GUITAR
HOW TO MAKE A LIVING MAKING MUSIC | Chris Rocha
Recently I was talking to some of my fellow music friends and we started discussing the impact the pandemic has had on our world . As we looked around at our music peers we noticed that they ’ re not doing well . I think that the musicians that are doing well financially these days are the ones that are getting creative and getting out of their comfort zone . Living off of the music industry is a huge privilege and I believe we can all enjoy it together . As you read this article I want you to get your creative juices flowing and think of how you can relate this information to your life .
The main way I ’ ve found a way to make a living off of music is having different streams of income . I personally have been able to generate different streams and it ’ s been a game changer to my life . Let ’ s talk about some of them .
For my fellow guitar players , let ’ s discuss preset patches and how amazing they are . I believe that they ’ re the future of us guitarists . Just being able to download the exact settings of other guitar players that have found a way to obtain quality tone is always gonna be a popular option . I believe those of us that are creative enough to monetize that can benefit greatly . What I do is buy a multi-effects pedal and study it for a while then put out my presets on it . Within the first couple of weeks to a month that pedal will pay itself off and then the rest of the year it ’ ll be all profit . If you already own the pedal then you ’ ll be that far ahead since you don ’ t have to reimburse the money that you spent just trying to get it . There ’ s a lot more that goes into it of course like making a video demonstrating the presets or instructional videos that show step by step on how to install them but at the end of the day , I prefer doing that then having to do a job that I hate .
Another great source of income that I have is an online teaching platform that ’ s called CR Online . It took a bit to get it off the ground but it ’ s been going very well . CR Online has a lot of pre-recorded content on my website that I believe hits most levels of musicianship of guitar players but it also comes with a weekly zoom meeting . These days most of us have to spent most of our time at home on zoom meetings that it has become a way of life for us . However , what ’ s more satisfying than the money it brings in , is the opportunity it gives me to spend time with other fellow guitar players that need help and need inspiration . The next generation of guitar players are coming in hot and need to be guided . That ’ s where those of us that have been playing for God for a long time come in handy . Find people that you can pour into and mentor whether you ’ re getting paid for it or not .
I ’ ve been producing music for a good chunk of time now and have built that business from the ground up . Having the honor to be a part of two Grammy award winning albums has been awesome . Nominated for five others and two Dove awards definitely helps me