When I was 18 I had my own office in a local recording studio as a part time audio engineer intern. I was tasked with editing commercials, and also used the space to produce my own music, my friends’ bands, and a few documentary soundtracks. I was getting paid about 10% of the time, partly because I didn’t have the maturity to negotiate better pay. When tax time came I couldn’t afford to pay the IRS, so I went into software development. I packed up all the music gear, moved to another city, and started a new life… But I found myself passionately writing songs every chance I got, so I unpacked my gear, and ultimately never stopped making music. At this point, the music pays for new gear, and the day job keeps me stable and sane. I like it that way, and I don’t consider myself any less of a musician for it. It is like you said a spiritual compulsion. Continuing the creative way of life is a spiritual path requiring deep personal growth, love, forgiveness, and persistence. I couldn’t stop doing it if I tried!
@LegsON
4 ай бұрын
Great job, Theodore!
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Love to hear it my friend ♥️
@BarstoolAstronaut
4 ай бұрын
I'll be playing music till the day I die (or no longer physically can) regardless of people noticing. I don't decide what people want to listen to, only what I want to create.
@zephhalo
4 ай бұрын
Thanks Jimi! Another good one! One of the hardest things to grapple with as a musician is the age old struggle of the balance of how much a person invests in their music and how they are going to make the money they need to support their needs and their lifestyle. Every musician has to figure out their own journey in this regard. Some musicians are "all in" and all of their money comes from various musically oriented "gigs" like teaching, or being a session player, running a KZitem channel, producing and engineering, playing live in cover bands, etc. .. Basically, a whole LOT of hussling... Other musicians have careers in completely different fields and music is something they get to pursue "on the side". And there is a full spectrum of possibilities as to how it will play out in each musician's life. Some musicians take years or even decades off from engaging in music to go back to school and get a degree or to focus on a particular career for a while. Money is always a factor that all musicians must grapple with. If you're reading this and you're a young musician, I'll give you some advice that I wish someone would have given to me when I was much younger. Don't let musicians tell you that unless you're doing music in an "all in" way, that your musical journey can't be incredible. There is a myth that most musicians believe that can be very harmful. I know. Because I believed it.. Musicians tell other musicians that the "only" way to go forward in life is to be "all in" with music, and that working in a career, nine to five, is some type of terrible waste of our lives. But this is simply not true. Having a great career and making a good living can actually fuel your music far beyond what could have happened if you were "all in". I was in a band, 40 years ago, and we were "all in" and we tried to "make it" in the music business. It didn't work out and most of the members of this band took time to get certifications and degrees and became IT professionals. Today, we all have our financial needs met because of this decision to get into a career that actually makes good money. And, all of this time, we've had music on the side and have continued to grow musically, play in bands, create albums, teach, etc. Having the money issue solved with a good career is paramount to everything else in a person's life. It effects everything. It is foundational. A person simply has to have money to have any semblance of a life at all.. This is something that has to be faced and dealt with. And a musical career, even when you have multiple streams of revenue from different "gigs". Is not a good way to make money. In fact it's one of, if not THE worst ways to make money. Garbage men make more money than your average musician does for all of these "gigs". I think about some of the new bands out there, that have 3 to 5 albums and have been around for 10 years or more, who have been touring non stop the whole time. These guys are "all in". And they play at festivals all the time, but this is not the 1970's, 80's or 90's.. We live in an age of oversaturation and unfortunately, no matter how good these bands are, and there are tons of incredible bands out there right now that are "all in" today.. They simply are not making any money at all.. And when they come off of these tours, these guys can't afford to even have their own apartments or homes.. Most of them live with their parents.. This is unfortunate but true. Remember that music is basically worthless in our current economy and it probably always will be from here on out. A band with 5 members is taking shares from .003% of a penny per stream on a song? Music is worthless now.. It has no value. .. it's just the background, mood for something else that's happening. Normies are not paying any attention.. it's all on playlists now.. and you know what? It really is OK to get yourself in the best money making career that will still allow you to have tons of free time when you're not at work. And then,.. with that free time, you'll have money for equipment and for practice places and you'll have time to setup a DAW and you can have a KZitem Channel where you pimp your music from, etc. etc. etc. But being "all in" today in music.. is unfortunately a very sad place to be in. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy... There's no 401k, there's no pension.. there's no money for medical insurance.. let alone mortgages, car payments, no money to support a family... all there is, is a dream .. or a vision of some type of "Rock Star" lifestyle that was only available to musicians and bands decades ago.. and even then, ... it was only available to the lucky .001% of those who tried. So.. do yourself a HUGE favor. Keep your love for music pure and away from money as much as possible and go get a great career that gives you an incredible foundation to build your life. Then make your money and invest your extra time into music. When music is free from having to be used to make money, that's when it's most rewarding.. That's when it's done with the Love that Jimmy is talking about. Music, like friendship, is free.. and it is a reward unto itself.. Get your money from a career and enjoy and explore and share your music as much as possible! This is the way! Btw.. I've been in an IT career for 23 years.. I make 6 figures, I support a family, a mortgage, three kids, etc. and I've been working on an album for 4 years.. wrote 35 songs, just to widdle the album down to the "best of the best" songs.. And I'm releasing an EP of just 5 of the best songs...hopefully by Aug '24. And I had a blast making this music!
@hvnsegue
4 ай бұрын
Thank you very much for sharing this advice. Much love
@MayaMusica
4 ай бұрын
Absolutely RIGHT. Each word.
@EDawg_32
4 ай бұрын
I watch your videos while I do light cardio at the gym and it’s always a good time to hear your talks
@psynamik
22 күн бұрын
Loving the message! Thanks for the inspiring words
@randykalish7558
4 ай бұрын
Jimi... I tried to get out. She won't let me go. I got to the door and She brought down hail, thunder and fire. She giggled at me as I turned back to Her, and said to me, I have you now, as She caused the inspirations to throb Music into my mind. Lovely Music
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Beautiful
@thesunman108
3 ай бұрын
oh my god my man, you're words speak truth. Brilliant stuff. Just what I needed to hear.
@postworld1185
4 ай бұрын
"The world celebrates ding dongs... Blaze Foley lives and dies totally ignored. The world doesn't know what its doing." Ethan's accurate indictment of humanity, society, culture i.e. consumers is spot on. Blaze, Van Gogh, etc. should be angry/complain. Aspiring ding dongs complain for a different reason. They value success over art. Intolerable.
@mikedelferro
3 ай бұрын
Fantastic Jimi!
@RockStarMichael
4 ай бұрын
I'm sorry, but I don't consider it "entitlement" for me to believe that I should be able to make a modest living (earning perhaps $50k to $60k a year) being a musician given that I have spent the last three decades dedicating my life to it entirely as a profession. I have performed thousands of shows, know thousands of songs, know all about musical equipment and technology and know how to work with and entertain an audience. I am unmarried and have no restrictions concerning time, energy and enthusiasm when it comes to my work and, quite honestly, there is nothing else that I do even remotely as proficiently as being a cover singer and keyboardist. When I began my journey, there were many musicians in my area making a VERY profitable living only being a musician. It's not "entitlement" to expect the basics when you've done that much and been that dedicated. Period. A world that no longer values and appreciates how incredibly difficult it is to be a full time professional musician is the real problem.
@kevycanavan
4 ай бұрын
I think you missed the point.
@RockStarMichael
4 ай бұрын
@@kevycanavan I did. But that's okay. I was just venting some frustration.
@nicholasstutsman
3 ай бұрын
missed this video. great video. hope you’re doing great
@jimiwmusic
2 ай бұрын
Thanks for tunin' in brother. All good here, babies 3 months smiling and coming online. Wild times.
@kevycanavan
4 ай бұрын
You’re completely right. Some of the best opportunities I had in the music industry passed me totally by when I was young and idealistic and kept believing I was above it and something better would come along because I was entitled to it and it was pre-destined. What I don’t get was that it’s a journey and you have to be open to everything. I’m lucky enough to make a living playing music now but I really wish i could go back and have a word with myself when I was 20 and the world was my oyster.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Oh damn me too. To be able to go back and talk to my 17 year old self. Sheesh, the things I could teach him haha.
@loganwelty7094
4 ай бұрын
Excellent wisdom mate!
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
✌️✌️
@Daneiladams555
4 ай бұрын
love your channel man
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Thanks friend ♥️
@EDawg_32
4 ай бұрын
I quit a toxic studio environment as an unpaid studio assistant and stayed so long because of the name of the label. I had such high hopes and lied to myself so many times saying that all the stuff I went through was “paying my dues”. But I feel free now that I left and am still passionate about music and in service to make the best possible art I can. But I’m optimistic and see it as an experience In the “industry” and know it will be a highlight of my success story
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
That's awesome my friend. Glad to hear you walked away with wisdom and renewed drive 💪
@jamessiewert3561
4 ай бұрын
My engagement with my art is "conditional" on be able to be able to feed myself and still have enough spare time to do it. Art gets made in the material circumstances that allow it, and the kind of art that gets made depends upon these circumstances. It's not a mistake that people born into materially abundant circumstances have the ability to become artists in a way that others don't. I suspect that a lot of what people are griping about is not that "teaching guitar to starry eyed teenagers" doesn't sound good - its that teaching guitar to starry eyed teenagers doesn't pay enough of to be able to live in a sane way that allows people the free time they need to develop their own talent and interests. There's nothing shallow about that. Its sort of obvious - but its incredibly easy for Ethan Hawke to say this. If he was living the kind of life he claims he would be happy with I'd be likely to listen to him. Maya was never going be a public school teacher so its sort of a bullshit that gets pedalled to other people to make them feel like they ought to accept the shitty circumstances in which they live.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Woof. You make some great points, truly. I do think that the underlying spirit of the message remains true regardless of the obviously biased experience of the messenger. Art is made in all circumstances even the most dire. It is how humans deal with and bring beauty to their experience on this planet. Most artists will not be able to support themselves by creating and selling art --- the value of art is subjective which is why artists create to begin with. The purest value is the energetic exchange between creator and creation the best word for which is love. The philosophy that you only get to decide whether or not art has value and then process from there is useful to an artist because it defines the parameters of the game. It simplifies the pursuit and brings clarity to the actions --- actions that artists who are purely compelled were probably going to take anyway. Thanks for the thoughtful reply ✌️
@jamesbach8253
4 ай бұрын
It's hard and beautiful
@blackironpotrecords1600
4 ай бұрын
Be true to yourself personally and artistically. It’s your life and your choice. Choose wisely. One person may choose to prioritize provision for their family and create/gig/release music as time permits. Another person may choose to be a vagabond roaming about the highways and byways with their guitar, harmonica or whatever. Everyone else is somewhere between those two extremes. It’s not a one size fits all. Do it your way and whatever path you choose….it’s the right choice for you. Interesting take as always Jimi W.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Thanks or tunin' in!
@thejontao
4 ай бұрын
I’ve said it in previous comments, the only thing which holds me back as a musician, as an artist, is me. And my ego… my sense of self importance… my obsession with taking myself seriously… those are the things holding me back.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Me too, this is the playing field of creating art.
@ninashimelis56
4 ай бұрын
Ditto. You've put into words what I've always felt
@OfficialUrbanLoungeMusic
4 ай бұрын
Excellent talk!!! very inspiring
@GarethThomasTunes
4 ай бұрын
Teaching kids, gigging in a wedding band, jamming all night with my mates and being top of the pops - it’s all fulfilling, fun and gives me goosebumps. I’m 52 and I’m happy I’ve completed my musical bucket list - so now I’m writing a new one ;)
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Beautiful stuff friend, let's go!!!
@davidduarte2887
4 ай бұрын
Excellent video and 100% true.
@iamcoreyel
4 ай бұрын
This is incredibly on point.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Thanks friend !
@fullbodyunibrow7383
4 ай бұрын
I think its okay to have conditions in which you want to participate. You dont have to "GTFO" just because there are certain things you aren't interested in. When someone posits a "foundational belief of the true artist" i know immediately to disregard them.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Making art is one thing - Totally and completely fluid. A Career in the arts is another - filled with compromise and caveats. The list I provided is filled with jobs that nearly every working creative I know does to some degree. Jobs that are adjacent to their artistic goals and in many ways directly serve them. The video is directed specifically at career seeking artists. The idea that an artist doesn't get to decide the fate of their art and can only control the time, focus, determination love and soul they give to art is, to a certain degree, inarguable. How is this not foundational to both the spirit AND act of creating art? This is a philosophy that like all great philosophy defines the parameters of the game in a way that makes the decision to play easier and less fraught with overthinking. It is also, as I said, a viewpoint that is seldom said aloud and instead embodied through action. This has been my sincere observation. "Success is a worn down pencil." ― Robert Rauschenberg
@robvaldivia9711
4 ай бұрын
FIRE. Finally thank you.
@akalui007
4 ай бұрын
I personally don't agree that you have to be willing to do all those things you listed. Music & art is multi faceted and some of us love certain areas and maybe don't resonate or feel called towards others. I dont think that just because you might not feel called to teach kids guitar or play covers at a wedding that you need to get the fuck out. You might be really deep in other areas. Whatever works for you.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Right on. It's totally an individual thing when it comes to purely pursuing art. When it comes to a career in the arts it's different story. Every artist I know does a degree of what I mention in this video --- jobs that are adjacent to their artistic goal that keep them sharp while they pursue their artistic interests. It's such a commonality that it's cliche. Art as a pure expression is one thing, career and making money using art as a vessel is another. I think this vid is more directed at the latter. I appreciate you tuning in friend 💪✌️
@guapmop3025
4 ай бұрын
God I love this video, ive been making music for over ten years and the one constant I see with the people who give up on a music career are always the ones who seemed like they genuinely did not love making music. It may sound obvious but being around so many artists you would be surprised with how many people you encounter who have an interest for music but mostly see it as an opportunity to make money or gain fame. I would hear people say things like "this will all be such a waste if i dont make it in the next 5 years" and it would always confuse me. If you are truly passionate about it, wouldn't you want to do this as long as you still have passion for it, success or no success? The idea of giving up on an art because you didnt have the financial return you envisioned for yourself always felt so shallow and a clear sign that you were always in it for the wrong reasons. Don't get me wrong, ive had times where I question if a career in music is right for me but I will always make music regardless of the money or opportunity it produces for me.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Well put. So many are looking in music for something that music can't give them --- and are not truly in love with or aware of what music can and does give them (something that rarely comes with dollars attached.) I have days and weeks where I ask myself the same questions - Is this worth it? Why am I doing this? Usually when I'm thinking like that it just means I'm tired. In a few days I'll be back on the horse wide eyed and content. Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age said "when you expect anything out of music, you expect too much." Thanks for the insightful comment my friend ✌️
@randykalish7558
4 ай бұрын
I encounter enemies of music.
@swandaley
4 ай бұрын
I personally will never consider teaching or playing in a cover band (because i know I wouldn't enjoy it). However, I don't think I’m above it. Also, I've grown to be more open-minded about the fact that my career might not go in the way that I want. Being so hellbent about it going my way just really stressed me out. Plus, I'm at a point where I don't want to quit. I want to keep growing my skills as an artist, and that won't happen if I give up.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
That's the ticket --- "being so hellbent about it going my way" --- that was 100% me 3 or 4 years ago. All the best friend 💪
@swandaley
4 ай бұрын
@@jimiwmusic I meant to say “I don’t think I’m above it” in the second sentence. Sorry for not properly spellchecking. Thanks!
@decosteruniverse
4 ай бұрын
I love to teach students. No argument there.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Me too !
@AxeManOfSuburbia
4 ай бұрын
Great job. Super cool video. I agree with you on pretty much everything. My band bit the bullet and learned over 30 covers to play on the road just because that's the sort of thing you've gotta do at our level. If anything I think it's kinda arrogant to assume the audience and some random small town pub will want to hear your original music right off the bat. However I think I disagree about this being the best time to be an independent artist. I think that time was slightly before the steaming services. When it was still reflectivity cheap to make music and easy to get it out to people, but before everyone got so over stimulated by the near unlimited on demand access to all the world's music. I think it might actually be harder to than ever before to make something that really resonates with people because the competition is just so extremely vast for attention.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Right on man! Yeah it's complicated because as the technology to release your own stuff becomes cheaper and more accessible the problem of competition for attention gets way worse. You are spot on.
@mikedelferro
3 ай бұрын
Can you please share a link to the interview with Ethan Hawk?
@jimiwmusic
3 ай бұрын
Hey Mike! I just added the video link in the description 👍👍
@ObamaWuzHere
4 ай бұрын
i have the same view & stress communicating this to my friends, yet your particular tude/vocab seems familiar 😅
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
lol, many don't wanna hear it....
@ObamaWuzHere
4 ай бұрын
@@jimiwmusic u may be on the autism/asperger’s spectrum too, but i’m hearing it’s more constructive to use a neutral tone rather than confrontational. this is kinda the interdisciplinary root of other social obstacles
@hansvos5897
4 ай бұрын
Man..... why a career? Isn't having the time, the means and a place to create enough? Im 56 and painting when I'm 5 years old, making music when I'm 16, writing when I'm 15 ....And.;.;;; and made all by all maybe 1000 euro's maybe five live gigs and 4 expo's AND I'm happy and going on. The important part is creating, and if it is, nothing can stop you. I don't see it as challenge, I'm A PLAYING CHILD !!!
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Totally valid and beautiful!
@questionbeggar1869
4 ай бұрын
You're off on this one, Jimi. You've mistakenly lumped artistry in with commercial activities (teaching guitar, playing in cover bands, etc.) It's not sanctimony that drives some artists to decline learning new skills or branching out on social media. It's their God-given authority as an artist to determine the what and how and who of how they create and express. That authority can not be gainsayed by unpopularity or lack of sales or inferior quality. Art is by definition useless. It's rightly created to be something completely frivolous, expendable. That expendability gives it timelessness in the material world: an activity/object with no purpose. When an artist tries to make art with a purpose, that art becomes, automatically, craft. Craft can succeed or fail, and be judged by the skill used to create it. Songs written to be hits are craft, not art. Art is done solely for kicks of whatever sort, and stands above and beyond craft. This distinction is commonly missed, and that's what the frustrated voices on socials are crying about. They're confused artists, being held to standards of craft (and sometimes frustrated craftsman eluded by artistry.) While it's true that an artist may choose to wear many hats in the service of their useless art-like promotion and monetary support, etc-this should never taint the artist as they create. For a craft example of the problem of wearing many hats, consider a cook who has to clean up their own kitchen after a meal. The cook's rightful concern was making the dish, period. Later, acting as the cleaning person, that cook can curse the mess made, but not to the point where, while wearing the chef's hat, the making of the dish should be constrained to ease cleanup later. So, to apply this to music, the songwriter should create music that pleases their own self as a sole consideration, as an artist, and let the promotion of that work-if any-be considered when the songwriter is wearing their promoter hat. Again, that's IF an artist feels like wearing multiple hats. Multiple hats are fully optional. So there's no "If you think [insert artistic preference]...then GET OUT!" Unless you change it to "GET OUT of craft and GET INto art!"
@questionbeggar1869
4 ай бұрын
I could have cut all that short by saying, "There is no such thing as a career in the arts, only in crafts," but not without the same distinctions made. Basically, be an artist or be a craftsman.
@ChunterInfo
4 ай бұрын
I heard his list and thought to myself, I have my reasons for turning down all of those things. A few I would do if it didn't mean throwing family life under the bus. If he thinks that makes me lesser somehow, it's his loss. He is not my music's intended audience.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
I'm talking specifically about having a career as a musician. A career as a musician today requires a robust skillset, with multiple lanes adjacent and in service to the central artistic goal. Be it teaching, doing contract work, playing weddings, recording, making visual art --- each skill is an opportunity to practice and develop as an artist. Hair splitting definitions of art aside --- I've taken lessons from teachers who ARE artists when they communicate their lessons. I've shared the bandstand with musicians who turned tired pop standards into glorious art complete with gospel reharms and chord subs. Hell after 8 years and 500 weddings I was well acquainted with the art of playing weddings. Point being, an artist makes art. That's what we do. Do or die. This is my philosophy. Artists of course can decide whether or not they want to wear multiple hats. Everyone is different. The moment the words "career" and "money" enter the equation however --- dying on the hill of artistic integrity might literally mean dying on a hill, broke and homeless. It's not sanctimony that drives ALL artists to complain on social media but it inarguably most. I see very few creative ideas and solutions and very many closed loops of bitterness and resentment. And at the end of the day an artist can wear all the hats and do all things "right" and still not have a career. The value of art is 100% subjective. Many of the most creative and brilliant professional artists I know understand this risk and still put their mind, body and soul into what they do. Why? because they have to. Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
I don't think it makes anyone lesser. That is not my intention at all.
@krone5
4 ай бұрын
Thanks I came to the conclusion that covering the eddies awards was not worth it when I saw 0 views for the 2023 album in question. I even told twitter at the time with proper hashtag to wait for my album. This year I missed an award show, and the album for that day got 32 views. Folks tried to fight me that the show was worth it, but I chose another event to attend last Sunday. One thing you did get right as a pro musician in your piece is, you should probably learn a second instrument, as you can get more work.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Right on! You are in the capital region then? cool ♥️
@mattytwohatsmusic
4 ай бұрын
This? OR the brutal reality of AI music and spotify algorithms. Very Bi-polar today. :)
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
haha
@Imblakeimblakethatsrght
4 ай бұрын
algorithm boost comment
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
'preciate cha
@eusterbro
4 ай бұрын
i was really optimistic when i first found this channel but feel the content has been siding into a series of grandstanding declarative ultimatums that i don’t agree with.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
How so? Gimme some constructive feedback.
@eusterbro
4 ай бұрын
@@jimiwmusic “if you don’t want to [insert things that lots of artists reasonably aren’t interested in] then get the fuck out”. there was another video that talked about *needing* to know theory (or something along those lines, i’m paraphrasing) to be a real artist… simply put, i see you stating hard rules to draw rigid boundaries around art and who can (and how they should) participate validly. i was so enthusiastic when i heard your first videos about the joy and privilege of believing in and creating magic, and felt i’d found a corner of the world that would help me remember and honor that. even pieces of this video have that reverence. but telling anyone to “get the fuck out” of art borders on gross to me.
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Fair enough. This video is directly addressing artists trying to have a CAREER in the arts --- a topic I haven't addressed before. The confrontational parts, however crude are meant to emphasize how the business of pursuing art as a CAREER is not a soft and easy process. Every working professional artist I know does a degree of work from the list I mentioned --- without exception. CAREER is different than art and is constantly taunting artists to GTFO --- it's a hard, grinding business by it's very nature, there is no way of getting around it. These gigs and jobs, which have artists working in lanes adjacent to their central artistic goals are the lifeblood of the industry. It took me a long time to realize this in my own career, a career in which all my money is made from music in one way or another. It's scrappy, risky and challenging but it's common for career seekers. That is my central point. The moment we leave the realm of pure art and enter a career mindset --- we must be prepared for compromise --- compromises that can hardly be considered compromises in that they help an artists grow in nearly every way at every step --- what a blessing. I would never tell anyone to GTFO of art as a high pursuit and ideal. I'm also not sure which video the "needing to know theory to be an artist is from" --- I don't think that's true, although theory is incredibly important and powerful tool to artists of any medium. I believe we need more people creating art for the joy of expression --- simply to behold their creation. I think we need less people creating for attention and jockeying for position. I think we all need to step back from the idea that not "making it" in the music industry is a failure that MEANS something serious about us when in fact it may be the blessing that saves us and in a sense gifts us a real life. I think my larger body of videos and the infrequency with which I address topics like CAREER reflect this belief. In fairness a more accurate title would be "being a CAREER artist is not for you if..." Thanks for getting back to me and being civil friend. I appreciate you watching my videos and am honored that they resonate with you, even if you don't agree with everything I say every time lol. Truly. Thank you. ✌️✌️
@zephhalo
4 ай бұрын
Thanks Jimi! Another good one! One of the hardest things to grapple with as a musician is the age old struggle of the balance of how much a person invests in their music and how they are going to make the money they need to support their needs and their lifestyle. Every musician has to figure out their own journey in this regard. Some musicians are "all in" and all of their money comes from various musically oriented "gigs" like teaching, or being a session player, running a KZitem channel, producing and engineering, playing live in cover bands, etc. .. Basically, a whole LOT of hussling... Other musicians have careers in completely different fields and music is something they get to pursue "on the side". And there is a full spectrum of possibilities as to how it will play out in each musician's life. Some musicians take years or even decades off from engaging in music to go back to school and get a degree or to focus on a particular career for a while. Money is always a factor that all musicians must grapple with. If you're reading this and you're a young musician, I'll give you some advice that I wish someone would have given to me when I was much younger. Don't let musicians tell you that unless you're doing music in an "all in" way, that your musical journey can't be incredible. There is a myth that most musicians believe that can be very harmful. I know. Because I believed it.. Musicians tell other musicians that the "only" way to go forward in life is to be "all in" with music, and that working in a career, nine to five, is some type of terrible waste of our lives. But this is simply not true. Having a great career and making a good living can actually fuel your music far beyond what could have happened if you were "all in". I was in a band, 40 years ago, and we were "all in" and we tried to "make it" in the music business. It didn't work out and most of the members of this band took time to get certifications and degrees and became IT professionals. Today, we all have our financial needs met because of this decision to get into a career that actually makes good money. And, all of this time, we've had music on the side and have continued to grow musically, play in bands, create albums, teach, etc. Having the money issue solved with a good career is paramount to everything else in a person's life. It effects everything. It is foundational. A person simply has to have money to have any semblance of a life at all.. This is something that has to be faced and dealt with. And a musical career, even when you have multiple streams of revenue from different "gigs". Is not a good way to make money. In fact it's one of, if not THE worst ways to make money. Garbage men make more money than your average musician does for all of these "gigs". I think about some of the new bands out there, that have 3 to 5 albums and have been around for 10 years or more, who have been touring non stop the whole time. These guys are "all in". And they play at festivals all the time, but this is not the 1970's, 80's or 90's.. We live in an age of oversaturation and unfortunately, no matter how good these bands are, and there are tons of incredible bands out there right now that are "all in" today.. They simply are not making any money at all.. And when they come off of these tours, these guys can't afford to even have their own apartments or homes.. Most of them live with their parents.. This is unfortunate but true. Remember that music is basically worthless in our current economy and it probably always will be from here on out. A band with 5 members is taking shares from .003% of a penny per stream on a song? Music is worthless now.. It has no value. .. it's just the background, mood for something else that's happening. Normies are not paying any attention.. it's all on playlists now.. and you know what? It really is OK to get yourself in the best money making career that will still allow you to have tons of free time when you're not at work. And then,.. with that free time, you'll have money for equipment and for practice places and you'll have time to setup a DAW and you can have a KZitem Channel where you pimp your music from, etc. etc. etc. But being "all in" today in music.. is unfortunately a very sad place to be in. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy... There's no 401k, there's no pension.. there's no money for medical insurance.. let alone mortgages, car payments, no money to support a family... all there is, is a dream .. or a vision of some type of "Rock Star" lifestyle that was only available to musicians and bands decades ago.. and even then, ... it was only available to the lucky .001% of those who tried. So.. do yourself a HUGE favor. Keep your love for music pure and away from money as much as possible and go get a great career that gives you an incredible foundation to build your life. Then make your money and invest your extra time into music. When music is free from having to be used to make money, that's when it's most rewarding.. That's when it's done with the Love that Jimmy is talking about. Music, like friendship, is free.. and it is a reward unto itself.. Get your money from a career and enjoy and explore and share your music as much as possible! This is the way! Btw.. I've been in an IT career for 23 years.. I make 6 figures, I support a family, a mortgage, three kids, etc. and I've been working on an album for 4 years.. wrote 35 songs, just to widdle the album down to the "best of the best" songs.. And I'm releasing an EP of just 5 of the best songs...hopefully by Aug '24. And I had a blast making this music!
@jimiwmusic
4 ай бұрын
Very well written and thoughtful my friend. Thank you for sharing. You are describing what has to be the vast majority of peoples experience with the music industry. I know it was mine. I too was "all in" for the longest time and have been adapting and walking it back over the years. I love hearing your story and I love that you are still making music. Thank you so much.
@zephhalo
4 ай бұрын
@@jimiwmusic Thanks Jimi! keep this good music therapy coming!
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