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Making Money in Rock and Roll

After all of the practicing, rehearsing, and demo recordings, a rock band starts thinking about making money!! Get ready for one of the greatest oxymoron's - THE MUSIC BUSINESS! You should plan on not making much money in rock because only a select few will become successful, and an even fewer number will become rock stars. Being a successful rock musician takes perseverance, business smarts, talent, and many years of hard work!!!

Gigging - Formation of a band

Before your band starts to make real money, you'll have to put in the time playing gigs. After playing a ton of gigs, the band will improve and eventually find a unique sound. This process takes a long time as there are many hold ups along the way. Band members come and go and conflicts with band members arise. You guitar players will go through changes in equipment...striving to find the right tone for your music.

Many of the gigs your band plays will be low-paying or even no-paying. Don't ever play a gig which requires you to pay the club a fee. Some clubs will sell the band tickets which they in-turn have to sell to people who want to see the show. This is not a fair agreement. The club is telling you to do some of the work for them.

Supplementing Income

Because the club gigs aren't paying your rent, you will need to find other means of employment. If you are averse to selling shoes or landscaping, there are other ways to employ yourself in the music world. A great option is a cover band or top 40 band. Here in New Jersey, there are tons of cover bands that play every weekend. The pay ranges (per player) from $75 to $150 per gig depending on the band and the club. Getting a cover band gig requires you to learn about 40 or so songs ranging in style from The Grateful Dead to Nirvana. I would look for established bands to play with so you don't have to put time and money into starting your own cover band.
In other places, top 40 bands are popular. These bands play mostly the popular songs of the time. This could mean playing a lot of different styles like dance, rap, or R&B. I think this is a good thing because it exposes you to other musical influences. These top 40 bands make about the same amount of money that cover bands do.

Studio Work

If you are a musician that plays a lot of different styles well, than studio work might be a way for you to make some money while working on being a rock star. T.V. jingles (tunes, catchy hooks), radio jingles, demos for singer/songwriters, or other types of music that is recorded is considered studio work.
Most larger cities will have studio work. Getting the work is a matter of "who you know". You have to network with other musicians, engineers, etc.. One thing you can do is make a demo tape showing the many different styles which you can play well - country, pop, rock, funk, blues. Each song on the demo tape should be only about a minute and a half in length.

Record Deals

Many bands have the BIG record deal in their eyes!! Getting a record contract with a major record label is not always what it's cracked up to be. Yes, the majors have lots of $$$, but they have to want to spend it on your band! Many bands that have signed with majors end up getting pushed behind other bands that the company is more interested in. If it was a bad contract, it could prohibit the band from signing with another label for years to come.

You should also know that your band doesn't start making any money from your album until the record company has recouped the cost of recording the album and promoting the band. This means that you would have to sell thousands of CD's before making a dime.

Because of all the drawbacks with major labels, many bands opt for smaller labels which are more artist-friendly, and will usually give your band more attention. Some of these labels are called indie labels (short for independent). This means that they are not owned by any major record company. These labels are not foolproof however. You should ALWAYS consult a music lawyer before signing a contract with any record company.

Your Own Label

Many bands decide that they want to release their own music, and they start their own record label. The good thing about this is that you don't have to worry about any sleazy record guy telling you how to play your music. The bad thing is that you have to finance everything yourself! Recording costs and promotion are up to you. This option means a lot more work, but in the long run many bands are happier. Read the Andy Timmons Interview and listen to what he has to say about this record company argument.