Making money by other means to market your music?

CG Kid

New member
This is currently my strategy and wanted some input.

I'm in school for electrical engineering, I don't have too much time left to get my degree. I got all my pre-requisites besides math and science, I have about 3-4 semesters left just to do calculus 1-3, physics 1&2 and that's it.

I'm also working part time and advancing my skills as a hip hop artist through some pretty intense practice.

I'm staying single, don't drink or drug, all the time spent doing that is going into practicing rap or going to school.

So my plan is, once I get the degree and a job live off of low means. It's realistic to believe I will pull about 60k-80k a year and can live comfortably off 20k, even 15k I've had a year where I lived off 10k by renting a room in a house.

All the excess money would go into marketing and production. Paying other people to market for me, or paying to have radio play/ads/features etc. If it takes off I could quit electrical engineering but always have it as a "fall back".

Does this seem like a logical approach? I should mention I do love math and like the idea of being a electrical engineer though there's nothing on this earth that makes me happier then the idea of making a living off producing music, a big reason I been so into school for the past years is that I think it will help me be successful with my dream. I'm 25 years old and feel like "the clocks ticking" so I get this rushed "I wanna focus everything in music!" feeling. I also believe the turtle beats the hair and better be successful once then fail a hundred times :p. Oh, and I plan on going independent. I oppose everything about record labels, I had a meeting with one once they were wanting control my public image and my music - not cool. Also the money they'd front me I'd make in a few weeks with a degree :p.
 
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Generally a good plan, imho. You may find yourself revising what it means to "live humbly," but for what you have planned, I would set aside a sizeable portion to pay the team you will have to develop to help you realize your goals.

I'm not sure how much of your EE training can be applied to electronics design and repair, but guys that can fix gear and/or design useable hardware for musicians tend to be in-demand in the music world, and the companies that are making money in the music business nowadays are those that sell equipment to the rest of us...

GJ
 
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This is currently my strategy and wanted some input.

I'm in school for electrical engineering, I don't have too much time left to get my degree. I got all my pre-requisites besides math and science, I have about 3-4 semesters left just to do calculus 1-3, physics 1&2 and that's it.

I'm also working part time and advancing my skills as a hip hop artist through some pretty intense practice.

I'm staying single, don't drink or drug, all the time spent doing that is going into practicing rap or going to school.

So my plan is, once I get the degree and a job live off of low means. It's realistic to believe I will pull about 60k-80k a year and can live comfortably off 20k, even 15k I've had a year where I lived off 10k by renting a room in a house.

All the excess money would go into marketing and production. Paying other people to market for me, or paying to have radio play/ads/features etc. If it takes off I could quit electrical engineering but always have it as a "fall back".

Does this seem like a logical approach? I should mention I do love math and like the idea of being a electrical engineer though there's nothing on this earth that makes me happier then the idea of making a living off producing music, a big reason I been so into school for the past years is that I think it will help me be successful with my dream. I'm 25 years old and feel like "the clocks ticking" so I get this rushed "I wanna focus everything in music!" feeling. I also believe the turtle beats the hair and better be successful once then fail a hundred times :p. Oh, and I plan on going independent. I oppose everything about record labels, I had a meeting with one once they were wanting control my public image and my music - not cool. Also the money they'd front me I'd make in a few weeks with a degree :p.

Don't forget about the time it takes to build a successful music career. You'll need time for networking, show, meetings, and more. Money may help with team developing, but no will market you better than you can market yourself; especially if you want to be in control of your own public image. It helps to be a leader in the roles that yo hire others to perform. That way, you can know when you're being manipulated, over charged or the job aren't being done properly.

Electrical engineering will take, at least, 5 days out of your work week. It may also require you to work from home occasionally. Develop a solid work ethic so that yo have time to do both. You have 24 hours in a day, use them wisely...
 
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With a degree in electrical engineering, music is probably going to become a hobby. Focus on your career in engineering. That is a more stable path. It will seem boring and that you are not living out your dreams by working a day job. But in 10 years, you will be glad that you stuck with your career.

Music is always one of those things to fantasize about like getting with a beautiful girl or driving an expensive sports car or living in a mansion. But don't let those dreams fool you. Allow yourself to enjoy engineering without the pressure and expense of trying to become a musician. The rewards in engineering are more than likely going to be sweeter. Spending steady money to make unsteady money is not something I would encourage you to do.

If anything, go and hang around some local guys doing music on the weekends. Spend a little money on parties and hanging out with other musicians. You will soon learn that most people trying to do music have no hopes of short term or long term success. Most are looking for people like you with steady jobs to leech off of while they pretend to be on the verge of stardom. The path to success is littered with people trying to latch onto others that are already successful.

Do music but do not let it distract you from your engineering career!
 
I really appreciate all of the responses! They're extremely helpful!

I don't know what the allure is to being a successful musician, I can tell at my core it's slightly ego driven - but more so a passion comes over me when I'm working on or listening to music that I can't describe and it's something I want to share with others. So far, the size of my audience hasn't been important. Whether it's one person or 100 each time I share music I was involved in with someone I get a tremendous sense of indescribable joy.

There are thousands upon thousands of unsuccessful musicians. When you look at the common denominator, a lot of them don't have the money to invest and expect someone else to invest into them which is a variable outside their control. This whole idea of "I'm gonna get money from the fame of making music" just seems like a typical approach that's been proven unsuccessful time and time again. I'm thinking "I'm going to get money so I can get fame for making music" is a unique approach and because of it's unique nature it hasn't been proven unsuccessful as often.

A lot of starting off artist don't have 10k to invest into promotion after spending 10k on production. A lot of independent artist with a buzz don't even have that kind of money. But what if they did? Wouldn't that put them at a huge advantage by making them distinguished from a saturated market? Anyone can buy a home studio, or get studio time, but not many have that kind of money to invest in the start up of a business.

I understand the importance of learning the business and how to market myself, but my gut feeling says it's not enough. I believe it's still possible to be successful, but with that knowledge - money will open up a ton of doors. I have to ask myself, "am I willing to go to any lengths to be successful?" whenever I'm studying for that calculus exam as much as when I'm perfecting my craft.

The added bonus of this strategy is the removal of pressure. Now that not all my eggs are in one basket, the music business can be fun rather then a curse. If I don't get to where I can make a living off music, I'd still make a living. I'll most likely never give up on my dream - but I also more likely will never end up homeless or living with mom at age 40 if I follow this path.
 
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(fame is like chasen a Ghost) ' you wont like what you find , do it as hobby , cause when you (think) your better than everybody ,you just got a taste of your own ego . and the rabbit whole goes deep , trust .
 
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This is currently my strategy and wanted some input.

I'm in school for electrical engineering, I don't have too much time left to get my degree. I got all my pre-requisites besides math and science, I have about 3-4 semesters left just to do calculus 1-3, physics 1&2 and that's it.

I'm also working part time and advancing my skills as a hip hop artist through some pretty intense practice.

I'm staying single, don't drink or drug, all the time spent doing that is going into practicing rap or going to school.

So my plan is, once I get the degree and a job live off of low means. It's realistic to believe I will pull about 60k-80k a year and can live comfortably off 20k, even 15k I've had a year where I lived off 10k by renting a room in a house.

All the excess money would go into marketing and production. Paying other people to market for me, or paying to have radio play/ads/features etc. If it takes off I could quit electrical engineering but always have it as a "fall back".

Does this seem like a logical approach? I should mention I do love math and like the idea of being a electrical engineer though there's nothing on this earth that makes me happier then the idea of making a living off producing music, a big reason I been so into school for the past years is that I think it will help me be successful with my dream. I'm 25 years old and feel like "the clocks ticking" so I get this rushed "I wanna focus everything in music!" feeling. I also believe the turtle beats the hair and better be successful once then fail a hundred times :p. Oh, and I plan on going independent. I oppose everything about record labels, I had a meeting with one once they were wanting control my public image and my music - not cool. Also the money they'd front me I'd make in a few weeks with a degree :p.

Good luck with it man, you seem to have a good plan. Too many artists are like "I'm thinking of dropping out of school and becoming a rapper" which usually translates into a career in a grocery store hating life.

Work hard and keep investing in the dream. That kinda money being spent on marketing should give you a huge advantage over other rappers with no budget.

JC
 
With a degree in electrical engineering, music is probably going to become a hobby. Focus on your career in engineering. That is a more stable path. It will seem boring and that you are not living out your dreams by working a day job. But in 10 years, you will be glad that you stuck with your career.

Music is always one of those things to fantasize about like getting with a beautiful girl or driving an expensive sports car or living in a mansion. But don't let those dreams fool you. Allow yourself to enjoy engineering without the pressure and expense of trying to become a musician. The rewards in engineering are more than likely going to be sweeter. Spending steady money to make unsteady money is not something I would encourage you to do.

If anything, go and hang around some local guys doing music on the weekends. Spend a little money on parties and hanging out with other musicians. You will soon learn that most people trying to do music have no hopes of short term or long term success. Most are looking for people like you with steady jobs to leech off of while they pretend to be on the verge of stardom. The path to success is littered with people trying to latch onto others that are already successful.

Do music but do not let it distract you from your engineering career!


This is one way to look at it, but it's obviously a response from someone who isn't "in it to win it". And that's okay. Basically, this is telling you "Be mediocre".
Making a great living doing music full time is not a fantasy. It can very much be a reality. There are tons of us that make an awesome living creating music.

If you want your music to be a hobby then it will be a hobby. If you want it to be your job then set yourself on a path to make that happen. I think your current
path is a fantastic one. Electrical engineering is a great major! Your plan sounds wonderful to me.

When you get to he point where you want to transition into full time music then come back to the forums and post about it. I'll be happy to give you my advice
on making the transition smooth.

Best of luck!

:)
 
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