TL:DR Yes.
Hi, I’m Adam and I got in trouble for saying an unpopular thing on Tiktok.
Mainly that original bands are a TERRIBLE business model in the music industry.
And I stand by that, even as a musician who played in multiple original projects and who currently operates 4 bands.
So how do I reconcile those two things?
First off, this take applies to the MUSIC industry primarily.
The music or recording industry is set up as a top-down model.
At the top are record labels and gatekeepers who provide resources or access to chosen artists to sell recordings, merchandise and tour.
The revenue generated by this is not given to the artists. It is paid DIRECTLY to the label and gets spread around to all those involved first. In this model, the band is the last one to get paid.
That already small cut of the pie then has to be split between the members.
Paying your bills like that is a tall order to accomplish.
That being said. there is another option.
If you can shift your mindset to being in the ENTERTAINMENT industry, that’s a totally different ballgame.
Entertainers don’t need to concern themselves with the arbitrary rules musicians or artists set because their primary function is to build an audience and entertain them.
Sounds familiar right?
Then, that audience follows them around. Keeps up with them and supports them monetarily.
Isn’t that what all songwriters and performers want as well?
So the question you need to consider is do you want to make a living MAKING music?
Or PLAYING music?
For those wanting to make music consider this:
In most bands, there is a creative nucleus of 1 or 2 people and the other musicians, while contributing, aren’t a part of the process outside of performance.
Are you able to create music the way you want with yourself or maybe one or 2 other people?
If so, you should!
With digital distribution, labels don’t have the same power that they used to. Also, by keeping the group small your ability to share any revenue made becomes more practical, and you can hire musicians to fill those gaps if you want when (or if) you choose to perform live.
Some projects don’t tour at all and are still generating revenue.
For those who want to make their living PLAYING music, the options are much more varied.
You can play solo at venues like bars & restaurants or busk.
You can be a hired gun playing in projects that need an instrumentalist or vocalist for live shows.
You could start or join a cover band like a lot of our subscribers do.
Cover bands can be very lucrative endeavors and the ways you build a following for an original group or on social media can be used the same way to build an audience for a cover band as well.
Also lots of cover bands record original stuff too. And the money they’re making from those cover gigs can fund them. Best of both worlds!
It really boils down to what gives you the most energy.
Also I feel like this should be a given but if music isn’t a money-making venture for you, that’s fine too.
Some people just make music because they love it.
Some people want to take their hard work and put it to use paying off their student loans.
No one is better or worse than the other, but this is a message to those wanting to make music their livelihood, not their passion project.
I hope this cleared up a few things. Ultimately my goal is to help you go further faster in your music career, regardless of how you want to make your way.
