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Author: delete on April 03 2007 Viewed 2852 times. 11 people liked this blog. You can rate it below if you haven't already.
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i'm working as a technical support agent @ big telecommunications company in athens, gr. my shift varies (8.00-16.00/16.00-00.00/00.00-8.00), although it's supposed to be 8 hrs/day i have to work a lot more than that. the round trip to my cubicle is more than 2 hrs in traffic jam, i'm answering phone calls and listening to angry people who's broadband connection doesn't work swear constantly. i'm paid 600 euros/month for this and there's no possibility of a transfer to a better position before my military service, which will probably be in 3-4 years from now. i'm also studying applied physics and i'll probably need a couple of years to finish that.
i'm sick of this job, i was sick of any other job i've done so far and i've done a lot. until now i always thought that living off my music is something i'd never do because i don't want to force myself write stuff and because my music is not good enough yet. however, this doesn't sound that bad at this time.
i could work on my music for some months, find ways to produce interesting stuff, improve the quality of my tracks and hopefully find a record label that will sign me. i can be unemployed for a small period of time because i've made some savings. before getting into any of this, i wanted to ask for some advice to those of you who actually make a living by making music.
is it possible to live on record deal money without being a major name? do you afford paying insurance fees for health care & pension? is it possible to make savings on top of the above?
i'm seriously thinking about doing this, the way i see it there's something very wrong about the way most people struggle to make a living today. i think i'm killing my brain everyday, in a few years i'll be a vegetable. also, i'd like to move out of the city someday, so working at home would help. i've also contemplated on finding a "real" job, something that will be on the subject i'm studying, but i don't think it's going to be any more satisfying / less frustrating than the job i have now, plus i'll probably have to do something i don't like for more than 10 hrs/day. i don't feel i'm built for a career and i have to find a way to pay the bills. | |
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04/04/07
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delete
astroid's reply is closer to what i'm thinking about. i actually do lots of stuff with audio right now, without getting paid: music for theatrical plays, website button sounds, releases on netlabels, running a netlabel etc. i just wonder if it would be possible to make a living this way.
04/04/07
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astroid
it's way easier to make money with audio than with music, in my experience. music is so highly competetive, that there are always folks willing to do it for free, or a pittance.
i know some other audio freelancers, and they seem to squeak by. one survival method is to get to know all the studio owners, even the little small places, and to put your name in their head as someone they could hire for X$/hr to do whatever they want (just resist the urge to lowball this figure too much). if they're not struggling, they'll have some overflow grunt editing they may need done. they won't want to turn people away because of being too busy, and if you come across as being competent and mellow, they might be willing to let you grab some work.
04/04/07
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sclr
also you might consider moving to a country that has socialized healthcare. because that alone will break your bank in the US. i think working in some kind of media job would be a better bet. there are lots of (rock)bands that i know here that don't make anything. they get played on the alternative station have an audience and videos on mtv2 etc and i still end up paying for their drinks on occasion. they live worse than i do. i don't think it goes into partying just more/better gear and time in the studio etc.
04/04/07
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bbwax
if you wanna go the audio-freelance-studio-rat route i would suggest learning the hell out of pro tools.
i also like sclr's suggestion of moving to a country with socialized healthcare. exactly right, healthcare in the US is a bitch for any type of freelance worker be it motion, web, audio, whatever.
04/04/07
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strangus
Dick Dake Breaks it down in this link
"Video_n4""
04/04/07
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strangus
04/04/07
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astroid
hell yeah dick dale
04/04/07
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jdg
that dood dont know shit.. he plays his guitar upside down. PROOF.
04/04/07
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hardvoltnine
So, my plan...
Entrepreneur is the key term. Sell what you produce(see below), trash what bogs you down, fuck health and better living, and keep your dream in your heart with every decision.
produce(as in you are time for other peoples dream, you are creative for other peoples dream, you are investment for other peoples dream)
in my plan, I'm missing a few important variables...the reverse of my plan...who will invest in my dream...who will put time into my dream...so far me, there needs to be more, and that is #1 in my thoughts lately, who?
04/04/07
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hardvoltnine
OH don't forget about love, it's important to me for sanity.
04/04/07
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jdg
why would anyone want to invest in your dreams?
what about their dreams?
try investing in someone elses dreams.
04/05/07
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ignatius
move to winnipeg, smoke crack, learn renoise...
if you got "signed" and released 1 12inch a month and the label sold all 500 copies pressed every month then you might make a few hundred dollars every month.
labels don't do advances these days unless you are []pusher or M.I.A. or someone like that.
have you ever seen the movie "slapshot" w/paul newman? it's about minor league/semi pro hockey. it's a roughly equivalent picture to working in studios in a small market.
i find it odd that you would suffer so in your current job only to be shipped off to military service. i think i'd go work in a bar or pizza shop or something.
what's the deal w/military service? is it mandatory? how long will you serve?
04/05/07
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military service is mandatory and in my case it will be 10-12 months long. job keeps getting worse btw. the schedule is changed every second day, it's handed out to us late in the first place and there are new shifts that "have" to be done so that the company functions properly...
04/11/07
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Radio909
Try to find a new job dood but try to find an agent that will get you paid gigs at weekends. My mate DNCN gets £250 for each gig playing minimal techno stuff, thats more than I earn a week
04/11/07
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delete
yeah, i could do that. i hate minimal but not as much as i hate my job. however, there's word that the universities will start again here (they've been under student occupation for 3-4 months now), so i might take some exams during the summer, then do the f*cking military service in november and think about it again next year.
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