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To the newbies and hobbyists: I would advise NOT leaving your day job to compose library music.
Silly over generalisation, in Ireland if that stream were made up from pro payments it would be tax free for example. In the Eastern Europe the average wage is much smaller than Western Europe. I could go on.
Chill out guys. I think More Advice was just pointing out that the streets are littered with composers (and other creative types) that quit their day jobs too early to pursue a nontraditional path. A little caution when giving up a steady paycheck is never a bad idea.
Sorry I don’t know how to use the red bar intelligently.
Anyway, I would advise anyone to be hedged at all times in their career, and not have all their eggs in the composing basket. The successful ride rarely lasts forever. Based on my experience and folks I know, I’ve seen guys have 200K years for 10 to 15 years, then it all falls apart and their lucky to pull down 40 or 50. For first call session players and first call session singers, I’ve seen the same story play out with them too. These folks are now teaching music, playing live shows more often, or just doing other jobs…
Nothing wrong with staying hedged and having a plan B.
This is not about “fear of increased competition”, especially in an envioronment where a billion tracks are on the market every day, and thousands more are getting added everyday.
So 80% earn between 21K and 86K…which is not really a liveable wage for those living in major European and U.S. cities…especially when you have kids to put through school.
That is quite possibly true. But, the beauty of the “new” internet-based library system is that you CAN live anywhere. I was living in a major US city, and just downsized to a rural area that is filled with creative types. The cost of living is significantly lower. Plus, we’re also not putting kids through school. All of these factors make it much easier to earn a living from library music.
If you need 100K to support your lifestyle, you will be competing against people who can live well on 50K…therein lies the heart of any competitive advantage. The same is true for writers who live in countries that provide healthcare. They have a distinct advantage over US based writers. The same can be said of part-time writers who have health insurance through their employers.
More Advice and the Dude are correct. It would be foolish to leave a secure day job to pursue a career in library music, before you are making a livable wage.
But, as Bradymusico and Denis point out, a host of factors affect what defines a livable wage. What is livable for one person, might very well seem like poverty to another. However, if some can live well on 50K, it isn’t their problem if someone else cannot.
When you dismiss “40 or 50” (K), More Advice, you are most likely alienating a great number of writers who would be very satisfied with those numbers, who could never identify with the 200K that you talk of.
Perhaps the real “advice” to take away from this is that if you want to live in a major U.S. City, and have kids to put through school, you shouldn’t pursue a career in library music. The competitive burden that you place on yourself will be too great.
More advice. You need to use the closing tag of b-quote or your whole comment looks like one quote. I fixed them for you.
I don`t want to get too political here but it is very interesting to read the forum posts here.
I can call myself a lucky man. I am living in a country with a great healthcare system and I don`t have to make 100K a year on production/trailer music to survive 🙂
I’m always amused how U.S citizens juggle like crazy with how much you have to earn or not. Sadly, the U.S. is extremely indebted and that is maybe one of the reasons why you guys need a lot of money to survive because life got so damn expensive 🙁I just don’t see most people doing this work from places like Idaho.
I’d guess that most in the composing scene live in large cities like London, Paris, New York, Toronto, Seattle, San Fancisco, LA, Chicago….I may be wrong though…Yes, I think you are wrong 🙂
I just don’t see most people doing this work from places like Idaho.
I’d guess that most in the composing scene live in large cities like London, Paris, New York, Toronto, Seattle, San Fancisco, LA, Chicago….I may be wrong though…What I think that you don’t get “More Advice” is that what we’re doing has nothing to do with the “composing scene.” The internet has opened up the “library” field to every corner of the globe.
I know what you’re talking about when you rattle off ad agency names…but that’s not what this game is about, at least not from my perspective.
I’ve licensed cues around the world. I composed exclusive tracks for libraries in the UK and Australia. It had nothing at all to do with where I lived. Now I live in a county that has villages, not cities, and 108 people per square mile, not 10,000 people per Square mile.
Where you live only matters (maybe) if you’re pursuing clients and work in that city. Otherwise, you can live anywhere.
Great times! 😀
I just don’t see most people doing this work from places like Idaho.
I couldn’t resist. 😀
Well, I’m not making a living from it yet but I *and my family* could live very comfortably (comfortably, not lavishly) here in my regional corner of Australia on $50k/year (that would include excess for savings). Anything above that would be a bonus. Musically, everything I do is online. I don’t need to worry about meetings with execs and producers and directors. I just get to make music I enjoy making and have it signed by great libraries. In my circle of colleagues and friends are plenty of composers who live in every corner of the world.
This is quite literally my back yard. Why would I trade all this for the stress and hassle of a big city? I can understand those who want to become network or movie composers doing so, but meh…..
Desire_Inspires
Is your plan to quit your day job and compose full time for a living?No. I enjoy making music, but I require a steady income and insurance. I am settling into being a long-term, part-time composer.
I would only go into making music full time if I were employed by a company full time with benefits. Being an independent musician is not a reality for me. Perhaps when I am older I can entertain that idea.
@Rob. Nice! Wanna swop 🙂
I thought I’d jump into this very interesting thread.
IMHO, it’s up to every person to see what fits specifically for them. Money is not all (i.e. you make and are used to 150K but you are unhappy, then, reorganize your life so that 40-50K suffices and allows you to do what you love)
If one feels he is made for music, and is unhappy with his situation, then with preparation, he should go for it. Life is too short, tomorrow you could get hit by a bus.
I am living this story right now.
I dumped my full time job 5 months ago, while not even having knowledge of the library world. I was so fed up with my job, not its core that I loved (I was a research scientist), but by the environment of a corporation (being bossed around and with company policies conflicting my personal ethical standards, especially in terms of environment and sustainability). Even when I switched on 4 days, I was so tired that I just couldn’t be productive enough. In 3 words: I was stressed and unhappy.
All I wanted to do is music.
And besides, life is too short. I’d rather live as a tiger than a worm.
So I evaluated my savings, and decided to give it a shot. I have 2 to 3 years to get up at 30k$, what I need to survive. The 2 first months was a study on how I could do that (Recording artist? DJ? Composer for movies? Etc.). Composer won.
I Started to submit the few full blown tracks I had (about 10) in September to libraries and organize myself. I have now about 24, and 6 or 7 more to be released this month. And I just set up officially the company end November. Congratulate me, I already got 4 placements!
As a researcher I was also a project manager, I apply the techniques I learned during these 10 last years to my project. Objectives, milestones, monitoring. Hopefully by end 2015 I could be living from my craft.
I also have a plan B, I teach High Level physics that helps lighten a little the financial burden and it allows me to disconnect a little, which helps refresh creativity. I am having a lot of unexpected success with that (student marks going from 50 to 90%), so if the music doesn’t work, that could.
So at least I try.
Later, could to be late…
My point is that, for those that do not need to cover all family expenses (singles, or with wife working), with preparation, they should go for their dream. You only live once… and life is definitely not meant to be a continuous frustration.
This is quite literally my back yard. Why would I trade all this for the stress and hassle of a big city?
Thats just a cruel thing to do to us Northern hemisphere dwellers LOL