The hardest and saddest decision about making music..

[handoman]

Ive been thinking this lately: Whats more important: doing what you love or survival? I have to decide whether to go all in with music with a huge risk of failure, or assuring a long and comfortable life. Yes i know people do make a living with music but what are the chances of actually being successful? I think it takes a lot of luck, more than hard work: you need to be in the right place at the right time. Your tastes( in what you like and what you create) need to match the desires of a good amount of people at that point in history. I mean how long can i keep making what i like and expect others to feel the same way? Eventually i will have to give in and care what others think. I dont have the confidence in myself to match peoples desires with mine. So im just trying to decide whats better: surving a long potentually unsatisfying life or a risky life doing what i love

I dont mean to get all negative but these are just some ideas ive been intrigued with lately...

Feel free to share your thoughts based on your experiences with success or failures

[manducator]

I always choose for survival.

And that survival gave me the chance to do music (without earnings, I give my music away for free).

[BertKoor]

I always choose for survival.

And that survival gave me the chance to do music (without earnings, I give my music away for free).

+1.
In highschool I had two hobbies: programming computers & playing guitar. So at daytime it's ICT, rock band in the weekends. Have both is better. You don't have to choose.

[Firebird]

I always choose for survival.

And that survival gave me the chance to do music (without earnings, I give my music away for free).

Gotta eat....

[Nielzie]

I have to decide whether to go all in with music with a huge risk of failure, or assuring a long and comfortable life.

Why do you have to decide? Some big has come up that you must decide to quit your job and go all in?

If not, just keep the job, keep the hobby and work slowly on getting recognition for you music. Go on bandcamp, youtube, maybe try to do some soundtrack work for indie game developers, etc. Maybe do some awesome song covers on youtube to get people to follow you, etc.

[DJ Warmonger]

It's unlikely to earn for living from music, so better get a well-paid job. You can also try to get some money as plugin developer, mix/mastering engineer or music teacher. But not quite from doing just what you want - there are millions of musicans in the world who would like to do the same

[VariKusBrainZ]

You do realise very few musicians get to give up their day jobs, they have to balance both, that's the norm, despite having released multiple albums and doing gigs.

'Starving artist' exists as a common saying for a reason.

[Zombie Queen]

or assuring a long and comfortable life.

You can never be sure of length... (does this qualify for outta context quote?)
Don't put things to do for later.

[Distorted Horizon]

Survival.

I have few friends in pretty famous and big rockbands, and they still do have day jobs for winter time.

Personally I don't make any money with my music... yet... but slowly I'm getting more and more stuff done and at some point, stuff good enough that people will buy it/want to come to gigs.
When it's time for me to decide, I'll definitely go with music but it needs to be an easy, natural switch that doesn't affect my family negatively. I can eat my nails for few weeks easily but kids need more food

[hivkorn]

No matters what you're doing , find yourself and do it.

[VariKusBrainZ]

Nice tunes by the way, though your obviously heavily influenced by BOC

[whyterabbyt]

'Making music' as a career isn't quite impossible, but 'being a pop star' more or less is; the number of acts with any kind of lifespan (ie those not winding up having to get get a proper job five years later anyway) is so small as to be marginal; Im pretty convinced everybody in the UK has someone they know who's been signed to a major label, maybe even been on Top of the Pops once but now works as an IT or banking drone. The majority of professional musicians out there are jobbing musicians, not the folk you see on TV. They're in wedding bands, pub bands, do sessions, teaching etc etc. They don't necessarily get a chance to indulge their pop star fantasies, and its hard work, not necessarily that well paid.
If you want to make music because you love it, its fine to get a 'proper job', and support the thing you love in your spare time. There are an awful lot of 'amateur' musicians out there who are very talented, and happy doing the thing they love exactly the way they want to with no compromises. That last bit might not happen if you're driven by having to make money, btw. If you want to make music because you think you'll make your fortune and be a star, get a proper job, and grow up.

[whyterabbyt]

Nice tunes by the way, though your obviously heavily influenced by BOC

Didnt sound like Blue Oyster Cult to me.

[Chemik]

Why do you have to decide? Some big has come up that you must decide to quit your job and go all in?

This is really what it comes down to. If someone is waving a huge contract in your face, you just had a record sell too much that you have to hit the road to support it, or you have a big paid project you are working on that is taking you away from your other job, then yes, you are at a crossroads. Otherwise, I can't think of any other reason you would risk the years of starvation and daily fears of failure.

If you are starting from scratch and feel like going all in is going to get you paid, the odds are ridiculously not in your favor.

[Hink]

take it from me (and those who know what the hell I just went through and if you dont there's a thread in ot classics)...music can help with one's survival in ways other than monetary. Last fall wasn't the first time for me either, a tragic accident in 96 also almost swamped me but I turned to music to pull me through.

IMHO, that's the "gift"