Hobby or Hustle - Does Music Have To Be Your Job? • Alice Bulmer Music

When I talk about my work as a music life coach, the first question I often get is, “Is this for professional musicians?”

In this post I explain why the answer isn’t a simple yes or no.

I’m going to address the question, “Does music have to be your job?”. If music is calling to you, then your life will be richer (in dimensions beyond money) when you follow the call.

Money and music have a complicated relationship in a world where value is often measured in dollars. I believe that music is so important that musicians deserve to be financially compensated.

But, musical careers don’t usually fit into a path that looks like secure employment.

I’ll cover some of the ways I’ve seen musicians making a living. I’m calling this “Take One”, because my next post is about 75 music-related ways to make money.

Most musicians don’t do what they do because of the money. And also, music has benefits that are way beyond monetary value.

Money and Music – a Messy Relationship

I’m not suggesting that music needs to make money to be valid, but I don’t believe music and money should exist in separate categories either.

Music lives in a strange space between being monetized and free. Though, when you look closer, a lot of the “free” stuff is tangled up in copyright grey areas. For most people, this is out of sight, but as a lifelong musician, it’s something I think about often. In an ideal world, this wouldn’t be such a big deal.

Straw into Gold

Music is like turning “straw into gold”—it’s transformational. It shifts emotions and can change lives. In fact, research shows that music has tangible effects. For more on this, read my post about some of the ways music is used for healing.

At the “pot of gold” end of the continuum, a three-chord song can make millions. But the closer you look, the more you see the complicated, sometimes exploitative side of the music industry.

Many music careers are precarious. Making a living as a musician is not straightforward. Parents who care about their children’s financial security often discourage music as a career or field of study.
Yet, despite this, most musicians don’t make music for the money—it’s more than just a lifestyle choice.

The Price of Music

Music has costs, no matter where you fall on the spectrum from hobbyist to professional.

Even if it’s a hobby, learning to play an instrument or sing, joining a choir, or participating in a group all require an investment of time, energy, and money. This is one reason I love the ukulele—it’s an affordable hobby. But that’s another story.

Even for choirs and singing groups that don’t require instruments, costs range from small donations to hundreds of dollars a month. Many of my students share how their families couldn’t afford music lessons growing up, as sports often took priority.

How Important is Music, Really?

No amount of money could truly compensate for the energy, attention, and passion I pour into music. But I believe music is so important in society that musicians deserve financial recognition. (That’s a topic for another post.)

The problem is that most music-related work doesn’t fit into a traditional salaried or hourly employment model. This means musicians often face the challenge of self-employment, which can be a steep learning curve, especially for someone from a salaried background like me.

Music and Money – Some Rhythms to Follow

Over the years, I’ve observed different patterns among musicians:

Music-related work: Some great musicians make a living in music-related fields like education or a music business.
Unrelated work: Others thrive by working in fields unrelated to music.
A mix: Some have a combination of music and non-music-related jobs.

All three paths can work, though the balance may shift with age and experience.

Unsustainable Patterns

Some approaches are unsustainable:

Toxic work in music: Earning money in a music-related field that drains your energy and happiness. I know some music teachers who are miserable and burned out. (But I also know others who love what they do. It’s a matter of finding your sweet spot.)
Exploitation: Getting trapped in a bad deal with a major label, leading to debt and exploitation.
No space for music: Not making music at all because life’s demands leave no room for it.

A Few More Thoughts

In western economics, music is often left out of the balance sheet. It’s externalized, like the unpaid labor of raising children.

Alternatively, music is treated as an “industry” that’s expected to be profitable—often to the detriment of the artists. The history of popular and classical music is full of stories of exploitation in the pursuit of profit, and many music biographies depict musicians burning out, often due to substance abuse, with someone somewhere profiting.

Are You Listening?

If music is in your heart and soul, you’ve got to listen to it. Each of us must find our own relationship with music. It has to fit into our lives in a way that feels right.

I love helping people with that journey. Read more about why I think you should start getting back into music sooner rather than later. And how to get started.

More about musical paths

In this post, I share 75 music-related opportunities that may (or may not) involve making money.

Would you like to hear more from me?

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It’s full of my favourite tips for regaining your feeling of playfulness.

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Hobby or Hustle – Does Music Have To Be Your Job?