Have I sold out?

Today, I'm 30 years old
As in today, today? If so, Happy Birthday...if not, Happy Friday!

I'm personally sick to death of the term "sell-out". I don't think that it applies to anyone who is happy with their life and happy with what they are doing. New opportunities can come from any angle at any time, and as long as you are open to taking these into consideration, you haven't sold out on any level. That's how I see it anyway...
 
Lastly, having a non-musical career allows me to be the decider on what I do and do not want to play. The notion of playing music I can't stand listening to or playing just to earn a buck makes me want to sell everything I have and never play again.

+10. This, in spades.
 
I don't think you're a sell out. Heck, I tried to be a working local and was making pretty good money, but there's always that tinge of "what do I do next"? feeling. I couldn't imagine buying a house and getting married, much less have health benefits for both me and my spouse while struggling to make it as a local player. And I wasn't even doing things that make me famous - it was just the day-in-day-out grind of making the attempt to keep working. It was hard and I eventually moved into what I do now.

I'm like you, I cherish the chances I get to play 'like me' and I'm totally happy to be playing, period. It could even be to an empty room. I still push myself to be as good as I can be, but I'm no longer worried if the phone stops ringing (and sometimes it doesn't ring at all).

You've made a good move.

I think you should be very happy with what you have - a decent job and still in 2 or 3 bands!

You have a decent job most likely with some form of benefits which allows you to pursue drumming on your terms. You win!

I was in the same boat back in the 1980's when I viewed playing as an "all or none" kind of thing. Took me a long while to get through / over that and have long since moved on to a career so far outside of music it's not funny.

I love what I do and make good money at it. Able to support a home and family not to mention my drumming passion.

Lastly, having a non-musical career allows me to be the decider on what I do and do not want to play. The notion of playing music I can't stand listening to or playing just to earn a buck makes me want to sell everything I have and never play again.

As in today, today? If so, Happy Birthday...if not, Happy Friday!

I'm personally sick to death of the term "sell-out". I don't think that it applies to anyone who is happy with their life and happy with what they are doing. New opportunities can come from any angle at any time, and as long as you are open to taking these into consideration, you haven't sold out on any level. That's how I see it anyway...

Way to stick it! Kidding. It's not my birthday today, but I'll tell you, 30 is not anywhere close to some other people in their 30s that I know. I actually feel like I'm still in my 20s but with more money and not living with the parents hehe.
 
It is my full-time job that allows me to pursue drums. Otherwise I would not have the capital to invest in the equipment or the gas to get to practice and gigs. While I love to play drums and I love music in general, that was not the career I picked. As a matter of fact, I didn't even start playing drums until I went to college. Since graduating from college, I have worked my way up through the ranks at an engineering company to a very high level of management, making a very good living through a lot of hard work and dedication. So now I get to play in two bands as well, so it is the best of both worlds. Being a sellout is the furthest thing from my mind. What I've done is use my God-given talents to establish a good life for me and my family, and hopefully set myself up for retirement in about 10-12 years. The fact that I can gig regularly with two bands just adds to the quality of my life.
 
I wasn't sure which thread to post this in but I wanted to get the forum's opinion.

I know several musicians who are either unemployed or working part-time. I haven't met anyone who has a regular 9-5 job like I do. yet. When I ask, they cringe at the thought of wasting 40 hours a week in a cubicle or office environment, etc. For as long as I've been playing in bands I've had some kind of job going on. In my early 20s, I went on an extended tour with my punk band and had a taste of what my life would be like if I gave up all I had and went for broke. Unfortunately, the end of the tour revealed harsh realities among my bandmates and within the the next few months, we disbanded. Unsure of continuing to play drums or be involved in music altogether, my dad advise that I get a degree in network engineering so that I am not struggling to make a buck. A few years later I graduated with a degree and began my post-music career in IT.

Today, I'm 30 years old, not married, have no kids and make decent money. I currently perform in two bands outside of my 9-5 job, possibly a 3rd if the audition goes well. Drumming is my passion but somehow I can't see myself giving up the steady income I earn to go on an extended tour like my last punk band did. Have I sold out in a way, have my ideas of success changed as I got older or am I just a hobbyist? Silly as it is, I'm stoked just to be playing at rehearsal or at a bar with less than 10 people.

Hey man, there's no one who's judging you for the decisions you've made (except maybe some dumb teenagers who are reading this thread). All that matters is if you're happy with the decisions you've made and the life that you're living. Sounds like you are, and I'd say that's about all you can ask for.

For what it's worth I'm only 24 so what do I know, but as someone who has no degree and is pursuing music full time...well. Let's just say if I didn't feel like music was the only thing I could do, I would do something else. Even with that said, I still think about quitting like, 3-4 times a week. Count your blessings, stability is a huge achievement and it sounds like you have fun with music - that's why we all started in the first place, right?
 
Threads like these I really enjoy reading. Guys (gals) on this forum have shown me a more mature and stable way of approaching music. I'm so glad i stumbled upon this site 2 years ago. 21 here and almost done with my degree. Once my career starts I'll be dong the same thing, working during the day, rocking face at night.
 
I've been taking lessons with a local instructor here who doesn't have a full-time job from somewhere else. Instead, he runs a drumming school and has about 50+ students. Mostly kids and early teens (I'm one of his oldest students, heh). So he does that during the week and on the weekends he performs in a cover band for upscale venues/bars/clubs and makes a pretty penny with those gigs. He says he makes enough to be comfortable and has plenty of time for his other hobbies. Like me, he just wants to play and at the same time he's kinda giving back to the music world by bringing in more musicians. I guess there's more than one way to earn a living involving only drums. He's done pretty well for himself.
 
You are not a sellout unless you are going against your own integrity for money. I know rappers who dissed Hammer for rapping and dancing in commercials who now do commercials I consider that more of a sellout movement.
 
You have a decent job most likely with some form of benefits which allows you to pursue drumming on your terms. You win!

1+ Being a professional full time musician is not for everyone. My wife and I are both musicians who perform regularly and still have a "day gig". We met in our college band many years ago and both of us still play orchestra, ensemble or pit work. We own our own business which gives us enough security to be able to afford our "habit". We view our ability to still play as therapy and much cheaper than a "shrink".
 
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