Drumming for a living

N

Nightowl

Junior Member
How many of y'all play drums for a living? Do you do it in original or cover bands or both? Are you able to make a good living playing drums nowadays? If you can what all do you have to do to make that happen?
 
I don't.. The only people I know who play music for a living around where I live don't have cars, they ride a bike everywhere, and have multiple roommates, no health insurance.. Basically they're surviving but not really living comfortably. Also sometimes have side hustles too to make ends meet, and a lot of their music playing is busking. Everyone else I know who plays music has a day job to support themselves.
 
Nightowl said:
...what all do you have to do to make that happen?
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That's the million-dollar question!

The simple answer is, hook-up with a band (or bands) that can generate enough income on which its members can live.

Then we have to look at what the cost of living entails. Where do you live and what does it cost to have a place of residence there? Are you averse to a roommate to keep that affordable? Do you have other expenses such as car payments, high health insurance, a family, credit card debt, or maybe a fancy clothing/eating/gear habit?

Every person and city is different. A musician making $25,000 a year in Phoenix will probably live better than one making $50,000 in Los Angeles. Depending on one's debt structure, $100,000 might not be enough to be in the black.

Anyway, simple answer #2 - be in the right place at the right time to expose yourself to good-paying bands.

#2a - And how do you get to those places? Network. In this business, it's not who you know... it's who knows you.

Success is based on the assumption that you can play the right parts and play them well. Personality and professionalism are important factors. And the genre and location will govern your ability to make a living somewhat. If you're in L.A. trying to play jazz full-time, you can forget it. However, you can make a few dollars playing jazz in New York City (for example) but it's still tough there because living expenses are so high.

I live in L.A., make my living playing in one band, and make gas money playing in 4 or 5 others.

Bermuda
 
Be able to play anything, be able to teach, have professional training, be visible locally-- know and be known by all the professional musicians in your city. Seek out paying work. Commit.

That's just baseline for being a professional-- it's no guarantee of a steady income. Making more than a working class living with it is another thing.
 
Playing drums for a living doesn't necessarily mean band. You can be a studio drummer, an amusement park drummer, a drum teacher, there are lots of other options besides band. Just something to keep in mind.

I don't drum for a living. That was my goal for a long time, but after about 8 years I realized I don't enjoy being in a band anymore. The crap outweighed the good. I had a job also to survive. The band didn't really afford me anything financially.
 
I play for a living. Can be very hard at times but I can survive quite happily on it :)
 
Be able to play anything, be able to teach, have professional training, be visible locally-- know and be known by all the professional musicians in your city. Seek out paying work. Commit.

That's just baseline for being a professional-- it's no guarantee of a steady income. Making more than a working class living with it is another thing.
 
I made my living as a drummer about 15 years, but times really changed drastically, at least where i live, for the past 10-15 years..

For example..:

* More than half of the discotheques/clubs that weekly had a (rock-) coverband closed and the ones that still exist for sure will not pay 5000-6000 euros anymore for a band IF they allready still have a band playing each week that is..That euro amount is kinda big here btw, but i can imagine that in some places in the US this seems very little..

* A looooot less people book a coverband for their wedding here..Most people book a DJ or some sort of acoustic 60's combo (for little to no money) for the wedding reception and a DJ for the evening..Or, no party at all, but a dinner and after that a big vacation instead..

* Having a band with original work kinda for sure will not earn you anything here, unless you are one of the few that have quite some success..Most Indie bands however, even the 'famous' ones, earn almost nothing..

* As a teacher you really need a substancial amount of steady students, at least 40-50 on a weekly basis..

* Big outside 1500-2000 people party-tent gigs are also less than half from what they used to be..


All together, things get more and more difficult regarding this subject..
 
MrInsanePolack said:
Playing drums for a living doesn't necessarily mean band. You can be a studio drummer, an amusement park drummer, a drum teacher...
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Unfortunately, studio musicians are extremely rare these days, and those few spots are generally taken by established pros (read: it's difficult to get in that rotation, desire and talent aren't enough.) You'd have to do a union date every day, 5 days a week to make any real money, and there are only a few cities that can keep players that busy.

Theme parks are fine, if there's an opening, and if there's a theme park nearby.

Teaching is an option, but that's not exactly "drumming for a living". Also, the availability of students is governed somewhat by location, and how many potential students aren't already studying with someone.

But I believe the OP is talking about a performing situation, and I think that's how most of us see ourselves earning money with music.

And the person's expense and debts will govern what is an acceptable, livable wage. A given amount of money goes a lot further for someone with low rent and no debts, than it does for someone with a mortgage, car payments, and credit card debt. $25k may be enough for one, and $50k not enough for the other.

Bermuda
 
Nightowl said:
How many of y'all play drums for a living? Do you do it in original or cover bands or both? Are you able to make a good living playing drums nowadays? If you can what all do you have to do to make that happen?
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I play drums profesionally since the late 70´s, and just play jazz gigs. ´Though the scene is quite deteriorated in general with the Internet and so.

According to this 6% of the members are full time profis: http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94570&highlight=poll
 
Nightowl said:
How many of y'all play drums for a living? Do you do it in original or cover bands or both? Are you able to make a good living playing drums nowadays? If you can what all do you have to do to make that happen?
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It's not that simple. People's lives are more than just playing drums. My neighbor is a working drummer. He bought a van to move his drums. People need someone to help them move, so he uses the van as a side business. He bought a pressure washing machine to clean his trailer home. Neighbors pay him to pressure wash their trailers. He still plays drums all over town, various bands. But his income isn't only from playing drums.
 
No Way Jose said:
He still plays drums all over town, various bands. But his income isn't only from playing drums.
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There's that, too. Day jobs & side hustles are common among musicians, actors, writers, and others in the arts. And there's no shame in helping keep the lights on, food on the table, gas in the car, fresh heads on the drums, etc. I proudly had a middle-management career going for many years concurrent with the Weird Al gig. I never missed a tour or session, and between tours I also played with 3 or 4 local bands. I always had a regular paycheck. Eventually, I was able to comfortably do just one thing, and that's when I became a full-time musician. If I ever needed to supplement my income, I would do the same again without hesitation, regret, or ego involvement.

Bermuda
 
A couple years ago I recorded at a local studio. One of the studio owners is a drummer. He got together with a keyboard player, rented a storefront in a strip mall for about $ 800 / month. They only have to rent the studio for 16 hours a month at $ 50 / hour to break even. He plays drums for lots of clients, but it is mixed with recording and just running a business. Is he a pro drummer? Sure! He's one of those studio drummer guys.
 
I certainly can't sustain myself by drumming alone, however I can make my drumming pay for itself.

As an example......I have a savings account which I put all monies earned from shows.

Then I use that money to pay for EVERYTHING music related.

I've bought all drum heads, sticks, cables, my on stage monitor, drum mics, cymbals, tablet, headphones all with money from gigs. It kinda prevents me eating into my income from my day job.
 
benthedrum said:
I certainly can't sustain myself by drumming alone, however I can make my drumming pay for itself.

As an example......I have a savings account which I put all monies earned from shows.

Then I use that money to pay for EVERYTHING music related.

I've bought all drum heads, sticks, cables, my on stage monitor, drum mics, cymbals, tablet, headphones all with money from gigs. It kinda prevents me eating into my income from my day job.
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I put my gig money aside and it pays for the yearly second holiday for my wife and me along with the spending money. She’s not a big live music fan so it’s like a pay back or bargaining chip to her for letting me out to play with the lads :)

In a slightly related point, if I was limited to spending on gear and gigging only what I earned from gigging I’d possibly break even. As a pub player there’s regularly someone wanting to drive the price down or asking for charity appearances , and a recent close shave with redundancy (which would have meant the loss of the company car I drive) made me realise about the amount I spend that I mentally write off as opposed to taking into account. Many years ago I made the switch to “budget” sticks and I use them until either their stiffness is noticeably decreased or they’re unacceptably splintered, and I tend to buy drumheads when my local sho runs sale prices on unboxed items and stockpile them. Certainly my bi annual practice of buying a new kit would have to be knocked squarely on the head if I limited my spend to gig income.
 
Woolwich said:
I put my gig money aside and it pays for the yearly second holiday for my wife and me along with the spending money. She’s not a big live music fan so it’s like a pay back or bargaining chip to her for letting me out to play with the lads :)

In a slightly related point, if I was limited to spending on gear and gigging only what I earned from gigging I’d possibly break even. As a pub player there’s regularly someone wanting to drive the price down or asking for charity appearances , and a recent close shave with redundancy (which would have meant the loss of the company car I drive) made me realise about the amount I spend that I mentally write off as opposed to taking into account. Many years ago I made the switch to “budget” sticks and I use them until either their stiffness is noticeably decreased or they’re unacceptably splintered, and I tend to buy drumheads when my local sho runs sale prices on unboxed items and stockpile them. Certainly my bi annual practice of buying a new kit would have to be knocked squarely on the head if I limited my spend to gig income.
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You've mentioned a point that I forgot to mention.

I have paid for a few things outside of drumming with show money......some recent repairs to my car, some hiking equipment....oh, and drum stuff for my girlfriend's kit too.

I'm really impressed that you actually buy drum kits twice a year!

Man you must be doing really well out of music.....well done!!

That's what I love about joining this forum.......there's so many people out there with so many different experiences.
 
Oops my mistake, I meant biennial, every two years :)
I've passed the date this year though , I can't justify replacing my Saturn with something that will be any better. I'm keeping my eye out for a cheap 70s or 80s kit with a 24" bass drum and seeing if I can break the cycle of "one in, one out" by owning 2 kits! Which if I was reliant solely on gig money is a luxury I certainly couldn't entertain.
 
I’ve recently gotten a weekly paying gig playing drums at a church. Pays for any drum purchases I may have, plus it helps in a small way for other expenses, like mortgage, kid’s college fund or other monthly bills. I could never make enough at drums as my sole income.
 
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