What happened 9 days before Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon on July 20, 1969? What happened 34 days before the Woodstock festival began on August 15, 1969? Musicians Contact was born! That’s correct, our company will be 53 years old as of July 11. Happy Bday to us!
Now, if you missed our last newsletter asking the age-old question “What exactly is a PRO musician?”, you can read it HERE to see what we were talking about. And as usual we received some interesting replies below:
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Well, I once knew a bassist who worked only 6 jobs a year, but he got paid $800 to $1000 for each of those gigs so in my book he is a PROFESSIONAL
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Ever notice that some incredibly crappy bands make lots of money, (especially some lame cover acts), while other groups who are much better make less? This just goes to prove that money has nothing to do with the term “professional”.
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“Pro” is just a word, it means nothing.
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Being a “pro musician” is more an attitude and a set of behaviors than merely a commercial term. Though I consider myself a decent semi-pro player gigging three to four times a month, I have a “pro” attitude when it comes to rehearsals and gigs. I show up on time. I practice at home so I have all my tunes ready to go at rehearsal. I have all my lyrics memorized. I do not waste time messing around with my gear during rehearsal. I respect the other musicians’ time. I dress for gigs appropriately. I don’t say stupid stuff on stage. I don’t noodle on my instrument between songs. I keep in mind that we were hired to entertain (and respect) their clientele.
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A professional is anyone who gets paid for what they do. Doesn’t matter how often or how little. If you’re paid, you’re a professional. A person that does something for no pay is an amateur, hey do it for the love of it. If they get paid once for doing what they love, they are a professional. Talent, time, and quality have nothing to do with the 2. Money is the only factor that determines professional or amateur.
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First of all It’s not about making a living at music. In the year 2022 political agenda and Capitolism have changed every way of life. Every day musicians find it even more difficult to to survive making a living at music. Streaming is a sorry joke .0017 per stream! Late 80’s early 90’s there were still 6 nighters and that was enough in some cases. Now in 2022 weekend gigs are the norm. Being a pro: Be ready to perform, have transportation, equipment, and enough musical knowledge or experience to be able to be succeed in performing music. We are Music, Creators, and Performers. Now is time to change the past and create a better future for the next wave of Professional Musicians. Life is change all we have is NOW.
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Even a garage band can be considered “pro” if they have their s— together, sound great and are headed for live gigs. EVERY pro band, (almost) probably started out as a garage band anyway, right?
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Someone who has a different career, for whom music is a hobby, isn’t. Either one can have much more skill and talent than the other.+++++++++++++++++I think that I have known 2 categories of Professional Musicians: Full-Time Professionals who don’t have jobs in other industries, and Semi-Pros who make some money from music but not enough to live on so they have other professions as well. I have worked with incredible musicians in both of these categories so I would not say that ‘professional’ or ‘semi-pro’ has anything to do with how well one plays.
