THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC
[ SO , WHAT ARE YOU WORTH ? | Dr . Ken Steorts ]
“ What is the sum total of your lifetime of musical skill and experience worth for one hour ?”
This is great question , and one often asked of a musician , sometimes before they know it is happening . People ask when the subject of performance fees , lesson fees , or studio recording costs come up . A friend becomes an employer , a family member is your boss , and a casual acquaintance becomes your bread and butter in a matter of seconds . I am going to suggest three ways to answer this and a few pointers on enjoying working for other people with your music . Likely , I will make this a series of articles .
There are numerous ways to answer this value question , and I hope to at least guide you a bit in your thinking .
You are of indescribable value to your Creator as a child of God . Your worth is in His love for you and is inestimable . Jesus died for your life to be worth everything and you owe Him that life with all your heart , soul , and strength . I remind musicians that they are Christians by calling , and then they also get to be musicians by the favor of God . Music should be a joyful life , and you are of great value and should live like it .
You also have a variable value as a musician in the real world with someone who is buying music or instruction . This is our topic today and once you have the first part settled ( a daily task in life ), you can consider this second part and get down to business . Your music can put food on the table .
When someone is buying your musical expertise , or buying anything for that matter , they are in control of three things : what they have to spend , what they want to see happen , and when they want to have it happen . This is a modification of the triangle of getting things done - quality , speed , and cost . You may have heard it said that you can have any two things from the triangle - you can have something done fast and with quality at a great cost , you can have something done fast and cheap and low quality , or you can have something done with quality and affordability , but it may take awhile .
They may not know yet which one is most important to them , but the buyer has control of what they want and what they get . This does not mean the buyer has all control , just that they control what they want and get .
You may be the one to decide if it is you that provides it . Not every transaction has to be wonderfully perfect for everyone because everyone wants something different . You control whether the person making the music is you .
I say this so you can be released from unrealistic expectations and you can work with people from a position of maturity and strength , not as a desperate musician . You will always come out further ahead if you are prepared and not desperate . So , think about these things ahead of time . Essentially , you want to develop a good relationship with the buyer for current and future mutual benefit . Relationship is key .
So , what are you worth ?
Musicians make most of their money in three ways - performance , studio , and teaching . Performances can vary greatly in style and length , studio can change as it is happening , and teaching is more or less different musicians ’ gifting or not .
Performances are best placed on a scale of number of musicians needed and for how long . I base this on around $ 50 per hour per musician in my medium sized market for an average gig or job . This is based on church , club , wedding , rehearsals , party , every style , and corporate events . If everyone comes out with $ 50 per hour most people are happy . If it takes a four piece band three hours and you don ’ t get $ 600 , but $ 500 , it might be acceptable based on the ease , exposure , cross promotion , etc ., but you have some mouths to feed ( and to keep quiet and happy ) so ask for what you need . Sometimes you are not the right band for a show or you could do it with fewer people .
Studio work is based on a scale in very few cities , but it is often doable by song or part or hour . Still , it often leads up to around $ 50 per hour . Sometimes it is $ 150 for a part and you get it done in 45 minutes , but often the load in , wait , and time to get it together takes about three hours , so there you go - $ 50 per hour . I hear everyone out there with a variety of complaints about what I am writing even as I write it . Yes , you ’ ve been paid way less and way more . We all have worked for chicken feed and for gravy . But think about that middle road , averaged out , “ worth my time and I didn ’ t hate it ” level of compensation and I think it will land somewhere near $ 50 per hour .
Education is the backbone of musician work , and some love it and some work really hard to like it . It does bring joy to families , so at least try it . Here , people often make from $ 20-30 per half hour lesson , again landing right in the middle of $ 50 per hour . Many variations of employment setup and taxes and payment plans and free lessons and marketing , all that , affect the end result , but around $ 50 per hour is fair and enough to keep you going , right ?
So for this article , I am going to stop here and say you are worth $ 50 per hour , so go out there and get it ! I ’ ll break down some ideas about this number and these modes of income in future music business columns , but for now , go work 40 hours a week and bring in that $ 104,000 per year as a musician !
Comments welcome at ken @ visible . edu .
34 Nov � Dec 2016 ChristianMusician . com