I recently read an article in the Guardian that reconfirmed everything I have thought and heard about from those seeking to earn a living in the music industry. I have massive respect for anyone deciding on this course of action, but there are many factors that create totally unrealistic expectations from people deciding to go down this path.
The Guardian article comments –
“A pioneering census of nearly 6,000 working musicians in the UK has found that nearly half earn less than £14,000 a year from their craft. The first Musicians’ Census, a project it is hoped to repeat every three to five years, was created by the Musicians’ Union and the charity Help Musicians, which used a series of industry partners to try to reach as many respondents as possible. The census finds that despite high levels of education and training among professional musicians – 70% have a degree or higher, and 50% have a music degree – more than half the respondents have to cobble together a living through a variety of jobs. One anonymised respondent complained of “a real glass ceiling in terms of performance pay with fees for most performance opportunities the same as they were 20 years ago … the hours are unsociable, rehearsals are often unpaid and there is much unpaid waiting around. Being a full-time musician and trying to be present as a parent is effectively impossible.”
Even when working within music, a musician has between three and four jobs on average, and even those whose entire livelihood comes from music earn only an average of about £30,000 a year – more than £4,000 less than the average median UK salary for the financial year ending 2022 (according to the Office for National Statistics) and £8,500 less than the average for someone with a degree.
Forty-four per cent of musicians said that financial barriers were holding them back in their career, with costs of equipment and transport the most cited worries. The study found a pay gap of about £1,000 between white and global majority musicians, and of £4,000 between disabled and non-disabled. Very few musicians who responded to the survey earned more than £70,000 – just 3% – but of those who did, four-fifths were men.”
Unrealistic expectations?
My own observations from talking to professional artists and those starting out in the music industry is that there are a number of factors that create unrealistic expectations for people going down this path. A number of music producers have commented that a lot of the advice given to students from music colleges is outdated and once leaving the academic world they meet a harsh reality check.
I’ve met artists who have quite delusional expectations about earning a living from music and have ideas about “being signed” as the financial solution to all their needs without having a basic understanding of what happends in such contractual arrangements. My personal observation is that good business advice is in short supply on such courses.
Unrealistic expectations are also compounded by TV talent shows and social media. The myth of “making it in music” (whatever that means!) is very different to the reality of earning an even basic living. The Guardian article 100% confirms that academic qualifications and creative skills are not enough to earn even a basic living from music.
Collaboration and education
I set up Green Eyed Records to provoke discussion about such topics and to foster the idea of “creativity through collaboration” There is a greater power and greater means for momentum when artists band together, but not everyone recognises or appreciates this truth. I’ve seen car crash decisions by artists who literally blow endless great opportunities, by lack of basic common sense. Examples include one who decided to remove all his material from streaming services and the connection with a major label supporting such exposure. With a few months, he realised the error, but by then the damage was done. Another artist I approached to attend a musical showcase decided she couldn’t allocate rehearsal time to learn some of the material she’d done session work on. I never mentioned any rehearsals, this was entirely a mind read on her behalf.
The Guardian article mentioned
“There was a sign that more needs to be done around networking and social mobility, with 25% of musicians saying that not knowing anyone in the industry was also holding them back.“
“Knowing” and/or connecting with others is a key element to reach a wider audience and many artists don’t reach out and imagine the opportunity will come to them, which of course is somewhat optimistic. I’m pleased that GER in a small way helps promote discussion for articts about how to reach a wider audience and actively sponsors musicians both financially and in other ways.
