Making a living

[pietro7050@verizon.net]

Hey, is anyone here honestly making a living off of their music? No "day job", rich family member or significant other backing them? And if there is tell me how damn it!

[White Noise]

Yep. Sorry - can't help you with the other bit. We all find our own way...

[Andrew Sigler]

Hey P,


As a wonderful composer and recent winner of the EWQL contest, you've come to learn (as we all have) that in the world of computer music, there is no single 'way to do it'. How do you get lush string sounds? Ask 5 people, get 5 answers...and those answers might not be the ones for you!

having said that...get a decent website, join a few organizations (PRO's and other professional orgs) go to film festivals with your packets and meet some directors! Search websites and introduce yourself to directors, music supervisors, etc...

run screaming naked down the street yelling "I AM A COMPOSER DAMMIT!"

...

Give some of those things a shot and see what happens...


-Andy

[DallasComposer]

Originally Posted by siguitar1

Hey P,


As a wonderful composer and recent winner of the EWQL contest, you've come to learn (as we all have) that in the world of computer music, there is no single 'way to do it'. How do you get lush string sounds? Ask 5 people, get 5 answers...and those answers might not be the ones for you!

having said that...get a decent website, join a few organizations (PRO's and other professional orgs) go to film festivals with your packets and meet some directors! Search websites and introduce yourself to directors, music supervisors, etc...

run screaming naked down the street yelling "I AM A COMPOSER DAMMIT!"

...

Give some of those things a shot and see what happens...


-Andy

Yes, but always, always keep your gigolo skills up to par!

[fongi]

Hey Pietro7050, well firstly to answer the question siguitar1 posed regarding how do you get Lush strings that is quite easy, you need real ones !!
To answer your question is another story, lots of hard work and never give up, I´m sure not everyone here lives from music and I guess you´re a young guy so you have time to get somewhere. I´m lucky enough to live from music but I studied many years back and I´m 56 so believe me it didn´t happen over night. Try not to get disillusioned keep scoring and producing the good music that you won the competition with, and never forget Walt Disney was fired because they said he lacked ideas, and he did pretty good didn´t he !

[pietro7050@verizon.net]

yes...the gigilo skillz........interesting.

thanks for the advice guys.

more than one way to skin a cat I guess.

[pietro7050@verizon.net]

Originally Posted by siguitar1

Hey P,


As a wonderful composer and recent winner of the EWQL contest,

-Andy

what contest did you win

[LEX]

Originally Posted by SFX Trader

Pietro,

What's wrong with having a dayjob AND writing music on the side? How much would you need to make every year to consider it a full-time endeavor?

I typically make 30-50K/yr writing music, but I have no intention of quitting my dayjob as it is too much fun and lucrative to boot. Plus, the dayjob facilitates more music gigs, as it is a sound-design position, which introduces me to more and more prospective clients.

This business is very much a networking one. Get a few great contacts and let it snowball from there.

All the best.

-SFX

Same here. Though, I work on multiple things in Post so it is all good.
And like you, I get right in there with Producers, Directors, editors and Music Supervisors.

When it is slow, there is always something to do.

This business is very much a networking one.

Much more than most realize.

LEX

[pietro7050@verizon.net]

Well.....
Though I do very well at my day job and get to exersize a great deal of creativity, i would rather wake up and know i could just write and record all day. I never learned how to "network" properly in the music business. It's my fatal flaw. I would be happy to make 30 - 50 k a year through music. The truth is I spend much more than I make still. I've been playing for 24 years. I was recruited by many high profile music colleges out of high school, blah , blah, blah.....I am fairly certain that I have the talent, but no networking skills....
Taxi forwards most of my stuff, I've signed a couple deals, but I've seen no placement as of yet.

Einstein said something along the lines of " to repeat the same method and expect different results is the definition of madness" well I am a 'bit mad; I'm trying to change my methods and see if a career is possible.

No offense to anyone

[Andrew Sigler]

Originally Posted by pietro7050@verizon.net

what contest did you win

I was talking about you, (though I did win the EWQL thing last summer) but maybe I had you confused with another Pietro...

-Andy