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"Maxing
Your Musical Mastery"
Earning more without learning more
By Kenny Love
 Every
musician has, at least, two methods he (or she) can use to
proactively earn an income, yet, most only utilize one method.
As an example, most artists utilize performing as their primary
source of income.
And, while many artists do have recordings, their recorded music is
generally treated as an "aftermarket" product. Or,
more clearly, a product that is left to defend itself in the income
producing arena.
So, in an effort to apprise you of more areas that you may (or may
not) have considered for producing more income from your local
market, please review the below list of avenues artists can utilize
to gravitate to a higher tax bracket.
1. Live Performance
a. Night clubs
b. Weddings
c. High school functions
d. College functions
e. Company functions
f. Holiday parties
g. Summer outdoor parties
h. Grand openings
i. New company openings
2. Your Own CD For $ale
3. Private Teaching
There are always a large number of people, even in the
smallest geographical areas, who would like to learn to play an
instrument, if only they knew someone who could teach them.
And, you don't need a college degree to teach someone to play an
instrument.
Actually, I find that most people are, initially, really only
seeking to be introduced to an instrument and, basically, interested
in learning how to get sound out of it in order to not be
embarrassed, instead of seeking virtuosity.
4. Public Teaching
Do you reside in a fairly sized town, or in a college area?
If so, why not consider teaching classes for a couple of hours, one
or two nights at a nearby community college? Community
colleges are almost always open to new ideas for continuing
education classes, as long as there isn't already a similar class on
their current curriculum.
Even if there is, perhaps, you can still get on the curriculum by
putting a spin or angle on your class, in the interest of making it
different from the current class. For example, instead of
simply offering a standard guitar class, why not add a specialty to
it, such as "Jazz guitar," "Rock guitar" or
"Classical guitar," etc.?
5. Studio Session Work
How many local artists do you encounter who are trying to
produce their own CD? Probably, quite a few. if so, why
not hire yourself out as a studio session musician? In order
to make this pay off well, you will probably need to study various
commercial genres of music, i.e., Country, Rock, Urban, Jazz, etc.,
in order to be flexible enough to work and earn from it consistently
without limitations.
6. Songwriting
Another area that most artists aren't true masters in, at
least, for some time. If you are, however, a seasoned
songwriter, who understands the process fairly well, i.e., when
enough is enough, or not, in terms of content, this can be a
rewarding source of income for you. Just be sure to cover
yourself on the "writer royalty" end with your performing
rights organization.
7. Arranging
While many artists can put songs together generally, I find
that many beginning songwriters are not adept at arranging their
material according to commercially accepted standards. For
instance, maybe a bridge or hook is too long. or, perhaps, an
instrumental intro could be shortened for radio.
And, maybe, the entire song is too long for radio, as radio is
still a stickler about the length of music, preferring to remain
safely within the confines of the 3 - 4-1/2 minute range for
commercial sake.
Fixing all of these kinds of things equates to commercial
arranging. And, you can probably help out a lot of artists,
particularly, neophytes in perfecting their original material.
8. Radio/TV Jingles
Why not add some income by approaching businesses in your area
and offering to write an original score for them? If you live
in a decently sized town, i.e., Chicago, Detroit, etc., it is likely
there are companies that are already seeking someone with your
skills, but don't know you exist.
9. Ad Agencies/Public
Relations Firms
You could also contact area advertising agencies and public
relations firms in order to align yourself with them as a resource
for jobs that they acquire.
10. Area Stage Plays
How about you and/or your band providing live background music
for area plays that are being produced locally or regionally?
You could approach high schools, college drama departments and
community theatre groups. Even dance troupes might be open to
the idea as well.
Hopefully, this handful of ideas can inspire you to come up with
other outlets for maxing your musical mastery and, ultimately,
maximizing your income potential.
Editor's Note: Kenny Love manages MuBiz.com,
a multi-service music firm specially created for independent
musicians at http://www.MuBiz.com.
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