PHOTO : CONNOR SCHEFFLER
BUSINESS
As a drummer and producer , Mark Schroor has toured and recorded with JUNO , CCMA , and GMA Award winners and artists from all over the world . When he ’ s not on the stage or in the studio , Mark is interviewing his favourite drummers for the 180 Drums Podcast , blogging for Linchpin Musician , or travelling with his wife . Mark is currently hitting drums for Manafest , Leah
Daniels , and Eric Ethridge . Feel free to get in touch with Mark through his website , www . markschroor . com .
By Mark Schroor
5 Ways to Get Paid as a Hired Musician
How much should I charge as a hired musician ? This is the question that I and the rest of us musicians are constantly asking , but nobody seems to have a clear answer .
I don ’ t have an easy answer , but thought I ’ d share the thought process that I use to determine how much I charge to drum for different artists . Before we jump in , I want to point out that this isn ’ t an article on how to make more money as a musician , but rather all of the non-financial factors to consider that are often worth more than money ( and will most definitely result in more money ).
Considering that each artist we may play for has a different budget and might require different skills from us , it makes it hard to put a specific dollar amount on each show we play . But getting paid in dollars is only one of many ways we can get paid . I use five currencies that each offer different benefits , and every show will pay in different amounts of each of these . It ’ s up to you decide how much of each makes a show worthwhile .
Financial Currency How many dollars will I make , after expenses ? This is the most obvious form of payment , but we can often get tricked into thinking it ’ s the only way to get paid . Obviously it ’ s important to make sure our bills are paid and there ’ s gas in our tank , but if you think that this is the only way of getting paid for a show , you could be missing out on opportunities to grow your career .
Social Currency Who will I potentially meet at this concert , and how could that person impact my future ? This is a huge way of getting paid that I ’ ve often underestimated . Getting paid in social currency is often what gets us the call for more gigs . You have no idea who you might meet when you ’ re playing a show , whether it ’ s someone in your band , another band , or even someone in the audience . Not to mention , when people actually see you performing on stage ( whether in person or through your social media ) that turns your social currency into social proof , which proves to everyone that you are actually capable of doing what you say you can do . The tricky thing is there ’ s no saying when your social currency will pay off ; it may be in a year , or five years , but it will . Guaranteed . This is obviously based on the assumption that you ’ re a true professional and great at your instrument .
Educational Currency By taking this show , is there an opportunity to learn a new skill , or improve your existing skills ? Will you find yourself in a unique situation where you may learn a valuable lesson on or off stage ? The answer is always yes , but to what extent is up to you . Any time behind your instrument and on stage is going to improve your musical skills and performance chops . I almost turned down a few shows because they didn ’ t pay very well ( in financial currency ) and I had to learn a ton of songs . My first reaction was no , but after realizing that I would be spending a lot of time practicing my instrument that week anyways , if I ’ m spending that time practicing new songs rather than exercises , then at least I ’ m improving my skills AND getting paid ( albeit , not much ). That experience opened an opportunity to learn a new skill that I didn ’ t already have : I taught myself a system to learn songs very quickly ( 45 songs in three days ). Those shows paid more in education than in money , and it was worth it .
Moral Currency Is it a charitable event ? Is it going to fulfill something I believe in ? Do I believe in the message of the artist ? This is a powerful motivator and speaks louder than money ever will . I will gladly play a show for free if I know that I am a part of a message that I strongly believe in .
Fulfillment Currency If I make no dollars , meet no one , ( and so forth …), is it worth playing this show for the sheer enjoyment of playing these songs with my friends , on stage ? When we started playing music for the first time , we didn ’ t think about the concerts or the money ; we were excited for the opportunity to organize a group of notes to create something that just felt good . It doesn ’ t take long for us to take that feeling for granted , so it ’ s important to remember that at one point ( probably on some cheap piece of junk instrument ), we were just excited to create .
Every single show will pay in different amounts of each of these . Just because a show doesn ’ t pay in dollars doesn ’ t mean it ’ s not worth playing , but that being said , if you can find yourself playing shows that pay you in all forms of currency , that ’ s a huge win .
62 • CANADIAN MUSICIAN