Music As Your Day Job: What They Don't Tell You

Considering a leap into the world of full-time music? This candid breakdown explores what's rarely discussed about the professional musician's journey. The financial reality hits hard - one month bringing in $5,000, the next barely reaching $2,000. This unpredictability forms the foundation of the musician's experience, requiring careful budgeting and planning that many aren't prepared for when first starting out.

The seasonal nature of musical work creates unique challenges. During holidays, your calendar overflows with opportunities, while months like January can leave you scrambling for gigs. This feast-or-famine cycle means sacrificing personal events and often missing occasions others take for granted. Perhaps most sobering is the insurance situation - unlike traditional employment, musicians must navigate the complicated world of self-provided healthcare coverage, adding another layer of complexity to an already demanding career path.

But amidst these challenges lie remarkable rewards. The freedom to manage your own time proves invaluable for creative professionals. As a business owner in essence, you'll benefit from tax advantages most employees never experience. Your talent can transport you across countries and cultures, with travel expenses covered by your performances. Most significantly, there's an unmatched fulfillment in watching your gift sustain you financially while bringing joy to others. If you're weighing this career transition, consider whether these benefits outweigh the very real challenges of the musical life. Have you been contemplating this path? What aspect of the full-time musician's life appeals to you most - or concerns you deeply?

Chapters

• 0:00 The Challenges of Full-Time Music
• 1:10 Benefits of Musical Career Path
• 2:07 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi, let's go through some of the pros and the cons of becoming a full-time musician. Let's start with the negative living on a budget. When a musician chooses to do this full-time, he's going to have to, more than likely, live on some type of budget. One month you may make $5,000 and the next month you only make $2,000. So you have to figure out what number is going to be comfortable for you to be able to sustain throughout the year and to further that point being a full-time musician sometimes the work is seasonal. During the holidays you may work more and then in months like January it may slow down for you. You have to take that into consideration the sacrifice you may not get to go to everything that you want to go to because your work is seasonal. Insurance Most full-time musicians have to venture out and get their own medical coverage. Usually, when you work a job, medical coverage is provided for you. After a certain amount of time In this field, more than likely you're going to have to get it on your own of time In this field. More than likely you're going to have to get it on your own. Okay, so we've discussed the negative.

Speaker 1: 1:14

Let's discuss some of the positive things about being a full-time musician Time. You actually get to manage your time. Now you can choose to get up at 12 o'clock, but is that going to be beneficial to you? You're actually a business owner, meaning you own your own business, so there are also certain tax deductions that come along with that. You get to write off a lot more than the average person would Exposure. You're going to be exposed to a lot of different things, a lot of different cultures, a lot of different people. If your gift allows it, you'll be able to see more of the country than the average person would, and usually that travel is covered by your gift.

Speaker 1: 1:50

And lastly, self-fulfillment, so you'll actually be doing what you wanna do, fulfilling your dream, allowing your gift to put you before great people. Honestly, it's one of the most fulfilling things in the world. My name is Rico Anthony and if you're on a fence about becoming a full-time musician, I hope this has helped you. If this information has been helpful to you, hit the like, subscribe and share button. Until next time, have a great day. Thanks so much for watching. Don't forget to like, subscribe and share.