When I started playing live 30 years ago the average was around $100 each per show for cover bands. $0 for many original band shows. Today it's pretty much the same. So happy RUclips happened!
@@NedJeffery One gig the band was paid sandwiches, while I was paid in cookies because I was a last minute replacement. I'm surprised that he didn't mention Church gigs.
My bandmates and I (original band) usually make minimum of $50 each for a 45 minute set. We don't have a large following yet. Usually average around 20 people. Thirty on a good night. I think the people you are thinking of are doing freebies for exposure. You can get exposure and get paid if you know what you're doing. Since bars opened up after Covid in the Twin Cities, MN they started charging $10 to $20 for cover charges. Up from $5 which is also what it was when I started playing local in the late 1980's. It's sad that it took a pandemic to get venue owners to actually adjust for inflation.
Yup, I play in 4 different cover bands currently and typically I get paid between $120-150. One band has upped the pay to $200 which is nice but the band gigs are more infrequent. Add to that every gig went from 3hrs to 4+hrs since covid without an increase in pay.
I’m a pretty well known Flamenco player and was able to earn just enough to get by for 25 years up until the pandemic. Mainly private lessons and local gigs. In the last year I came to the conclusion that I needed to get a job which was very difficult after not working a regular job for 25 years. I got a job at the Fender factory sanding bodies until I was laid off then went to work for Tesla delivering cars for few months and went back to Fender because it was more fun and have just got a new job with a more High End SoCal guitar maker. I make about as much as I ever made just doing music without all of the extra work that goes along with it. Bottom line - making money with just your guitar will take way more than 40 hours per week of work. I’m enjoying the free time having a full time job affords me without having to hustle up work. I do miss the freedom of not being tied to one place but there is the trade off. Best of luck to all you players and dreamers out there.
Flamenco is its own monster too. I took flamenco lessons for years and played shows with my teacher for about 2 years. I loved it but it was exhausting. I played in a hard rock power trio for a little less money but a lot less work. Never quit my day job though. Cheers my dude, keep making the world more musical
In the school I learned music, some teachers were top players in my country, touring with the big names and reaching international gigs and sessions, and I was struck when I asked one of them, why are you teaching and not just resting or studying and waiting for the next gig?... He didn't stutter at all and told me "How the hell am I supposed to pay the rent?"
I make my living as a session musician in Wellington, New Zealand. I’ve worked hard and played with many greats and enjoyed a great lifestyle. The prices you’ve mentioned are inline with what I and those I know earn here. Seems these prices are universal… pretty much. I’ve never done it for the money, but money is essential obviously and I do draw a hard line (I’m lucky to be established and can do so). Very interesting to watch this, thanks for making it.
Hi Nick I live in NZ too I'm 13 and I am working as hard as I can to get good at guitar and I busk in the weekends when I'm a little older how do I do what you do?
@@LushLofiBeats one skill that will help you not only with guitar playing but life in general is networking. Talk with people that share your interest, it might not be productive in the short term but they might have you in mind for future endeavors.
Hi Nick, I love seeing your comment on this video. I saw you jamming with some guys at the high schools jazz comp back in 2012 and have been following you since! Keep up the awesome work!
You overlooked high school guitar teacher. I did this for 30 years…it was a nice consistent income. Now I’m retired and have moved my focus towards writing/recording/releasing my own music. So far, I’m doing quite well on Spotify ! :)
Working guitarist and musician from Salt Lake City, Utah here. I can confirm these numbers are fairly accurate ranges from my personal experiences as well. I haven’t worked in all of these capacities but even the ones that I haven’t seem to match numbers I’ve heard from those who have. Good video!
I’m going to respect my busking past a whole lot more now. I always wrote it off as the summer I ran away from software engineering, but as I was able to make a living at it that summer and come back to the US with more than I left with, I did pretty ok.
The biggest lesson I got from my guitar teacher was although he graduated Berklee, had played bass for Barney Kessel for several years, gigged, did studio dates, and taught jazz at a private high school, he still taught us teens to make ends meet for his tiny house, wife, and two kids.
My bass teacher has managed to carve out a consistent living wage with gigging and teaching. He has a gig at least 3 nights a week, more during the summer. He is in a band and when the full band isn't available they work as a trio. He is home 3-4 days a week and anywhere on the east coast the rest of the time. Works for him especially since his wife also works. He previously painted before they got consistent gigs. He gets health care through his wife's job. He has also been playing gigs for 20 years. You can make a living but it's not easy.
@TheDsX yea he started in IT but the corporate world wasn't his style so he moved to commercial painting. Things like offices and new construction etc. Yea he is really happy with his current set up. They seem to be making decent strides with staying booked so who knows if the band ever takes off he may not need to gig every week. Though knowing him he probably would find a way to do so.
How do you know so much private stuff about your bass teacher? I've had drum lessons for half a decade, but I couldn't even tell you if my teacher was married.
@hardcoreoma my teacher is an open book. We have had conversations about gigging and session work. Before he switched to just gigging he would periodically get hung up at a job site and be late. We have talked about a wide variety of topics that are not music related. Really good guy.
The American Life did a great story on the pit musicians for Phantom of the Opera about the drama of playing the same show 8 times a week for over 20 years. It was absolutely fascinating. it was called "Music of the Night after Night after Night" In line with busking, a good panhandler with a good spot can make surprising money. I remember reading an autobiography by an NYC cop who found out that his informant could pull in something like $60/hr panhandling outside of the Holland tunnel (however said informant remained homeless due to a penchant for putting that money right back in his veins).
I worked on tour as a guitar tech and became friendly with Dave Mustaines tech at the time(his name is Willy G, great dude). He told me he made $1000/week yr round, which sounds nice but he said he was always on call(like every interview DM did, he had to be there for). It kinda made me rethink if that was the job I wanted for the rest of my life.
When I played on broadway in Nashville a few years back, the band was paid $200 for 4 hours. However, that was a major exception because we weren't local and the manager took pity on us for not knowing how to mine for tips as we were from out of state doing showcases for A&R reps.
This is still the average rate in town. $50/man for 4 hours of work. I played 200 shows on Broadway last year and made enough to support my family but not much else besides bills/groceries.
I spent a couple years teaching & playing in cover and original acts. It was ok, but the worst part was that music became more about money than inspiration. I became a lawyer instead… but still play, write, record & perform regularly. It’s a essentially a cathartic, creative and self actualization outlet.
I'm making $1900/mo on a grad student stipend and I care a lot more about music than I do about engineering. This video has got me questioning some life decisions...
Reminds me of the Joshua Bell "Washington Post experiment". He is a world renowned classical violinist who busked at a busy metro station in DC (with excellent acoustics) on a friggen' Stradivarius, while on hidden camera. In 45 minutes, with 1097 people passing by, he made only $32.17. I'm sure he could have earned considerably more at the Montauk town square over an 8 hour day. But of course he could also just fill up a concert hall and make hundreds of thousands in a single concert.
Some of the numbers you said shocked me. Especially when you said less than $100 (plus tips) for more than a couple hours. I manage a night club in Tucson, AZ and am in charge of booking musicians and djs. I generally pay $100/hour per person. I usually book for three hours. A couple of my bands that I book give me a discount rate of $75 per hour per person. My DJ's get paid 400-500 for a 4 hour set. And Ive never said a word about tips in booking my bands. They shouldn't have to put out a jar to actually make any money.
I'll never get how a DJ can be paid as much or more than a musician. And I'm pretty surprised that any clubs in Tucson are paying that much. I gigged for decades in NYC, and then moved to Tucson and was shocked at how little (to zero) typical Tucson venues paid. And then you have venues like the Annual Tucson Folk Festival, in which the performers actually have to PAY to PLAY. Unbelievable that the very performers whose talents and contributions the festival was supposed to be celebrating would actually have to support the damn festival on their own backs. The only performers that got paid were the out of town "headliners", who also got their pay out of the pockets of the local players. Needless to say, I haven't bothered to perform much in Tucson, but that's ok 'cause I basically moved here to retire...
@@PaisleyPatchouli well, when a musician and a DJ (gigging guitarist for 30 years and gigging dj for 20) does the booking, the talent gets paid a fair rate. And the equipment, time investment and skill level allows DJs to command the same as a gigging musician. Also, my DJs generate about 5x the revenue that a live band will. Simple economics.
I play weddings through a booking agent. One or two each weekend. Pay: Ceremony: $150 Cocktail hour: $150, Reception: $500. Most gigs are just reception. Around half of the gigs there is a tip of $50 or $100. I can leave a gig making $900. When I started doing this in 1999 the pay was $50 for cer, $50 cocktails and $200 for reception.
I play Bass and Sing in a Kiss tribute band in San Diego, a good gig is $600 for the whole band for 3 hours of music, that's with the full costumes, makeup, stage show, etc... We usually end up with about $400 plus tips. Between load in,sound check, makeup,playing 2 sets and striking everything it works out to about $17 an hour.
My guess is If you take the average amount of money all pro and semi-pro guitarists make from gigs, and subtract from that the average amount of money they spend on related expenses (gear purchases, costumes, travel to/from the gig and rehearsals including mileage, gas and tolls, food and drinks) the resulting number will be negative.
Long time lurker here! Really loving the new direction with the more spontaneous, short form stuff. It feels like you're falling back in love with the whole process after a long lull. Keen for more ;)
An interesting person to talk to might be Matt Chamberlain. Drummer rather than guitarist, but he's done everything from being a member of a top 40 group, being a session player for some of the highest paid musicians to some small venue independents, and being part of numerous original groups from pop to jazz to avant garde. All live and in studio. He's literally done everything. Also, incredibly nice dude :)
Fascinating, I was always curious about this, and I suppose now I'm glad I stayed with my information technology career instead of my music--which would never be more than mediocre in any case
You do things which enable others to make real goods or effect real change. Don't regret making the sensible choice. Doubly so if your folks aren't in STEM or c levels ...like some :p
You can have your cake and eat it too. As a recent retiree, my advice for most people is to pursue a career and develop a plan of life goals while following musical interests in your spare time. This way you'll earn and save money to accomplish those goals and be better positioned to afford the "candy store" instruments and gear later on. The key to this is grand plan is to manage diet and exercise throughout life. If that's done, you'll be rewarded with a reserve of energy to pursue creativity, intellectual interests and spiritual growth at the time when you'll benefit from it the most. In short, stay practical and objective while pursuing your dreams.........said the old man.
Thank you for the transparency and honesty with this. This is very refreshing from the musician side of RUclips that seems pretty tight lipped on how everything works. Big fan keep doing what you’re doing!
I live in Germany. For me as a singing guitarist it is around 800€/month with teaching and around 250€ per gig on average. I play a little more than 100 gigs per year. It is hard work and I wish I had more free time for friends or family. After tax and insurance I have ca 1400€/month. Once I talked to a major artist (pop singer Chris Roberts) and he charged over 15k € for 45 minutes of playback performance. Roy Black got 25k for 1,5h. All of them wanted to be rock musicians - but it does not pay well. A singer tried to hire me for a cruise ship for 75€ per day over three month. A professional wedding plattform with musicians all over Germany tried to hire me for 150€ for 6h of playing, and I have to bring a pa and be the dj after the band. I absolutely don't understand musicians who do this.
As a beginner musician starting to choose a direction, an easily digestible resource like this is invaluable for goal setting… thanks for the great content! Knowledge is power!
Might be important to mention the low end for busking - getting your money and/or gear taken by the cops. Back when I was busking I didn't know anyone who made $1000 in a day, but I knew quite a few that got roughed up by police
My son used to busk playing drums ( a small kit) at a local mall for 2 hours he would often bring home $200 sometimes more and he was 14/15 at the time Busking around Christmas time was the best Covid killed that for him . I have noticed some buskers now have QR codes you can pay And have a cd 💿 to sell for $10
I used to have a blast busking in downtown Tucson, AZ. Didn’t make a whole lot of money but I was out there a lot. Over the course of 3 or 4 months (Weekend nights only) I took home about 600 bucks.
Super cool idea for a video! Every musician I know that is excellent and also easy to get along with + has performance chops, makes at least a solid living doing music.
i started busking 3.5 years ago when i was still in high school, now i’m about to turn 20 and make my living busking. i live an hour north of san diego so i’ll make anywhere from $40-70/hr depending on when and where i play
I have about 200+ live shows under my belt. Those being full band, acoustic, and solo. Multi-genre rock/alternative. Small venues, to full lights and sound on a bigger stage. Best I’ve ever made in 1 night was about $150 for 3 hours, only one break. Covers and plenty of originals. I’ve made nothing or near to nothing many times, putting whatever we could in our band fund to focus on merch. Due to a nasty fall out and a very harsh experience of burnout, I haven’t been playing much these days. Hard to find the spark anymore, and with working full time I’m just too tired to fight the still-lingering burnout. Please keep playing, but never over stress yourself. Totally not worth losing your spark!
the most ive made from playing guitar was 500 for a high school musical. If youre a guitarist that is good at reading chord charts, this is a really good thing to look into.
Reminds me of an old musician joke I heard years ago; 3 strangers sitting at a bar, start making small chat. Talk turns to money and first guys says "I'm in sales and netted about $90k last year." Second guy says "I'm a lawyer at a small firm and grossed about $150k last year." Third guy sits there quietly. The other 2 press him on what he made last year. He says quietly "Around 15k." " Oh yeah?", one of them says, "What gauge strings do you use?: LOL!!
A few years ago we saw a band simply billed as "Jazz Fusion Supergroup" featuring Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin, and a drummer whose name escapes me right now. It was a small, intimate gig with a lot of fun rapport between the bandmembers and audience. Jeff Berlin asked the audience "What's the difference between large pizza and a jazz bassist?" His answer: "A large pizza can feed a family of four."
@@MAS4JI LOL! Yeah that's another musician joke classic! I play guitar and I still love the ones that mock us too. Example; How do you stop a rock guitar player from playing? Put sheet music in front of him!
I busked in London for a while, I played with a fellow whose mother had taken thalidomide, he had a shrivelled arm, he was able to play violin rather well. We played Stephanie grapelli/django rheinhardt stuff. It was winter just before Xmas. We would typically make 400 pounds for a 2 hour set. Xmas eve we made 800. good times.
On one hand, this is a bit soul crushing because the route i want to take with music likely won't pay well, on the other hand, this gives me a good idea of whether or not i'll need to supplement the income from my plans or if i'll need to pivot to something different
I’ve found that busking in somewhere like a Christmas market playing festive songs is a great place for busking. People are already in a spending mood and a couple of quid to a busker seems like an easy spend.
@@thelandofsun I mean personally I do keep a few coins handy for buskers because I wouldn’t spend them anywhere else, but we also bring a card machine that sits in the open case with the money in, its set to do £2 each time and people used it a surprising amount. The card machines aren’t even too expressive and I think are a great investment for modern buskers
Some good friends of mine made it as a well known indie touring act, and they got endorsed by Guitar Center. They were able to purchase gear at cost, which helped them out a fair bit when something would go wrong on tour (and their tours were rowdy AF)
You brought back some great memories of when I used to play full-time 40 years ago. Most gigs were a free meal and all the beer you could drink. Now I'm on the edge of retirement and restarting my music career. I have the fortunate luxury of not needing to make money in music and do it for the love of music. Of course, it's a rush when I make a few dollars on RUclips. 🙂 Thanks for the interesting video; I enjoyed it very much.
I'll believe the busking part. Back in my early college days, when I had been playing and taking lessons for over 15 years straight, I took my saxophone down to the local pedestrian mall and gave it a try. I was down there for a couple hours and make like... $15. I had teachers who definitely thought I could have made a career of it, but that's not what I went to school for, so I'd say that's pretty good for a kid who had no idea what they were doing other than set up, open case and play some songs I knew.
my takeaway is that artists really should demand more money from venues, and there needs to be some way for solidarity to be built. if it’s been 30-40 years of being paid this much something HAS TO change.
I used to play in a country wide theatre group - and we earned around 200USD for 6 nights of work a week. Probably one of the only steady work in our country of South Africa. Pub scenes are great, but we're looking at around 50-70USD a night.
I work for a band that had some hits in the 80s and 90s, that now play the nostalgia festivals in the UK. the hired hands get £400 a day, they get paid this for travel days too.
A professional entertainer friend of mine gave me some very pertinent advice as semi-pro musician in a gigging covers band, especially while selecting a setlisf: never over-estimate (the taste) of your audience!
Three of my guitar teachers in L.A. in the 80s went on to become very in demand sessions players, two of them touring as well as studio work. Two of them went on to become producers, music directors, and other things that were lucrative. Two are actually retired but do the occasional gig just for fun. One of them saw a decline in earnings and lost his house and went through a terrible divorce with a child custody fight. I never came anywhere near being a session guy as I was very involved in the many bands I played in from '86 to '93. I played a lot of clubs in L.A., recorded a lot of demos, music videos that were fun to make but which I'd rather forget, played on public access TV many times, and also did a lot of odd gigs which even required portable generators. But it was still a great experience. I have a lot of respect for session players, and generally anyone who can make a living in music. It's very difficult, but it can be done if you have the skills, a good attitude, discipline, and flexibility.
As a busker in the EU I would make about 60€ a day (playing 3h more or less). Not bad...but very unstable and tiring. Now I busk, but I do it for fun mostly...I dont rely on it. It gives me much more freedom to play what and when I want.
FWIW, in Australia the industry minimum fee for a 3hr set is $250. However that's just the absolute minimum. That time period is expected to include set-up, travel and meals.
Very interesting video… i’d love to see more content like this, the real stories of being a guitar player. My friend went to Berkeley and everyone’s dream job (30 years ago) was to go on tour with a mayor artist, think graduating finance and getting a consulting job type of situation
I really believe that busking part. I was talking to one of them in my town today. It has a population of about 35k and he told me that just infront of our grocery store he can bring in 300 dollars on a good day
I grew up watching my dad playing cover music making decent money. I auditioned for berklee but with the rise of youtube and the shift in the music industry got turned off from it all and became an electrical engineer. A lot of bands my age are loosing members due to stable income and trying to raise a family. These are relatively big bands. It's a different world today than 20 years ago for a musician
When I went busking one time, earnt almost $100 for only about 40-50 mins of playing, It was a weekend at midday, It also being summer probably also boosted this figure. Would recommend an amplified setup, as playing classical and steel string its quite hard to be heard in the town environment
I do not make any money playing guitar; however, when I die, on my deathbed, I will receive total consciousness. So I got that going for me…which is nice.
Very interesting thank you I do music as a serious hobby I play live as a drummer in a charity/Good causes band, I write and produce music and make RUclips videos, and I’ve just recently started releasing music through online distribution company. I’m retired and definitely not in it for the money, it would be nice if I could have a little bit of a return just to pay for my equipment, but since my last profession, which I’m retired from now was a truck driver. I say every day this is a lot better than driving a truck, even if I’m not making any money. But I would hate to have to do this for a living specially with a pandemic what I’ve just gone through it must be horrendous four musicians trying to make ends meet. Agin thank you for what you do. I enjoy watching your videos.
I used to be a busker In Tenerife and I would pull in anywhere from 100-200 euro minimum a day during the tourist season. It also led to other gigs, playing at private parties, weddings and gigs at bars..It was amazing. Great years
There is a lot of truth about the local musician (solo acoustic performer) Here in California I perform primarily at breweries and the standard pay is 150 for a three hour gig. Many will give you beer as well. Some will pay more or a little less and there are some that pay on a sales percentage scale. 50-75 per hour has been consistent the last couple of years.
When I was busking in downtown Berkeley in California I was making if It was busy up to 50 dollars an hour if it was slow around 15 but I was also just playing an acoustic and trying to sing over traffic and pedestrians
In my 90's tour I rented firehouses all over the place($150-500 rent), sent kids from the local schools flyers for dispersal, chose a few opening bands (who never really care to get paid, just seen) and you'd get about 200 kids at $6 a ticket, paid everyone, even security but most of which I kept since I did an insane amount of work.
Your Nashville pay info is accurate.I lived there many years ago;I wasn't gigging,I was doing studio(Demo's/"Custom projects")but several buddies were,and they were making $50 per night,4hr gig.Other friends played for established artist's,as an employee,made $600 per week whether they played or not.I was recently SHOWN a copy of a check made out to a guitarist for a MAJOR Country artist,for a 1 night gig,large event.$175.00!I was told Vegas musicians(Union?)who play nightly,6 nights a week,4hrs per night,$600.
being a busker i can confirm: on a good day you can make a healthy amount of money (although ive personally never seen more than like 100-120 euros in a day, 1000 sounds super high to me but i feel like its possible) but at least for me, it averages out on like 50 euros a day but im not the kind of guy to gather a crowd and then ask for money, im more like the "i do my thing and if people like it, thats good" kinda busker. there are also a lot of different factors to consider when busking like the weather, the time of the year and, unfortunately, a lot of rude people approaching you, i think thats the worst thing about this kind of job on the other hand, ive met a lot of amazing people too while playing on the streets, i guess when youre out there you find all kinds of things and people and that can be positive or negative depending on the day its fun though, playing whatever you feel like and not having a strict time schedule, i feel like that kind of freedom is very rare to come by in any kind of job these days
In the mid-1990s I had a girlfriend who was (among other things) a busker, and at times she made a couple hundred dollars for a 4 hours or so shift. Think: good weather during the tourist season. We’re in a smallish but much visited city.
I've played consistently in Key West since '86. When I did solo guitar/vocals, the bars would pay $100 to $150 for 4 sets. The tips could be another $100 if there was a cruise ship in. Cash and no 1099. You have to play popular covers and ENTERTAIN. Something to consider is does the venue have a PA? Lights? Free beverages? How many breaks? Cash or check? Keep in mind to always mention the bartender and waitress. They will make or break your gig. If you are in a band, cut it by half.
Back in the early 90s a guy a that wanted to learn some guitar brought a 12 pack over. I think that is the only time I ever made anything playing. Spent a lot on gear since then though. haha
For years I considered the cruise ship gig. Then I found out I'm basically sea sickness patient zero LOL Now I'm doing a union electrician apprenticesship :( I haven't given up completely though! The dream is still alive in the form of a full-studio channel. Still don't have the subscribers to monetize, but I'm getting there. When I do, I'll transition from mostly covers to mostly originals.
Interesting video. I like the story you ended with. Most people do not get to do something they love for a living. Mainly because it’s usually not easy. I started playing drums when I was 12 years old. In 1962! Things were much different then. From the time The Beatles came in the scene until about 1970 I had no thought of doing anything for a living besides playing in a band. I played in my first band (outside of the school band) in 1965. Last band around 1970-71. Never made any money. It almost cost more to go play somewhere than we made playing the gig. 😂😂 I also lived in West Texas and never liked country music. Which was a detriment. Reality set in. I quit playing, went to college, got a job and spent 43 years working in the engineering business. No regrets. But I sometimes wonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
as someone in a cover band, those numbers are pretty accurate. But apart from playing, we also bring and set up an entire stage, light and sound system. It’s usually a 12-18h day.
Well, I made a living from music for over 30 years. I became a ghost guitar player at one point. I was brought into the business doing studio sessions during off studio hours by either managers of artists or producers. Sometimes both. I have a unique talent for being able to mimic a lot of guitar players styles. I won’t go into a lot details about it now but there’s a big chunk of money that can be made doing this. One could easily clear $9K to $20K a week doing this. I should make an episode about this topic on my channel. It’s a side of the music industry nobody talks about.
Easily clear $20k a week (a little over $1M per year)? That is a great paying job, although I would imagine it may be challenging getting consistent work.
@@darenanderson1960 That's definitely the kick...it's not consistent & you get strung along a lot. There's a lot of shade & shit throwing going on. The people on that end of the business will burn people & try to ruin them on the way down.
It was normal to make $60-120 for an hour or two worth of busking. I've busked in Nashville, Phoenix and Seattle. Phoenix was the best if you knew where to go.
When I was doing the wedding corporate thing out of Denver, there was always a bonus for mountain driving for anywhere outside a certain distance. Those long days of often sketchy mountain driving into and out of Aspen could pay but dang…that run back could be scary as hell. Sometimes they would put you up or you could get a room but if you made it back alive to 5280, that hotel money was a bonus. Hard grind but it was so fun playing with ace players and making it fresh(ish) every night.
My little local group of nobodies in the Chicago burbs area generally charges $400 for a 3 hour set, extra Benjamin if we're providing sound. We have played larger shows for more and we commonly play benefit shows for free or $100 depending upon the situation.
Full time busker here. All true. I've started in bars and clubs in my hometown. Sometimes they just tell you "You play for tips". I was happy when got around 30$. If you refuse , believe me , some kid will accept the offer. So much practice , effort and dissapointment.. I wanted to quit music but my friend told me that since i really love music , i shoud go with busking. I've tried. First time , wrong location. Many people passed , no amp, just yelled and strummed chords on guitar. Barely 17 bucks for 45 mins. But i was sooo happy. No more bar owners , i pick my time , my place. Now , 6 years later, with experience and equipment - income can even be higher than 200 dollars per night for few hours of playing. That is much higher than the job i was doing with my diploma. The golden rule - don't go for too much crowd ! Pick place where you can be heard , where people like to be romantic/in the mood for music. Sometimes , a right guy/girl who is touched with your performance can give you 100 or more dollars for single song rather than collect pittymoney in some overcrowded passage where people are in hurry for bus. Location is EVERYTHING. Sometimes if you move even 10 meters can make huge difference. Busking is not only about music. It is ENTERTAINMENT. It is a way of life for me. I am just basic guitar "campfire chord" player with just basic fingerstyle tricks and i've met much more proficent musicians with LESSER income. Why ? They don't interact with people. The key part of busking COMMUNICATION. Contact with people. To play for them. To be passionate and always give 110 percent ;) Thanx Sammy G
Ive been a touring professional for 10+ years and seen it all. video is pretty accurate - its honestly kinda just random as heck and good biz people make good money - the busker thing is a big lesson, I know people super "successful" doing big shows but have such insane overhead that they walk with a mid range pay but normal locals that hustle the right ways and absolutely crush 100k+ a year working only weekends and a couple rehearsals a week ( good local cover bands that play casinos and weddings for instance ) - theres so many ways to cut the cake it beautiful, just get out there and hustle!
Some 15-20 years ago when I lived near Austin.....I remember many locals saying they were expected to play free and on the really busy days like the festival weeks they're expected to pay to play . for "exposure"
Thanks, I needed this video, I live in Mexico and if the gig's payment is excellent, in bars, cafes etc they pay you max $1000 MXN which is around 50 or 60 USD, Im moving to Arizona and then to San Antonio TX to live and if it goes well I am planning on getting hired by a band, so the wages you mention serve to orient myself!
I was hired by a church to play two Sunday morning services for Easter. It required one rehersal evening, about 2 hours total (setup etc), and the two Sunday services. It paid $265.00. Figure around $45.00 per hour.
Thanks for making this video. I’m a music student at University of Tampa studying classical guitar and it’s my dream to be a professional musician, and I’ve found this kind of information to be the most useful. Thank you!
From what I've heard also venues on Broadway/ Nashville aren't paying and that they're tips only. The market is so saturated there that if a musician objects to it there's a line of musicians waiting to get into that venue. I'm pretty sure this info is accurate because I went to see Carl Wockner there a couple of years ago while visiting family for a wedding. He had his songbook linked up to a QR code which had different prices for requests, mashups, etc. He plugged it quite regularly during the set. This makes me think in retrospect that he was hustling for his pay.
i made 40$ for a 30m gig in a small show venue as bass guitar player last week in quebec, but it's the lowest level show you can get and was a first part. Good thing my day job actualy pay me this per hour or i would have went bankrupt in a day.
![MISSING: SLIM SHADY [Expanded Mourner’s Edition Trailer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xh8qgHrOO1g/mqdefault.jpg)
When I started playing live 30 years ago the average was around $100 each per show for cover bands. $0 for many original band shows. Today it's pretty much the same. So happy RUclips happened!
I have played many a $0 gig in my life.
Hello Mike
@@NedJeffery One gig the band was paid sandwiches, while I was paid in cookies because I was a last minute replacement.
I'm surprised that he didn't mention Church gigs.
My bandmates and I (original band) usually make minimum of $50 each for a 45 minute set. We don't have a large following yet. Usually average around 20 people. Thirty on a good night. I think the people you are thinking of are doing freebies for exposure. You can get exposure and get paid if you know what you're doing. Since bars opened up after Covid in the Twin Cities, MN they started charging $10 to $20 for cover charges. Up from $5 which is also what it was when I started playing local in the late 1980's. It's sad that it took a pandemic to get venue owners to actually adjust for inflation.
Yup, I play in 4 different cover bands currently and typically I get paid between $120-150. One band has upped the pay to $200 which is nice but the band gigs are more infrequent. Add to that every gig went from 3hrs to 4+hrs since covid without an increase in pay.
I’m a pretty well known Flamenco player and was able to earn just enough to get by for 25 years up until the pandemic. Mainly private lessons and local gigs. In the last year I came to the conclusion that I needed to get a job which was very difficult after not working a regular job for 25 years. I got a job at the Fender factory sanding bodies until I was laid off then went to work for Tesla delivering cars for few months and went back to Fender because it was more fun and have just got a new job with a more High End SoCal guitar maker. I make about as much as I ever made just doing music without all of the extra work that goes along with it. Bottom line - making money with just your guitar will take way more than 40 hours per week of work. I’m enjoying the free time having a full time job affords me without having to hustle up work. I do miss the freedom of not being tied to one place but there is the trade off. Best of luck to all you players and dreamers out there.
I'm happy to hear that. Making a living with music in any form would be satisfying for me too. Thanks for inspiration in a very practical sense ☺️
Flamenco is its own monster too. I took flamenco lessons for years and played shows with my teacher for about 2 years. I loved it but it was exhausting. I played in a hard rock power trio for a little less money but a lot less work. Never quit my day job though. Cheers my dude, keep making the world more musical
In the school I learned music, some teachers were top players in my country, touring with the big names and reaching international gigs and sessions, and I was struck when I asked one of them, why are you teaching and not just resting or studying and waiting for the next gig?... He didn't stutter at all and told me "How the hell am I supposed to pay the rent?"
Yeah, that's messed up. The musicians are the ones making the least amount of money.
We can monetize with RUclips now
I make my living as a session musician in Wellington, New Zealand. I’ve worked hard and played with many greats and enjoyed a great lifestyle. The prices you’ve mentioned are inline with what I and those I know earn here. Seems these prices are universal… pretty much. I’ve never done it for the money, but money is essential obviously and I do draw a hard line (I’m lucky to be established and can do so). Very interesting to watch this, thanks for making it.
Kia ora cuz
tru
Hi Nick I live in NZ too I'm 13 and I am working as hard as I can to get good at guitar and I busk in the weekends when I'm a little older how do I do what you do?
@@LushLofiBeats one skill that will help you not only with guitar playing but life in general is networking. Talk with people that share your interest, it might not be productive in the short term but they might have you in mind for future endeavors.
Hi Nick,
I love seeing your comment on this video. I saw you jamming with some guys at the high schools jazz comp back in 2012 and have been following you since! Keep up the awesome work!
As a bare bones busker in NYC in the early 00s, I made an average of $15-20/hr with the average during rush hour being $30-40/hr.
You overlooked high school guitar teacher. I did this for 30 years…it was a nice consistent income. Now I’m retired and have moved my focus towards writing/recording/releasing my own music. So far, I’m doing quite well on Spotify ! :)
NIce! Whats your spotify?
Just found it, beautiful man
@@louisvuittondonvg9040 …thanks for checking it out !
Your songs are so wonderful and beautiful! Nice vibe and great sound!
@@daniellepaxton7427 …thanks for listening !
Working guitarist and musician from Salt Lake City, Utah here. I can confirm these numbers are fairly accurate ranges from my personal experiences as well. I haven’t worked in all of these capacities but even the ones that I haven’t seem to match numbers I’ve heard from those who have. Good video!
Hey, Jordan! Cool to see you here in the comments, man!
Hope you're doing well 🤘
I’m going to respect my busking past a whole lot more now. I always wrote it off as the summer I ran away from software engineering, but as I was able to make a living at it that summer and come back to the US with more than I left with, I did pretty ok.
The biggest lesson I got from my guitar teacher was although he graduated Berklee, had played bass for Barney Kessel for several years, gigged, did studio dates, and taught jazz at a private high school, he still taught us teens to make ends meet for his tiny house, wife, and two kids.
My bass teacher has managed to carve out a consistent living wage with gigging and teaching. He has a gig at least 3 nights a week, more during the summer. He is in a band and when the full band isn't available they work as a trio. He is home 3-4 days a week and anywhere on the east coast the rest of the time. Works for him especially since his wife also works. He previously painted before they got consistent gigs. He gets health care through his wife's job. He has also been playing gigs for 20 years. You can make a living but it's not easy.
I guess he painted houses, right? It's hard being a musician. I'm glad the dude you talked about found a way.
@TheDsX yea he started in IT but the corporate world wasn't his style so he moved to commercial painting. Things like offices and new construction etc. Yea he is really happy with his current set up. They seem to be making decent strides with staying booked so who knows if the band ever takes off he may not need to gig every week. Though knowing him he probably would find a way to do so.
How do you know so much private stuff about your bass teacher? I've had drum lessons for half a decade, but I couldn't even tell you if my teacher was married.
@hardcoreoma my teacher is an open book. We have had conversations about gigging and session work. Before he switched to just gigging he would periodically get hung up at a job site and be late. We have talked about a wide variety of topics that are not music related. Really good guy.
@@russdoesburg1720 nice, seems like you have a great teacher there
The impact artists, be they writers, musicians, actors, etc. have on our lives is indeed underrated.
Underrated until successful
The American Life did a great story on the pit musicians for Phantom of the Opera about the drama of playing the same show 8 times a week for over 20 years. It was absolutely fascinating. it was called "Music of the Night after Night after Night"
In line with busking, a good panhandler with a good spot can make surprising money. I remember reading an autobiography by an NYC cop who found out that his informant could pull in something like $60/hr panhandling outside of the Holland tunnel (however said informant remained homeless due to a penchant for putting that money right back in his veins).
I worked on tour as a guitar tech and became friendly with Dave Mustaines tech at the time(his name is Willy G, great dude). He told me he made $1000/week yr round, which sounds nice but he said he was always on call(like every interview DM did, he had to be there for). It kinda made me rethink if that was the job I wanted for the rest of my life.
When I played on broadway in Nashville a few years back, the band was paid $200 for 4 hours. However, that was a major exception because we weren't local and the manager took pity on us for not knowing how to mine for tips as we were from out of state doing showcases for A&R reps.
This is still the average rate in town. $50/man for 4 hours of work. I played 200 shows on Broadway last year and made enough to support my family but not much else besides bills/groceries.
I spent a couple years teaching & playing in cover and original acts. It was ok, but the worst part was that music became more about money than inspiration. I became a lawyer instead… but still play, write, record & perform regularly. It’s a essentially a cathartic, creative and self actualization outlet.
I'm making $1900/mo on a grad student stipend and I care a lot more about music than I do about engineering. This video has got me questioning some life decisions...
Get into giving private lessons!
maybe try music + engineering
look into things like building instruments/music equipment
@@doppled That's a really good idea. I think I'll look into that. Thanks!
@@Vivi_9 That's definitely something worth considering!
Stick to music as a hobby
$1000 a day busking locations are competitive and you have or be a great front person/guitarist. Great stuff Samurai!
Reminds me of the Joshua Bell "Washington Post experiment". He is a world renowned classical violinist who busked at a busy metro station in DC (with excellent acoustics) on a friggen' Stradivarius, while on hidden camera. In 45 minutes, with 1097 people passing by, he made only $32.17. I'm sure he could have earned considerably more at the Montauk town square over an 8 hour day. But of course he could also just fill up a concert hall and make hundreds of thousands in a single concert.
@@iankrasnow5383 Bingo!
@@TheFeelButton And I just checked, he's playing at Carnegie Hall in 2 weeks to a sold out show (2804 seats), with $170 tickets.
Some of the numbers you said shocked me. Especially when you said less than $100 (plus tips) for more than a couple hours. I manage a night club in Tucson, AZ and am in charge of booking musicians and djs. I generally pay $100/hour per person. I usually book for three hours. A couple of my bands that I book give me a discount rate of $75 per hour per person. My DJ's get paid 400-500 for a 4 hour set. And Ive never said a word about tips in booking my bands. They shouldn't have to put out a jar to actually make any money.
I'll never get how a DJ can be paid as much or more than a musician. And I'm pretty surprised that any clubs in Tucson are paying that much. I gigged for decades in NYC, and then moved to Tucson and was shocked at how little (to zero) typical Tucson venues paid. And then you have venues like the Annual Tucson Folk Festival, in which the performers actually have to PAY to PLAY. Unbelievable that the very performers whose talents and contributions the festival was supposed to be celebrating would actually have to support the damn festival on their own backs. The only performers that got paid were the out of town "headliners", who also got their pay out of the pockets of the local players. Needless to say, I haven't bothered to perform much in Tucson, but that's ok 'cause I basically moved here to retire...
@@PaisleyPatchouli well, when a musician and a DJ (gigging guitarist for 30 years and gigging dj for 20) does the booking, the talent gets paid a fair rate.
And the equipment, time investment and skill level allows DJs to command the same as a gigging musician. Also, my DJs generate about 5x the revenue that a live band will. Simple economics.
I play weddings through a booking agent. One or two each weekend. Pay: Ceremony: $150 Cocktail hour: $150, Reception: $500. Most gigs are just reception. Around half of the gigs there is a tip of $50 or $100. I can leave a gig making $900. When I started doing this in 1999 the pay was $50 for cer, $50 cocktails and $200 for reception.
I play Bass and Sing in a Kiss tribute band in San Diego, a good gig is $600 for the whole band for 3 hours of music, that's with the full costumes, makeup, stage show, etc... We usually end up with about $400 plus tips. Between load in,sound check, makeup,playing 2 sets and striking everything it works out to about $17 an hour.
I don't leave the house for less than $250. You'd be surprised how often low paying gigs tend to lead to more low paying gigs.
My guess is If you take the average amount of money all pro and semi-pro guitarists make from gigs, and subtract from that the average amount of money they spend on related expenses (gear purchases, costumes, travel to/from the gig and rehearsals including mileage, gas and tolls, food and drinks) the resulting number will be negative.
I never got paid enough for a gig to restring my guitars for the show
By definition, a pro guitarist makes a living from guitar. So, no.
Long time lurker here!
Really loving the new direction with the more spontaneous, short form stuff. It feels like you're falling back in love with the whole process after a long lull. Keen for more ;)
An interesting person to talk to might be Matt Chamberlain. Drummer rather than guitarist, but he's done everything from being a member of a top 40 group, being a session player for some of the highest paid musicians to some small venue independents, and being part of numerous original groups from pop to jazz to avant garde. All live and in studio. He's literally done everything. Also, incredibly nice dude :)
Fascinating, I was always curious about this, and I suppose now I'm glad I stayed with my information technology career instead of my music--which would never be more than mediocre in any case
You do things which enable others to make real goods or effect real change. Don't regret making the sensible choice. Doubly so if your folks aren't in STEM or c levels ...like some :p
Yep, tech is definitely a more reliable source of income.
boooooorringg
@@matthewbrenn8307 yeah, that’s one of the downsides, for sure.
You can have your cake and eat it too. As a recent retiree, my advice for most people is to pursue a career and develop a plan of life goals while following musical interests in your spare time. This way you'll earn and save money to accomplish those goals and be better positioned to afford the "candy store" instruments and gear later on. The key to this is grand plan is to manage diet and exercise throughout life. If that's done, you'll be rewarded with a reserve of energy to pursue creativity, intellectual interests and spiritual growth at the time when you'll benefit from it the most. In short, stay practical and objective while pursuing your dreams.........said the old man.
Thank you for the transparency and honesty with this. This is very refreshing from the musician side of RUclips that seems pretty tight lipped on how everything works. Big fan keep doing what you’re doing!
I live in Germany. For me as a singing guitarist it is around 800€/month with teaching and around 250€ per gig on average. I play a little more than 100 gigs per year. It is hard work and I wish I had more free time for friends or family. After tax and insurance I have ca 1400€/month.
Once I talked to a major artist (pop singer Chris Roberts) and he charged over 15k € for 45 minutes of playback performance. Roy Black got 25k for 1,5h. All of them wanted to be rock musicians - but it does not pay well.
A singer tried to hire me for a cruise ship for 75€ per day over three month. A professional wedding plattform with musicians all over Germany tried to hire me for 150€ for 6h of playing, and I have to bring a pa and be the dj after the band. I absolutely don't understand musicians who do this.
15,000 € for a playback performance? That's rich (in all meanings).
As a beginner musician starting to choose a direction, an easily digestible resource like this is invaluable for goal setting… thanks for the great content!
Knowledge is power!
This was a great and informative video Sammy G! Keep up the great work of spreading musical knowledge ❤
Might be important to mention the low end for busking - getting your money and/or gear taken by the cops. Back when I was busking I didn't know anyone who made $1000 in a day, but I knew quite a few that got roughed up by police
My son used to busk playing drums ( a small kit) at a local mall for 2 hours he would often bring home $200 sometimes more and he was 14/15 at the time
Busking around Christmas time was the best
Covid killed that for him .
I have noticed some buskers now have QR codes you can pay
And have a cd 💿 to sell for $10
I used to have a blast busking in downtown Tucson, AZ. Didn’t make a whole lot of money but I was out there a lot. Over the course of 3 or 4 months (Weekend nights only) I took home about 600 bucks.
Super cool idea for a video! Every musician I know that is excellent and also easy to get along with + has performance chops, makes at least a solid living doing music.
The sad part is that the low end is basically the same as it was in the 80's. Breaks my heart to hear that.
i started busking 3.5 years ago when i was still in high school, now i’m about to turn 20 and make my living busking. i live an hour north of san diego so i’ll make anywhere from $40-70/hr depending on when and where i play
what kind of music do you play?
I have about 200+ live shows under my belt. Those being full band, acoustic, and solo. Multi-genre rock/alternative.
Small venues, to full lights and sound on a bigger stage. Best I’ve ever made in 1 night was about $150 for 3 hours, only one break. Covers and plenty of originals.
I’ve made nothing or near to nothing many times, putting whatever we could in our band fund to focus on merch. Due to a nasty fall out and a very harsh experience of burnout, I haven’t been playing much these days. Hard to find the spark anymore, and with working full time I’m just too tired to fight the still-lingering burnout.
Please keep playing, but never over stress yourself. Totally not worth losing your spark!
I have played on Lower Broadway in Nashville and a lot of my friends still do on the regular. Can confirm that most places are tips only now.
the most ive made from playing guitar was 500 for a high school musical. If youre a guitarist that is good at reading chord charts, this is a really good thing to look into.
How did you even go about getting that gig?
Reminds me of an old musician joke I heard years ago; 3 strangers sitting at a bar, start making small chat. Talk turns to money and first guys says "I'm in sales and netted about $90k last year." Second guy says "I'm a lawyer at a small firm and grossed about $150k last year." Third guy sits there quietly. The other 2 press him on what he made last year. He says quietly "Around 15k." " Oh yeah?", one of them says, "What gauge strings do you use?: LOL!!
A few years ago we saw a band simply billed as "Jazz Fusion Supergroup" featuring Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin, and a drummer whose name escapes me right now. It was a small, intimate gig with a lot of fun rapport between the bandmembers and audience. Jeff Berlin asked the audience "What's the difference between large pizza and a jazz bassist?" His answer: "A large pizza can feed a family of four."
@@MAS4JI LOL! Yeah that's another musician joke classic! I play guitar and I still love the ones that mock us too. Example; How do you stop a rock guitar player from playing? Put sheet music in front of him!
@@msmoniz That is another classic! 😂🤣🙃
I busked in London for a while, I played with a fellow whose mother had taken thalidomide, he had a shrivelled arm, he was able to play violin rather well. We played Stephanie grapelli/django rheinhardt stuff. It was winter just before Xmas. We would typically make 400 pounds for a 2 hour set. Xmas eve we made 800. good times.
At the bottom of those huge escalators at a tube station. Amazing money. Location location location.
On one hand, this is a bit soul crushing because the route i want to take with music likely won't pay well, on the other hand, this gives me a good idea of whether or not i'll need to supplement the income from my plans or if i'll need to pivot to something different
That was so interesting I had a sudden urge to buy you a cup of coffee, or possibly green tea. I'll let you choose
Really interesting, fun to compare side by side. When I gigged the money was all in the merch
I’ve found that busking in somewhere like a Christmas market playing festive songs is a great place for busking. People are already in a spending mood and a couple of quid to a busker seems like an easy spend.
Do people still carry cash ? I know I rarely do these days
@@thelandofsun I mean personally I do keep a few coins handy for buskers because I wouldn’t spend them anywhere else, but we also bring a card machine that sits in the open case with the money in, its set to do £2 each time and people used it a surprising amount. The card machines aren’t even too expressive and I think are a great investment for modern buskers
@@georgecowley3972 great ! Thanks for the info :)
Some good friends of mine made it as a well known indie touring act, and they got endorsed by Guitar Center. They were able to purchase gear at cost, which helped them out a fair bit when something would go wrong on tour (and their tours were rowdy AF)
You brought back some great memories of when I used to play full-time 40 years ago. Most gigs were a free meal and all the beer you could drink. Now I'm on the edge of retirement and restarting my music career. I have the fortunate luxury of not needing to make money in music and do it for the love of music. Of course, it's a rush when I make a few dollars on RUclips. 🙂 Thanks for the interesting video; I enjoyed it very much.
I'll believe the busking part. Back in my early college days, when I had been playing and taking lessons for over 15 years straight, I took my saxophone down to the local pedestrian mall and gave it a try. I was down there for a couple hours and make like... $15. I had teachers who definitely thought I could have made a career of it, but that's not what I went to school for, so I'd say that's pretty good for a kid who had no idea what they were doing other than set up, open case and play some songs I knew.
my takeaway is that artists really should demand more money from venues, and there needs to be some way for solidarity to be built. if it’s been 30-40 years of being paid this much something HAS TO change.
I used to play in a country wide theatre group - and we earned around 200USD for 6 nights of work a week. Probably one of the only steady work in our country of South Africa. Pub scenes are great, but we're looking at around 50-70USD a night.
I work for a band that had some hits in the 80s and 90s, that now play the nostalgia festivals in the UK. the hired hands get £400 a day, they get paid this for travel days too.
I busk in Spanish tourist locations regularly in the summer. Can make 75-100€ an hour if you're good, but getting a license it next to impossible
A professional entertainer friend of mine gave me some very pertinent advice as semi-pro musician in a gigging covers band, especially while selecting a setlisf: never over-estimate (the taste) of your audience!
Three of my guitar teachers in L.A. in the 80s went on to become very in demand sessions players, two of them touring as well as studio work. Two of them went on to become producers, music directors, and other things that were lucrative. Two are actually retired but do the occasional gig just for fun. One of them saw a decline in earnings and lost his house and went through a terrible divorce with a child custody fight. I never came anywhere near being a session guy as I was very involved in the many bands I played in from '86 to '93. I played a lot of clubs in L.A., recorded a lot of demos, music videos that were fun to make but which I'd rather forget, played on public access TV many times, and also did a lot of odd gigs which even required portable generators. But it was still a great experience. I have a lot of respect for session players, and generally anyone who can make a living in music. It's very difficult, but it can be done if you have the skills, a good attitude, discipline, and flexibility.
i have played guitar for nearly 10years and i have starting playing gigs the last 3 years and i have made 150 euros combined
i call that a win
As a busker in the EU I would make about 60€ a day (playing 3h more or less). Not bad...but very unstable and tiring. Now I busk, but I do it for fun mostly...I dont rely on it. It gives me much more freedom to play what and when I want.
I appreciate the transparency, and while I will never be good enough to make a living from playing guitar, it does shine a new light on this field
FWIW, in Australia the industry minimum fee for a 3hr set is $250. However that's just the absolute minimum. That time period is expected to include set-up, travel and meals.
Very interesting video… i’d love to see more content like this, the real stories of being a guitar player. My friend went to Berkeley and everyone’s dream job (30 years ago) was to go on tour with a mayor artist, think graduating finance and getting a consulting job type of situation
I really believe that busking part. I was talking to one of them in my town today. It has a population of about 35k and he told me that just infront of our grocery store he can bring in 300 dollars on a good day
I grew up watching my dad playing cover music making decent money. I auditioned for berklee but with the rise of youtube and the shift in the music industry got turned off from it all and became an electrical engineer.
A lot of bands my age are loosing members due to stable income and trying to raise a family. These are relatively big bands. It's a different world today than 20 years ago for a musician
When I went busking one time, earnt almost $100 for only about 40-50 mins of playing, It was a weekend at midday, It also being summer probably also boosted this figure. Would recommend an amplified setup, as playing classical and steel string its quite hard to be heard in the town environment
I do not make any money playing guitar; however, when I die, on my deathbed, I will receive total consciousness.
So I got that going for me…which is nice.
Very interesting thank you I do music as a serious hobby I play live as a drummer in a charity/Good causes band, I write and produce music and make RUclips videos, and I’ve just recently started releasing music through online distribution company. I’m retired and definitely not in it for the money, it would be nice if I could have a little bit of a return just to pay for my equipment, but since my last profession, which I’m retired from now was a truck driver. I say every day this is a lot better than driving a truck, even if I’m not making any money. But I would hate to have to do this for a living specially with a pandemic what I’ve just gone through it must be horrendous four musicians trying to make ends meet. Agin thank you for what you do. I enjoy watching your videos.
I used to be a busker In Tenerife and I would pull in anywhere from 100-200 euro minimum a day during the tourist season. It also led to other gigs, playing at private parties, weddings and gigs at bars..It was amazing. Great years
There is a lot of truth about the local musician (solo acoustic performer) Here in California I perform primarily at breweries and the standard pay is 150 for a three hour gig. Many will give you beer as well. Some will pay more or a little less and there are some that pay on a sales percentage scale. 50-75 per hour has been consistent the last couple of years.
The rate has not just been consistent for the last couple of years, it has been consistent for the last many decades.
@@terryhayward7905 I only said the last couple of years because that’s how long I’ve been performing solo.
@@campfirejoeacoustic4832 I wish you success in your playing, it is something that I miss now, but I am 75, so not likely to start again :)
@@terryhayward7905 Thanks so much! I’m 53 and basically started a couple years ago. All the best to you, good sir!
When I was busking in downtown Berkeley in California I was making if It was busy up to 50 dollars an hour if it was slow around 15 but I was also just playing an acoustic and trying to sing over traffic and pedestrians
In my 90's tour I rented firehouses all over the place($150-500 rent), sent kids from the local schools flyers for dispersal, chose a few opening bands (who never really care to get paid, just seen) and you'd get about 200 kids at $6 a ticket, paid everyone, even security but most of which I kept since I did an insane amount of work.
Your Nashville pay info is accurate.I lived there many years ago;I wasn't gigging,I was doing studio(Demo's/"Custom projects")but several buddies were,and they were making $50 per night,4hr gig.Other friends played for established artist's,as an employee,made $600 per week whether they played or not.I was recently SHOWN a copy of a check made out to a guitarist for a MAJOR Country artist,for a 1 night gig,large event.$175.00!I was told Vegas musicians(Union?)who play nightly,6 nights a week,4hrs per night,$600.
being a busker i can confirm: on a good day you can make a healthy amount of money (although ive personally never seen more than like 100-120 euros in a day, 1000 sounds super high to me but i feel like its possible) but at least for me, it averages out on like 50 euros a day but im not the kind of guy to gather a crowd and then ask for money, im more like the "i do my thing and if people like it, thats good" kinda busker.
there are also a lot of different factors to consider when busking like the weather, the time of the year and, unfortunately, a lot of rude people approaching you, i think thats the worst thing about this kind of job
on the other hand, ive met a lot of amazing people too while playing on the streets, i guess when youre out there you find all kinds of things and people and that can be positive or negative depending on the day
its fun though, playing whatever you feel like and not having a strict time schedule, i feel like that kind of freedom is very rare to come by in any kind of job these days
In the mid-1990s I had a girlfriend who was (among other things) a busker, and at times she made a couple hundred dollars for a 4 hours or so shift. Think: good weather during the tourist season. We’re in a smallish but much visited city.
I've played consistently in Key West since '86.
When I did solo guitar/vocals, the bars would pay $100 to $150 for 4 sets. The tips could be another $100 if there was a cruise ship in.
Cash and no 1099.
You have to play popular covers and ENTERTAIN.
Something to consider is does the venue have a PA? Lights? Free beverages? How many breaks? Cash or check?
Keep in mind to always mention the bartender and waitress. They will make or break your gig.
If you are in a band, cut it by half.
So what were live musicians taking per day in the 70s?
I heard 200-300 per day in non adjusted dollars but that was just one persons anecdote.
Back in the early 90s a guy a that wanted to learn some guitar brought a 12 pack over. I think that is the only time I ever made anything playing. Spent a lot on gear since then though. haha
For years I considered the cruise ship gig. Then I found out I'm basically sea sickness patient zero LOL Now I'm doing a union electrician apprenticesship :( I haven't given up completely though! The dream is still alive in the form of a full-studio channel. Still don't have the subscribers to monetize, but I'm getting there. When I do, I'll transition from mostly covers to mostly originals.
Interesting video. I like the story you ended with. Most people do not get to do something they love for a living. Mainly because it’s usually not easy. I started playing drums when I was 12 years old. In 1962! Things were much different then. From the time The Beatles came in the scene until about 1970 I had no thought of doing anything for a living besides playing in a band. I played in my first band (outside of the school band) in 1965. Last band around 1970-71. Never made any money. It almost cost more to go play somewhere than we made playing the gig. 😂😂 I also lived in West Texas and never liked country music. Which was a detriment. Reality set in. I quit playing, went to college, got a job and spent 43 years working in the engineering business. No regrets. But I sometimes wonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
as someone in a cover band, those numbers are pretty accurate. But apart from playing, we also bring and set up an entire stage, light and sound system. It’s usually a 12-18h day.
Awesome video I really wanted to know this particular question. Thanks Sammy G
Well, I made a living from music for over 30 years. I became a ghost guitar player at one point. I was brought into the business doing studio sessions during off studio hours by either managers of artists or producers. Sometimes both. I have a unique talent for being able to mimic a lot of guitar players styles. I won’t go into a lot details about it now but there’s a big chunk of money that can be made doing this. One could easily clear $9K to $20K a week doing this.
I should make an episode about this topic on my channel. It’s a side of the music industry nobody talks about.
Easily clear $20k a week (a little over $1M per year)? That is a great paying job, although I would imagine it may be challenging getting consistent work.
@@darenanderson1960 That's definitely the kick...it's not consistent & you get strung along a lot. There's a lot of shade & shit throwing going on. The people on that end of the business will burn people & try to ruin them on the way down.
It was normal to make $60-120 for an hour or two worth of busking. I've busked in Nashville, Phoenix and Seattle. Phoenix was the best if you knew where to go.
When I was doing the wedding corporate thing out of Denver, there was always a bonus for mountain driving for anywhere outside a certain distance. Those long days of often sketchy mountain driving into and out of Aspen could pay but dang…that run back could be scary as hell. Sometimes they would put you up or you could get a room but if you made it back alive to 5280, that hotel money was a bonus.
Hard grind but it was so fun playing with ace players and making it fresh(ish) every night.
My little local group of nobodies in the Chicago burbs area generally charges $400 for a 3 hour set, extra Benjamin if we're providing sound. We have played larger shows for more and we commonly play benefit shows for free or $100 depending upon the situation.
Full time busker here. All true. I've started in bars and clubs in my hometown. Sometimes they just tell you "You play for tips". I was happy when got around 30$. If you refuse , believe me , some kid will accept the offer. So much practice , effort and dissapointment.. I wanted to quit music but my friend told me that since i really love music , i shoud go with busking. I've tried. First time , wrong location. Many people passed , no amp, just yelled and strummed chords on guitar. Barely 17 bucks for 45 mins. But i was sooo happy. No more bar owners , i pick my time , my place. Now , 6 years later, with experience and equipment - income can even be higher than 200 dollars per night for few hours of playing. That is much higher than the job i was doing with my diploma. The golden rule - don't go for too much crowd ! Pick place where you can be heard , where people like to be romantic/in the mood for music. Sometimes , a right guy/girl who is touched with your performance can give you 100 or more dollars for single song rather than collect pittymoney in some overcrowded passage where people are in hurry for bus. Location is EVERYTHING. Sometimes if you move even 10 meters can make huge difference. Busking is not only about music. It is ENTERTAINMENT. It is a way of life for me. I am just basic guitar "campfire chord" player with just basic fingerstyle tricks and i've met much more proficent musicians with LESSER income. Why ? They don't interact with people. The key part of busking COMMUNICATION. Contact with people. To play for them. To be passionate and always give 110 percent ;) Thanx Sammy G
Ive been a touring professional for 10+ years and seen it all. video is pretty accurate - its honestly kinda just random as heck and good biz people make good money - the busker thing is a big lesson, I know people super "successful" doing big shows but have such insane overhead that they walk with a mid range pay but normal locals that hustle the right ways and absolutely crush 100k+ a year working only weekends and a couple rehearsals a week ( good local cover bands that play casinos and weddings for instance ) - theres so many ways to cut the cake it beautiful, just get out there and hustle!
As a busker, true
Some days it can be $3/hr
others it can be $65/hr
thank you for doing what you love and passionate about. keep on going.
I live in Nova Scotia and play in bars and I usually make like 200ish a night
13:42 now THAT was a Canadian tone of voice...great vid.
Some 15-20 years ago when I lived near Austin.....I remember many locals saying they were expected to play free and on the really busy days like the festival weeks they're expected to pay to play . for "exposure"
This was a good reality check for me; nice to know that theres ways to make ends meet in this kind of career!
I made 150 dollars an hour playing Christmas carols on the trumpet when I was 13 in the outer suburbs of Melbourne
Thanks, I needed this video, I live in Mexico and if the gig's payment is excellent, in bars, cafes etc they pay you max $1000 MXN which is around 50 or 60 USD,
Im moving to Arizona and then to San Antonio TX to live and if it goes well I am planning on getting hired by a band, so the wages you mention serve to orient myself!
I was hired by a church to play two Sunday morning services for Easter. It required one rehersal evening, about 2 hours total (setup etc), and the two Sunday services. It paid $265.00. Figure around $45.00 per hour.
Thanks for making this video. I’m a music student at University of Tampa studying classical guitar and it’s my dream to be a professional musician, and I’ve found this kind of information to be the most useful. Thank you!
Busking ideas 💡? How much about 60-90? A day? I'd like to see some vids of you trying to make at least $100 in one day. That'd be great content.
The amount of money that mid-sized influencers with devoted followings in ALL industries is ALWAYS more than most people would guess
Thanks for your honesty. You busked in Brisbane! That is where I'm from. Would be interest to hear you travel and guitar stories while in Australia.
I actually really like when your face is so close to the camera and you use lots of sound effects
From what I've heard also venues on Broadway/ Nashville aren't paying and that they're tips only. The market is so saturated there that if a musician objects to it there's a line of musicians waiting to get into that venue. I'm pretty sure this info is accurate because I went to see Carl Wockner there a couple of years ago while visiting family for a wedding. He had his songbook linked up to a QR code which had different prices for requests, mashups, etc. He plugged it quite regularly during the set. This makes me think in retrospect that he was hustling for his pay.
i made 40$ for a 30m gig in a small show venue as bass guitar player last week in quebec, but it's the lowest level show you can get and was a first part. Good thing my day job actualy pay me this per hour or i would have went bankrupt in a day.