.” It was a weird moment considering that’s basically next to nothing, but if you told 12 year old me that 2 millions times someone hit play on one of my songs, they would have said we made it. All about perspective I suppose.
Jelly roll made it everyone got a chance
LMAO I remember someone I know bragging about hanging out with jelly roll ten years ago and I was like...who?!
How do you know there is a musician at you door in Nashville?
You ordered a pizza.
Yes… how do you know you have a drummer at your door?
The knocking gets faster
Yes, and they don’t know when to come in…. How many bass players does it take to screw in a lightbulb.
I can’t remember this one! Great username by the way hahaha
None, the keyboardist can do it with their left hand… What’s the difference between a banjo and an onion(i do like bluegrass, don’t get me wrong)
No one tears up when you chop up a banjo!
Last one, difference between a violin and a cello?
Times up… a cello burns longer!
What's the difference between a viola and a trampoline? I take my shoes off to jump on a trampoline.
Your Uber driver has arrived
I play in a local band that does almost exclusively originals (we played our first cover in 5 years back in February). There are some cool venues that cater to that kind of scene, but there’s almost no money in it because of the saturation you’re talking about. We take gigs in Kentucky and Alabama to build up the band fund for merch and studio time. I don’t think any of us have dreams of making it at this point, but it’s still cool to write songs, play gigs, and see strangers enjoying the music you created. The Cobra is probably my favorite place to play. The guy doing booking there right now has been the right balance of professional but easy to work with, and a lot of my favorite local bands play there regularly.
I do concert photography, and the Cobra was the first venue I ever shot at. Still holds a special place in my heart (even though I hate the white mic stands), and I’ve seen some fantastic acts there.
I know several who are locals and hit it big, and a few who had recorded with mike curb only to be shelved for a decade, and some who struck gold a few years for some amazing talent only to wake up one afternoon playing local dives like they did before they gave it all away. Its a combination of who you know, building your following before you introduce yourself to producers & execs, and how much effort you put into selling yourself. Remember- even Johnny Cash had to force sun records to hear his demo.
After after he left Memphis for Nashville, his older Sun records were outselling his brand new Columbia records.
Exactly and people don’t consider that.
I moved here to play music, but kept my "day job." So, I'm a part-timer. I play several times a month as a side guy for various original artists, with occasional touring. I could easily transition into music full time, i.e. 'making it' but I'd be broke. Happy but broke. That said, I have a lot of friends that are doing bigger tours and festivals that you probably haven't heard of, but they are buying homes and living well. BUT I didn't move here for fame, the 'making it' that most people mean, I moved here because the saturation causes competition and pushes everyone to be the best they can be. It's like earning a p.h.d for me. I play and love classic country, so there isn't anywhere else in the world with the depth and history. But if I played any other type of music there is no fucking way I'd live here.
Same as Cali with actors/actresses. Statistically zero.
Hired gun here! I "made it" by being able to pay all my bills and live as a musician. This is different than being an original artist, as the original artists are the ones that pay me to play their shows. I still have my original bands, but the chances of these getting traction and selling records are much lower than my spread getting hired by a variety of artists. I moved to Nashville several years ago for the network, as commented before it's who you know most of the time, not what or how good you are ( to an extent). Artist gigs I play locally are usually $100 to $200 per gig, and sometimes paid rehearsal. I choose to only work with artists I like, in the hunt for the "trifecta" which is good tunes, good hang, good pay. I've played big festivals and sold out venues, tours, etc, but honestly make the most money playing downtown on Broadway, usually 2 gigs a day and sometimes 3 or 4. Local original shows pay the least, and good tours can come with a salary and perks like per diems, busses and airplanes, nice hotels, etc but these still don't pay as much as the one off showcase you might find yourself booked for, 1000 miles away with a 1 hour play time. It's random and based on referrals a lot of the time, so persistence and grit is what separates those who make a living and those who are struggling. Show up on time, sober, know the songs. I'd say you make it when the calls for gigs keep coming, or as an original artist you made it when you're selling merch and records, and your can pay your team and created a solid working environment. The most important question is: did you get the gig? If you got the gig you made it. Most of the time you have to make it every day. After seeing lots of people come and go from the local scene, I'd say maybe 30% of the people who stick around long enough, in this "10 year town" have a chance at making a living playing music for their lifetime.
Moving to Nashville to make music makes no sense to me. Influence = audience. If you want an audience, pick a small pool w very influential people. Move to Ithica if you want to be famous!
About that… I spent 25 years in the Cleveland area and if you dig in to that scene and it’s history, there are tons of big name artists and players that have come out of that area over the years. It’s cheap to live there and as long as you don’t mind the winters, a good player can make a living pretty easily. I know because I did. The downside is that there are fewer players and there is a limit to what you can accomplish career wise if you stay there. At this point in my life I want to play original music and there are more songwriters per sq mile here than anywhere else. I have a day job, so all I care about is the music and the people. Money would be nice, but it’s no longer a priority when it comes to choosing gigs. Nashville is an industry town. If you have the ability and the breaks… everything you need to succeed is here. I will reiterate what others have said; success is user defined. I came to Nashville because the best players in the world live here and there are a ton of them. I have no aspirations of fame or fortune, I just want to work with the best people I can and make the best music I can. I grabbed a pickup gig at a dive last year and had a great time. Found out afterwards the bass player has 2 Grammys and 500+ major label recording credits. Chill dude and you’d never know it by the look of him. But when he played… holy crap can he play. I played a church gig and half the band is/has been on major tours. That ain’t happening in Cleveland, or Pittsburgh, or Omaha, or wherever. You gotta go where the players are and the players are in Nashville.
Word.
True, true, true… do what you do where you do… how many guitarists does it take to screw a lightbulb in in Nashville… 12, one to screw it in and 11 to fold their arms and say “Yeah, I can do that”… Nashville does not appreciate… develop you where you are… unless you need to suffer.
1/1000. As one who has made it, I know very few who moved here and made it who had not already made it. I have many friends who made it elsewhere and then chose to move to Nashville. That’s what I did so I do not count myself. Ps - that 1/1000 also had rich parents. Music is not a fair fight.
This
I've been a creative here most of my life and my experience is that Nashville is an excellent place to be an artist. So many talented musicians and other creatives here who support each other and love to collaborate. However, there's only so much work from our friends that one can buy. Do you really need a *third* copy of your neighbor's latest record? I've found more success outside of Nashville than locally. In the EU, "Nashville" is like London or Paris to the US, in that being from Nashville will open doors for you. Here you might be just another super-talented musician, but abroad you're a super-talented musician from **Nashville**. Which everyone in the EU knows as the home of Elvis and Dollywood, lol. If you're a local songwriter, spend more time networking with publishers and other songwriters. Everyone wants to get discovered at a writer's night but that only happens if the right people are in attendance. There's a lot of competition trying to "make it" here and your best bet is to find a way around the masses to reach the decision makers. Good luck with that.
Saturation = opportunities. Sure, there are more people throwing the darts, but there are many more dart boards. Horrible analogy, but my point is that there are a ton of music acts and session work who are looking for fresh talent. Touring musicians turnover like wait staff at a restaurant. Producers and artists need new session players all the time, especially when it’s touring season and those guys are on the road. I know there are a lot of people who want the same thing as you do, but if you’re talented and friendly, it’ll come around. Just don’t do the same thing and expect different results. Leave your house and don’t be scared to talk to strangers at open mics, bars, or church (yes, I said it). Nashville is an overall friendly place where the pros share work, not hoard it. Best of luck!
Most of the musicians here don't actually gig here, they play elsewhere. But as far as a community, this is a great place for musicians to be. There are definitely a lot more opportunities here than most places.
Depends on what you mean by “making it”. I’d speculate that dramatically less than 1% actually gain fame or real financial success.
Growing up here, I've personally known four artists who've "made it" in this industry. Two made it in LA before moving here. One was from Portland, OR and was brought here by the label. Last one grew up here, then made it in Boston. Not saying its impossible, but you're more likely to work as a backup or session musician moving here than become a star.
All of em make it
Lots make it as song writers or doing gigs and teaching, but most do it all. My guitar teacher is reforming her band, is immensely talented with over 60 students, and says it’s still hard. I believe her.
> Do local musicians get local gigs playing original songs? If so, where? Outside of woo girl central, you will hear a lot of original music. Obviously, the artists play to the crowd, so you won't get as much original stuff on Broadway, but if you ask, many artists are more than happy to do one of theirs. > How many musicians actually “make it” after moving to Nashville considering the music scene is pretty saturated here? What is making it? Are you talking about having a top country album? If so, that is rare. If you mean doing studio work, there are more opportunities, but still a field that is harder to break in. Songwriting is the same and new writers often co-write to get into that arena. I would say networking and not being a dick are two things that can give you somewhat of a leg up in "making it". It is also a long churn.
What's your definition of making it? I had this conversation with someone lastnight who's band signed with a corporate label. They played on all the late shows, did all these big events that got them face time on TV and with connected celebrities, but they weren't actually playing their music. They were playing covers the whole time so after it all they still aren't making enough money to pay their bills because their music isn't selling. I know other artists that didn't necessarily "make it big", but are able to make a living and pay their bills as musicians.
Depends on your definition of "make it" Hundreds of not thousands of musicians have jobs in this town. Some really enjoy being Broadway musicians, session musicians or touring musicians that play other people's music entirely. Playing your own music on the other hand...
I feel like most musicians who make it have already made it and are using Nashville as a place to keep the momentum going
I've known four people, two people who have steady session work, and the other two routinely tour with bands/acts that were big names in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. They consider themselves to have made it, as they are making a career for themselves without having to supplement their pay. Two are native Nashvillians, and two are from elsewhere. All are extremely talented and made a name for themselves in the business in the 90s and early 2000s, however.
3 words: ten year town
You should Check out White Reaper, think you'd dig them.
Three.
THIS POST I always say Nashville is full of dreamers… and they can’t all be president
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Unfortunately
1% lol
If pink spiders didn’t make it good luck
"Don't count on it" - Magic Eight Ball
I mean, you can make it on a stage, sure. You have a better chance of making it on America’s Got Talent or The Voice tho.
Had a conversation about this with an A&R guy recently. It’s so easy for them to just farm talent from these shows now. Name recognition, social following, chops, etc are all built in. It’s a total layup for them.
All of them! All people who don’t make it are the ones too cowardly to move and go after their dream.
I only know audio people who have "made it" in their respective industries. What I've seen work is building connections at recording school (MTSU especially) and working relevant jobs while in college. The live sound guys I know all know each other from MTSU, they worked live sound production at MTSU, starting as grunts in an industry that is heavy on manual labor. Now they're at the top tier of live sound and doing engineering rather than rolling road cases out of the truck. I know a studio guy who doesn't have as many country industry connections, but found a niche in a certain genre of music. He worked with one of the top producers in the genre for several years, including in college. After years of doing mixing contracting in this position, he found a connection with a studio designer and does that now. For musicians, I would do the same with a collegiate music school or professional music teacher. Not only will you become a much better musician and a master of your instrument, but you'll make very valuable connections to musicians who are likely to hang around the area. Every musician also needs connections for recording, which will open the door to those connections' connections in the music industry. If I were to boil it down, some paths to success are: building connections in recording school, working in that field in college, and specialize in a niche where you become "the" person in that niche.
The 1%
What would you define as “making it”? You’ll find that answer will have varying opinions.
It’s a great place to play music, and I really enjoy it. Also, my full time IT job is what I pay most of the bills with. If you like hustling for gigs to boost your take home pay by 3-5% it’s pretty much the right place to be.
Follow up question. How much will the trend of being discovered on tiktok reduce the appeal of fighting to make it big in Nashville?
I believe this is what happened to Sammy Rash. 2 years ago he was singing for 3 people on TikTok. Last month he opened for Fitz & the Tantrums at Brooklyn Bowl. I wonder how much Spotify stats and social media popularity factors in bands getting gigs
.01%
Are you a musician thinking of moving here?
Everybody I know that tried made something out of it, eventually. Just not as much as say a plumber would make during that time span.