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I went pro in 1997, and it’s been paying my bills ever since. I play keyboards, do some songwriting, and a fair amount of production work. I’m the guy who puts crappy players in the computer and corrects their playing. I’m also the guy who gets hired to come in at 8 in the morning to replay the keyboard part that the drunk guy in the band spent 6 hours trying to play at 10pm last night. I’m the reason the music industry sucks, but I’m OK with that.
There are just too many reasons why I do it, and they’re all fairly entangled. When you first start to take gigs in LA, someone will pull you aside and explain the 4 reasons to take a gig:
1) The music is great
2) The hang is great (other musicians on the gig)
3) The money is great
4) The career move is great (big name artist)
When you first start out, you’ll take anything, and everything. As you get a little more of a grip into the industry, you can be more selective, and you start to make decisions based on how many of the 4 reasons are in effect on a gig. Maybe it’s a great career move and great money, but no hang and no music – playing on the Hillary Duff record, for example. Those gigs are like a musician’s 9 to 5 job but with better pay. Some gigs are great music, and a great hang, but they pay poorly – like sitting in a big band. Those are fun, but career killers if you take too many.
The ideal gig has all four, and when you get one, you hang on with both hands, and some teeth.
Now that I’m reading back, I realize that these are the reasons why I take a gig, not why I make music. I guess there are two reasons. The first is that it’s something I’m good at, and I love doing things that I’m good at. It’s deeply satisfying. The second reason is this – it’s no secret that I believe in a creator. When we imitate that act of creation by making our own artistic works, we participate in an act that, in some ways, is sacred. I’m not talking about religious art, or things that are meant to be morally uplifting. All creative acts are an homage to the first creative act, and we participate in that when we make music.
-sm
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