It’s hard to keep a rock’n’roll band going

I remembered something the other person was talking about in a work meeting some time ago.

Nowadays, music activities are not a full-time job, but a side job.

This is a form of performing musical activities such as live shows and recording while also working some kind of job (main job).

Originally, bands tend to have income disparities between members.

The key is royalties from writing lyrics and composing music.

Bands tend to have income disparities between members

Some common patterns include the following.

Representative examples would be Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.

It is not uncommon for the person in charge of vocals to be in charge of songwriting.

For this reason, I’ve heard that the income of other drum, bass, keyboard, etc. members is balanced based on their salaries from their agency.

Still, that pattern may have worked somehow until the 1990s, when million-selling CDs were occurring one after another.

Times They’re A Changin’

From the late 2000s to the 2010s, CDs that sell best are ones that come with special features, or songs that are tied up with anime or dramas.

A typical benefit is a handshake ticket for an event.

In order to receive such benefits, the condition for becoming a million seller has been changed to the same person purchasing multiple copies.

There were some people who purchased CDs in units of 100.

In order to get people to buy multiple copies, it seems that they even use a method of sorting photobooks for each member into CDs.

However, the sound source of the CD is the same.

If it’s a different version, there’s probably some relief.

Have they listened to all of the CDs they purchased? no one knows.

Music has become something that can be enjoyed for free

Over time, music has become something that can be enjoyed for free through video distribution services.

Another option is a flat-rate subscription service.

As a result, the band’s income completely shifted from CDs to live performances.

In the 2020s, we can see a pattern of only digital sound sources not releasing CDs from the beginning.

And famous bands and musicians are also starting YouTube channels.

This is by no means unrelated to the period (March 2020 to March 2022) when live events were canceled across the board.

The increase in the number of opportunities for people called YouTubers to become a hot topic also seems to have provided hints for monetization through advertising fees.

Even if you can’t make a living as a band, it can be difficult to get a job

The world is changing at a dizzying pace.

I find it difficult to become a full-time employee of a company or organization just because I can’t make a living from my music activities.

There are not many companies that will hire inexperienced people in their late 20s to 30s.

In most cases, the realistic options would be to work for a company with a black atmosphere or to work as a temporary worker or other non-regular employee.

Considering this situation, it may be inevitable that an increasing number of people graduate from university and work for companies or organizations while playing in bands.

I just hope that I am blessed with an understanding boss and co-workers.
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Summary

If you work hard, someone will recognize you someday! Not necessarily.

In addition to creating good music, each person also needs to devise ways to market their music.

These are difficult times, but let’s try to survive somehow.