Making Money As A Freelance Guitar Player
In general, a freelance musician or guitar player is one who is not working for any one particular place of employment and is usually not restricted to an individual job. They work when they want, where and as often as they wish. If you decide to be one, you will be responsible for your own taxes, like any other self-employed person. To freelance, you should have a higher skill level and that may be developed by playing with groups, school bands, and other musical ensembles.
During this time, the talents necessary to make it in the business can be developed, songs can be learned, and getting used to working with others will give you a lift up along the ladder to success. This is the period of time necessary to learn the tunes that other successful groups are playing.
You can find a place to work anywhere that people get together. It could be a social event, a party, or someone's home. If there is a floor there, musicians can set up to play. You can get a booking on a ship, in a shopping mall, at a club, church, shopping center, parking lots, on a bus, department stores, offices, at the beach, sports stadiums, trade shows, virtually anywhere people congregate or listen to music.
One very important aspect of making money in this business is to try to book gigs yourself, or have one member of your group appointed to get the word out and handle all aspects of the bookings.
There are many different types of bookings for the right music. Generally, you should see what type of atmosphere that particular establishment is trying to specialize in and play accordingly. If you are with a country band it would not make sense to book in a rock and roll club, and vice versa.
Country fairs, fund raisers, and amusement parks are great places to start. There are many opportunities for a varied source of musical expression. The larger amusement parks hire full time musicians to entertain the day to day crowds, and those groups may specialize in classical, country, rhythm and blues, or big band era music. All you have to do is call them, see who hires the various groups, and arrange for an audition.
There are many people in the business that put on a number of productions during the course of the year. These may include dance recitals, musical extravaganzas, plays, or any of hundreds of other possibilities. Each of these may be an opportunity to find work. Weddings are a great place to get work. Among them are background music before the wedding reception, processional and recessional music, dinner music, dance music, and ethnic specialties.
Playing at private parties are great gigs because you usually get a free meal. These types of bookings can be very broad based, from a cruise on a private yacht to a six year olds birthday party, a stores grand opening, or a trade or fashion show.
Ethnic oriented party music for a specific segment of the population may require some extra diversification into other areas of music that you may not be called on to perform often. If you are at a Hispanic wedding, you may need to play some Latin American songs as well as the traditional ones in your repertoire. If you can be versatile, it can only help you to book more jobs in the future.
Churches and Temples In general each will employ a director of music whose responsibility will include acquiring an organist, soloist or other type of musician such as a keyboard artist in order to facilitate the proper completion of services or social gatherings. These bookings usually result in long term employment.
Many opportunities are available to the group or individual that can be versatile and has a higher level of expertise in playing his instrument. Not everyone can play at the same level so they cannot possibly do the same kind of work. In addition to the bookings mentioned earlier, there are a myriad of other opportunities including; Sporting Events, Rodeos, Ballet, Beauty Pageants, Theater, Political Rallies, Comedies, and even TV and Radio. Lately, the Internet has come into play with musical opportunities to showcase your talents and test market new arrangements and material.
In order to keep yourself working and earning as much as possible, it will be necessary to become as versatile as possible and know many differing types of music.
During this time, the talents necessary to make it in the business can be developed, songs can be learned, and getting used to working with others will give you a lift up along the ladder to success. This is the period of time necessary to learn the tunes that other successful groups are playing.
You can find a place to work anywhere that people get together. It could be a social event, a party, or someone's home. If there is a floor there, musicians can set up to play. You can get a booking on a ship, in a shopping mall, at a club, church, shopping center, parking lots, on a bus, department stores, offices, at the beach, sports stadiums, trade shows, virtually anywhere people congregate or listen to music.
One very important aspect of making money in this business is to try to book gigs yourself, or have one member of your group appointed to get the word out and handle all aspects of the bookings.
There are many different types of bookings for the right music. Generally, you should see what type of atmosphere that particular establishment is trying to specialize in and play accordingly. If you are with a country band it would not make sense to book in a rock and roll club, and vice versa.
Country fairs, fund raisers, and amusement parks are great places to start. There are many opportunities for a varied source of musical expression. The larger amusement parks hire full time musicians to entertain the day to day crowds, and those groups may specialize in classical, country, rhythm and blues, or big band era music. All you have to do is call them, see who hires the various groups, and arrange for an audition.
There are many people in the business that put on a number of productions during the course of the year. These may include dance recitals, musical extravaganzas, plays, or any of hundreds of other possibilities. Each of these may be an opportunity to find work. Weddings are a great place to get work. Among them are background music before the wedding reception, processional and recessional music, dinner music, dance music, and ethnic specialties.
Playing at private parties are great gigs because you usually get a free meal. These types of bookings can be very broad based, from a cruise on a private yacht to a six year olds birthday party, a stores grand opening, or a trade or fashion show.
Ethnic oriented party music for a specific segment of the population may require some extra diversification into other areas of music that you may not be called on to perform often. If you are at a Hispanic wedding, you may need to play some Latin American songs as well as the traditional ones in your repertoire. If you can be versatile, it can only help you to book more jobs in the future.
Churches and Temples In general each will employ a director of music whose responsibility will include acquiring an organist, soloist or other type of musician such as a keyboard artist in order to facilitate the proper completion of services or social gatherings. These bookings usually result in long term employment.
Many opportunities are available to the group or individual that can be versatile and has a higher level of expertise in playing his instrument. Not everyone can play at the same level so they cannot possibly do the same kind of work. In addition to the bookings mentioned earlier, there are a myriad of other opportunities including; Sporting Events, Rodeos, Ballet, Beauty Pageants, Theater, Political Rallies, Comedies, and even TV and Radio. Lately, the Internet has come into play with musical opportunities to showcase your talents and test market new arrangements and material.
In order to keep yourself working and earning as much as possible, it will be necessary to become as versatile as possible and know many differing types of music.
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