Making a living from being a producer?

vertex · Post by **vertex** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 4:50 pm

I know many people here are bedroom producers and and work a dayjob while producing tunes in their spare time - myself included... While I don't mind my current job, I'm not sure how long I'm going to be here as I'm a temp.

I was wondering how successful you would have to be in order to make a living out of making tunes... I guess you would have to sell x amount of records or play x amount of shows per month? I'm not talking about making enough to buy a gold plated Lambo, just enough to pay for rent/food/the odd bit of gear...

scooterjack · Post by **scooterjack** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 4:57 pm

at current rates, you'd (i'd) have to be selling 2000+ units a month just to get by.

yellowhighlighter · Post by **yellowhighlighter** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 4:58 pm

you'd have to be pretty famous and there is no money in making tunes, unless it's pop tunes, the money is in gigging. you can make a living from being a DJ. i have a friend who only DJs weddings, private parties, small functions and the like. he only uses a laptop, no midi controller, and all he plays is absolute shit. he makes a decent living.

futures_untold · Post by **futures_untold** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 5:01 pm

You need to work out what your minimum monthly wage needs to be and then set out ot earn that through music.

I'd say the absolute minimum monthly wage for comfortable living in the UK is £800.

Thats a hell of a lot of record sales and shows unless your name is Skream....

Music can pay, but be warned that the hours you put in may well be more than an average 9 - 5 job. Basically, it may be better to do another job and keep music as a hobby...? I suppose it depends on your tolerance for the work you do?

hurlingdervish · Post by **hurlingdervish** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 5:19 pm

theres always composing too...maybe try and get in with a film or unheard of video game company that puts out 1000 handheld games a week

futures_untold · Post by **futures_untold** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 5:28 pm

I created a list of different roles people can earn a living through music & audio....

Maybe you have sufficient skills in an area less obvious than being a DJ/producer that will allow you to earn a living through music & audio?

---> http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... ving+music

manray · Post by **manray** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 5:31 pm

Short answer : No.

two oh one · Post by **two oh one** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 5:57 pm

Make pop music.

lightshapers · Post by **lightshapers** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 6:12 pm

you might not make huge money from sales (even less thanks to pirates, yaaarrrrgh etc), but dont forget you also get paid by the minute if it gets spun on commercial radio as long as youre a member of PRS .

chronicrecords · Post by **chronicrecords** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 8:31 pm

on the side,

start writing rhymes over your dubstep beats and try to get signed to a rap label

lowpass · Post by **lowpass** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 8:46 pm

ChronicRecords wrote:on the side,

start writing rhymes over your dubstep beats and try to get signed to a rap label

Or write dubstep remixes to pop releases, send them to the labels and see if they'd be interested in taking them off your hands.

A lot of house producers did this, means the labels can get their hit into clubs. Producer gets a small cut of some huge sales.

sit back and watch the money pour in or something along those lines.

jsilver · Post by **jsilver** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 8:55 pm

maybe not from dubstep but i found this on youtube and at first i thought this guy was scamming but i dont think he is because i found his legitimate FL tutorials

http://youtube.com/user/music2money

watch hiphop beat in 4 mins, where to sell your beats, etc

maybe it can be applied to dubstep, or maybe you just wanna make hiphop beats on the side and sell them to fund your dubstep but it looks like hes gettin about 1k USD per track on paypal

tripaddict · Post by **tripaddict** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 9:14 pm

manray wrote:Short answer : No.

longer answer : noo!

r · Post by r » Sun Aug 23, 2009 9:21 pm

yes if you also want to make things for others instead of yourself.

Make tunes for commercials and stuff like that. start another project in a different genre.

tripaddict · Post by **tripaddict** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 9:27 pm

i make music for fun not for the monies

vertex · Post by **vertex** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:46 pm

ScooterJack wrote:at current rates, you'd (i'd) have to be selling 2000+ units a month just to get by.

That's quite a lot by the sounds of it, I guess if you were playing gigs also you wouldn't need to sell as many tunes...

If there I site which has sales figures of current releases?

yellowhighlighter wrote:you'd have to be pretty famous and there is no money in making tunes, unless it's pop tunes, the money is in gigging. you can make a living from being a DJ. i have a friend who only DJs weddings, private parties, small functions and the like. he only uses a laptop, no midi controller, and all he plays is absolute shit. he makes a decent living.

I wouldn't mind being a DJ, even if I did have to do weddings... I think I'd take that job over my current one...

futures_untold wrote:You need to work out what your minimum monthly wage needs to be and then set out ot earn that through music.

I'd say the absolute minimum monthly wage for comfortable living in the UK is £800.

Thats a hell of a lot of record sales and shows unless your name is Skream....

Music can pay, but be warned that the hours you put in may well be more than an average 9 - 5 job. Basically, it may be better to do another job and keep music as a hobby...? I suppose it depends on your tolerance for the work you do?

right now I fix computers, I don't mind it but I'd prefer to do something music related - Don't we all it seems!

I think I could live off £1000 a month, I was mainly wondering how realistic it is try and earn this selling records and by the sounds of it's not easy but if it was everyone would be doing it.

hurlingdervish wrote:theres always composing too...maybe try and get in with a film or unheard of video game company that puts out 1000 handheld games a week

I know many games companies have in-house music makers, I'll have to see if there are any games companies in Bristol, I actually already know a few people at a small local film company.. I would be quite funny hearing your tunes used in a porno IMO!

futures_untold wrote:I created a list of different roles people can earn a living through music & audio....

Maybe you have sufficient skills in an area less obvious than being a DJ/producer that will allow you to earn a living through music & audio?

---> http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... ving+music

Oh man, just read that thread, great info. Soundsystems interest me a lot, I've built some huge bass horns in the past and they shake everything in the house!

Great for demoing tunes also, you get to hear what the tune is like on a club type PA system!

I think I may see how easy it is to do this but I think Bristol has quite a few people with really expensive F1 gear so I'd have to aim for smaller events to start with.

manray wrote:Short answer : No.

two oh one wrote:Make pop music.

I often hear tunes on the radio and think I could do better, but this is probably because I don't like most of the current pop music...

lightshapers wrote:you might not make huge money from sales (even less thanks to pirates, yaaarrrrgh etc), but dont forget you also get paid by the minute if it gets spun on commercial radio as long as youre a member of PRS .

Does that even include shows that are on late like 2am? Dubstep isn't really going to be on daytime radio really is it?

ChronicRecords wrote:on the side,

start writing rhymes over your dubstep beats and try to get signed to a rap label

I'm not a gangster tho, I don't really want to start dealing drugs or shooting people either, but that's not a bad idea... Perhaps I could write rhymes about cider?

Lowpass wrote:Or write dubstep remixes to pop releases, send them to the labels and see if they'd be interested in taking them off your hands.

A lot of house producers did this, means the labels can get their hit into clubs. Producer gets a small cut of some huge sales.

sit back and watch the money pour in or something along those lines.

I've never done a remix, I'll have to try a few, cheers.

jsilver wrote:maybe not from dubstep but i found this on youtube and at first i thought this guy was scamming but i dont think he is because i found his legitimate FL tutorials

http://youtube.com/user/music2money

watch hiphop beat in 4 mins, where to sell your beats, etc

maybe it can be applied to dubstep, or maybe you just wanna make hiphop beats on the side and sell them to fund your dubstep but it looks like hes gettin about 1k USD per track on paypal

Well hip-hop isn't a million miles from dubstep really, I'd want to be 100% it's not a scam tho....

TripAddict wrote:
manray wrote:Short answer : No.
longer answer : noo!

R wrote:yes if you also want to make things for others instead of yourself.

Make tunes for commercials and stuff like that. start another project in a different genre.

I don't make 100% dubstep tunes anyway, I'd tried my hands at breakcore also, but I like trying new things...

TripAddict wrote:i make music for fun not for the monies

I agree with the principle, but if I could have more time to make tunes then surely that's no bad thing?

I was just wondering how realistic it is to be a music producer, I'm not going to walk into work tomorrow and tell my boss to stick his job up his arse!

jsilver · Post by **jsilver** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:49 pm

he's selling books and sample packs but for the most part he's giving away free advice about how he sells beats and that's it. pretty legit if you ask me

heidi m. · Post by **heidi m.** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:55 pm

Depends.

paradigm_x · Post by **paradigm_x** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 12:00 am

deadly_habit · Post by **deadly_habit** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 12:03 am

i make more $ from setting up people's studios, teaching them the basics of a program etc as a in home lesson and gigs than actual record sales etc
always have to have a few separate side gigs as well as a job you enjoy tbh

Making a living from being a producer?

Making a living from being a producer?

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