Best Day Jobs for Gigging Musicians

When it comes to being an active musician who gigs a lot, and most especially a musician who tours, it can be hard finding a day-job that actually allows you to take the time off that you need. Being able to actually support yourself through playing music is an extremely difficult task and a very unstable source of income. Yet trying to find a day-job that allows you the flexibility needed to constantly take time off (especially extended periods of time for touring) can be difficult. Here is a list of some of the best day jobs for gigging musicians.

Music Instructor
One of the best ways to make money as a musician is to teach lessons on the instrument(s) you play. By becoming a music instructor you can set your own schedule and the pay can be really good. For multi-instrumentalists this is a great gig because you can build a large clientele by offering lessons on multiple instruments. Even better, it is an amazing way to advance and hone your own skills. There are a few ways you can go about becoming a music instructor; you can seek out local shops who host instructors to teach at their shop or you can offer your services independently by hosting lessons at your house or doing lessons at the student's house. Unfortunately this isn't the most stable of jobs and students tend to cancel lessons, often, which can cut big into your expected income. One great thing is it isn't too hard to teach music lessons while also working another part-time job for stable income.

Average Pay - $30-$50/hr
Financial Stability - Low
Time Flexibility - High
Benefits Offered - None
Experience Needed - Knowledge of music theory, musical ability, and ability to teach/communicate ideas
Degree/Certificate Needed - No
Notes - You will need lots of patience, especially with younger kids

Food Industry
This is probably the most common job for musicians and other 'starving artists' types (painters, photographers, actors, etc). There are all types of jobs including dishwasher, cook, host, server, bartender, busser, caterer, bar-back, and probably even more than that but the main thing about it all is almost anyone can do it with no experience. Turnover in the food industry is high so a lot of restaurants are willing to work around musicians schedules to ensure they can fully staff their establishment. Pay can vary depending on the position you get, the type of restaurant, and where it's located but in my experience it is often higher on average for front-of-house workers (servers, hosts, bartenders), usually hovering around $10-$12/hr on average, as opposed to the back-of-house which gets about $8-$10/hr on average. FOH workers get most of their income from tips so their pay isn't as stable as BOH workers who see most pay through their hourly wages and usually doesn't see any tips. Be ready for long and tedious hours in this industry as well as being around lots of hot and sharp objects that can quickly end your ability to play your instrument properly.

Average Pay - $8-$12/hr
Financial Stability - Medium
Time Flexibility - Medium
Benefits Offered - Rarely
Experience Needed - No
Degree/Certificate Needed - No
Notes - High turnover

Temp Jobs
The whole concept of temporary jobs works perfectly for musicians because you don't have a full-time commitment for each job and can work around your schedule. Temp jobs were originally used as a way to get one's foot in the door in a new career but are now also used by people who do work that is seasonal or unstable, such as musicians. This article is a great source of information if you'd like to go this route. The jobs offered vary widely as well as the pay, usually ranging from $10-$30/hr depending on the field, and is utilized by almost every field of industry. Different temp agencies will work with different industries and you can usually find a wide array of agencies in every city but expect a small percentage of each paycheck to go to the agency. Some temp agencies even offer benefit programs and employee perks. You can also look through classifieds (print and online) or visit businesses during peak-months and see if they are looking for additional seasonal staff.

Average Pay - $10-$30/hr
Financial Stability - Medium
Time Flexibility - High
Benefits Offered - Sometimes
Experience Needed - Yes, but varies by field
Degree/Certificate Needed - Varies
Notes -

Freelance
Freelance work can vary, usually requires lots of experience, and is sometimes just as an unstable as trying to make a living as a musician, so even if you choose to freelance along with doing music you most likely will need another income source as well. The best examples of freelance work are Graphic Design, Videography, and Photography. You'll need to be very entrepreneurial to go this route and should understand how to sell yourself and your service. Pay varies per project and is often based on your experience, availability, quality of work, and competition in the area. If you are just building your portfolio then expect to give some great deals but be realistic about what you charge, most freelance work requires a lot of overhead expenses (often in the form of expensive equipment and software) so don't lowball yourself because you'll end up costing yourself money with little return.

Average Pay - Varies per project
Financial Stability - Low
Time Flexibility - High
Benefits Offered - No
Experience Needed - Yes
Degree/Certificate Needed - No but it would allow you to charge a higher fee
Notes - Usually requires an initial investment in expensive equipment and software.

Hired Musician

What I mean by a hired musician is a musician who is paid a steady wage to play their instrument. This is often in the form of being a studio musician but can also include live music as well. This is similar to freelance work in that you have to be somewhat entrepreneurial and build a network of contacts who hire musicians, selling yourself and your talent to build that network. Pay varies greatly from project to project and each job often requires you to have some equipment although being a gigging musician already it is likely you will have what you need, so overhead costs aren't that bad.

Average Pay - Varies per project
Financial Stability - Low
Time Flexibility - High
Benefits Offered - No
Experience Needed - Yes
Degree/Certificate Needed - No, but some projects may recommend it
Notes - An advanced knowledge of Music Theory will help you find more jobs

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When it comes to finding a day-job as a musician there are a few things that will help you manage your work schedule and band schedule. First, decide on a specific time(s) each week in which you will practice, this way you can let your employer know these times aren't available for your work schedule. Secondly, make sure all shows are booked 2-3 months in advance. Most company policies require employees to put in time-off 2-3 weeks in advance, so by booking way ahead of time you allow your employer more than enough time to work around your schedule. Lastly, make a calendar of your own with all your work 'black-out' dates and those of your bandmates, that way it is a quick reference while booking shows to see what dates aren't doable. 

Happy Birthday Copyright Lawsuit

When it comes to copyright law you can never be too careful and some major corporations are now learning that the hard way. A Federal Judge in Los Angeles recently declared that the copyright claim to "Happy Birthday to You" was invalid and now Warner/Chappell, the company who claimed the rights to the lyrics, may have to pay back decades of royalties paid for the licensing use of the lyrics as the suit is now a class-action lawsuit. They will have to pay back all the fees from at least 1988 which is when Warner Music bought Birch Tree Group, who supposedly owned the rights at that point, but they may have to pay back fees from all the back to 1935. To better understand everything it's best to look at the history of the song.

The original melody was written in 1893 by sisters Mildred J. Hill and Patty Smith Hill and was called "Good Morning to All". The sisters eventually cut a publishing deal with Clayton F Summy Co. and released a songbook called "Song Stories for the Kindergarten" which included the song. Clayton F Summy Co. filed a copyright in 1935 but this is where the dispute begins. Warner Music claims that this 1935 copyright included the lyrics to "Happy Birthday to You" but the judge ruled that the 1935 copyright was only for the melody, which has already been in public domain for decades. The judge said that it isn't clear whether the sisters actually wrote the lyrics for "Happy Birthday to You" but it is certain they never filed a copyright claim to the lyrics. Even more, the judge ruled that there is no evidence that Clayton F Summy Co. ever obtained the rights to lyrics from whomever wrote them.

What's really interesting is this doesn't officially put the lyrics in public domain. If someone were able to prove they owned the rights to the lyrics, which is very unlikely, or descendants of the Hill sisters came forward with more information then they would have a copyright claim to the song and could stand to gain a lot of money. Quite unfortunately for Warner/Chappell they will end up paying the most for this as they make millions a year from royalties from the song. Warner/Chappell also give one-third of the profits from licensing the song to the Association of Childhood Education International, a designated charity of the Hill family. In 2012 the charity's tax return showed it received $754,108 in royalties. Plaintiffs coming forward are claiming Warner charged them from $1500 to $5000 per use of the song.

The lawsuit came about when documentary filmmaker Jennifer Nelson was working on a film about the origins of the song and was told she would have to pay Warner $1500 to use the song in the film. Nelson filed a putative class action suit in federal court for the Southern District of New York against Warner/Chappell. A week later a similar case was filed against Warner in California and Nelson eventually decided to refile her suit in California as well. Through her extensive knowledge and research about the history of the song Nelson and her attorneys proved that Warner held no copyright claim. A 1922 songbook published by the Hill sisters had a version of "Good Morning and Happy Birthday" with a line right under the title saying "Special permission through courtesy of The Clayton F Summy Co" which proves that the Hill sisters didn't own the rights to the lyrics and that they were published without a valid copyright because there was no copyright filed for the lyrics. Now Nelson's lawyers and producers of the film are working to file a class-action lawsuit that could cost Warner an estimated $50 million and unless a new copyright holder is declared the lyrics will become part of public domain and could be used by anyone without having to pay any license fees. 

My Top 10 Albums According to Last.fm Charts

For those who like to audioscrobble and track their music on last.fm you may have noticed an upgrade to a beta version of their new website. One of the new features, or at least something I didn't know they had before, is a ranking of top albums based on how much you've listened to songs from each album. Having used the website since 2005 (holy shit, i've been tracking my music for a decade!) I thought it was pretty interesting how my top 10 albums had a range of music I used to listen to all the time and my new favorites. So I figured I would post my top 10 albums according to my audioscrobbles from the past decade.

10. Blowout - The So So Glos


The So So Glos have been a band since brothers Alex and Ryan met their future step-brother Zach in kindergarten. In 2007 they met Matt and officially became The So So Glos. They became a staple in the New York music community after helping found multiple d.i.y. venues in Brooklyn. They've released multiple albums throughout the years but Blowout (2014) has become a real home-run for them, helping build a large fanbase across the country and even landing them a spot on The Late Show with David Letterman. Blowout is packed full of energetic and catchy songs like "Son of An American" and "Wrecking Ball".  The album also features punk songs with a groovy twist that just make you want to move. After listening to this album for almost a year I was able to see them in concert and they did not disappoint.

9. This Was Built To Make You Dance - Secret Lives! of The Freemasons

This is an album I haven't listened to much in years (partially because it isn't on Spotify) and is mainly on the list because of how much I listened to it back in the day (mostly 2006-2008). Secret Lives of The Freemasons was a band from Asheville, North Carolina that mixed emo and hard-core to become what was known as emo-core. This Was Built To Make You Dance (2005) was their first major release and eventually got them on Victory Records where they released Weekend Warriors (2008) but then they seemed to disappear. I still enjoy this album and recently found a band with a very similar style called Uh-Huh Baby Yeah from Kentucky whose singer is actually related to one of the members of Secret Lives.

8. Chroma - Cartel

Cartel is a punk band from Georgia who formed in 2003. I first learned about them when I saw them on tour for their debut release The Ransom EP (2004) and was hooked. A super energetic band with catchy songs and hooks that get stuck in your head for days. Less than a year later they released their debut album Chroma (2005) which featured a few remakes of songs from The Ransom but really took off from the featured single "Honestly". MTV featured "Honestly" on Discover and Download in the summer of 2006 and led to Cartel doing the show "Band In A Bubble" where they had to live in a 'bubble' on a pier in New York and write a new album. They released a bunch of albums after that as well but nothing has seemed to come close to Chroma. Cartel just did a 10 year anniversary tour for Chroma, rereleased it on Vinyl, and just last month received a Gold Certification from the RIAA for "Honestly".

7. Tenacious D - Tenacious D

It doesn't surprise me much that this album is in the top 10 as it was one I enjoyed a lot throughout my youth and then rediscovered in college and then rediscovered as a young adult. The musical composition is absolutely amazing, the songs are hilarious, the skits are hilarious, and even though it kind of feels like an album I shouldn't enjoy that much when I'm almost hitting 30 I still love listening to it from beginning to end.

6. Take Off Your Pants and Jacket - Blink 182

As a someone who grew up in the 90s and enjoyed pop-punk Blink 182 is one of those bands who really stick out. I learned about them the way many of the kids my age did...MTV. By the time they released Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001) I was already a huge fan, voted for them on TRL, and was instantly addicted to the new album. As I've grown older I've really learned to love this album because I can relate to a lot of the content in the songs, maybe because I'm now about the age they were when they wrote the album. As a drummer this is my favorite album to drum to and if I could have scrobbled all the times I drummed to these songs this album could possibly be number one on this list.

5. The Minstrel Show - Little Brother

This album is a big out-liar on this list, not only because it's the only hip-hop album on the list but it's the only one I'm truly surprised that it made the top ten. If any hip-hop album made the top ten I would have guessed Ready To Die by Notorious B.I.G., which ended up making 14th on the list. While there are a few other albums I haven't listened to much in years that are on this list this album is one I have barely listened to at all in last the 5 years. Not that this album isn't good, it's absolutely great, and it's on the list because of how much I listened to it from 2005-2009. The Minstrel Show (2005) was the last album 9th Wonder did as part of Little Brother before he left to pursue a solo career and then Little Brother soon became defunct after they fulfilled a contractual clause to their label for another album.

4. You're Gonna Miss It All - Modern Baseball

Modern Baseball is a band out of Philly who is part of the new wave of emo that seems to really be taking off. They formed in 2011 and released an EP by the end of that same year and then released Sports (2012) the next year. You're Gonna Miss It All (2014) was released right before they went on tour with The Wonder Years, quickly gaining a huge fanbase and putting their album at 97 on the US Billboard 200. The songs on the album are catchy, fun to sing, and most importantly relatable. Brendan and Jacob, the main singers and songwriters for the band, have a way of putting mundane real life situations into poetic lyrics that ring perfectly for those who have felt the same way. With lines like "Trying hard not to look like I'm trying that hard, failing miserably at everything including that", they have a way of making unforgettable quotes you just want to scream back at them at a live show. I still have yet to see them live but hopefully that day will come.

3. Gutter Phenomenon - Every Time I Die

Every Time I Die was a band I didn't enjoy that much until I saw them at Warped Tour and then I couldn't get enough. I often consider them one of the main bands that got me into the hardcore/metalcore scene. Gutter Phenomenon (2005) was the band's fourth release and third full-length out of eight total releases but stands out among the rest for me. This album has some of their most iconic songs including The New Black which was one of the Guitar Hero games. It's the perfect album to get pumped up and get the adrenaline flowing.

2. Talon of The Hawk - The Front Bottoms

The Front Bottoms are one of the very few bands I love that I learned about from hearing them on the radio, although it wasn't mainstream radio (yay independent college radio stations). The band formed in 2007 and spent years playing locally throughout New Jersey and touring when possible. They gained larger exposure when they put a music video of their song "Maps" on youtube and then signed to a label the next year. Their song "Au Revoir" was the first one I heard and I was instantly intrigued by them, looking them up as soon as I got home. They are another band from the new wave of emo and have very catchy poetic songs, often leaning towards an indie vibe. I listened to Talon Of The Hawk (2013) from beginning to end for months and now it is a staple in my playlist mix. I had the chance to see them live after a year of listening to the album and they put on a great show.

1. Apocalypse In Increments - Ryans Hope

Ryans Hope is somewhat of an underground 3-piece band from Joliet, Illinois who started in 2000 and then became The Reagonomics in 2008, although they are known to play Ryans Hope shows from time to time. Their unique mix of punk and metal creates an amazing blend of energetic riffs and hard-hitting drums all led by Terry Morrow whose catchy lyrics and fast-paced guitar licks bring it all to a whole new level. Apocalypse In Increments (2006) is their second full-length and packed full of unforgettable songs. I first found them when I went to a random house show in the backwoods of North Carolina in the summer of 2006 and they absolutely blew the roof off the place. I saw them a few more times after that and even booked them a couple of those times. This album stands at number one because it's an album I see myself listening to for years and have consistently listened to since I first saw them.

And just for fun here are the next 10 that make my top 20

11. Commit This To Memory - Motion City Soundtrack
12. Enema of The State - Blink 182
13. ...Is A Real Boy - Say Anything
14. Ready To Die - Notorious B.I.G.
15. Bon Appitite .... Bitch!!! - Action Bronson
16. Sports - Modern Baseball
17. Keep It Together - Guster
18. Louder Now - Taking Back Sunday
19. Catalyst - New Found Glory
20. Ganging Up On The Sun - Guster