I've worked in music, film, and graphic arts. I've gotten paid a living in the arts and I know what it takes to succeed to a "liveable" degree. I don't know how to be a multi-platinum rock star, or a movie star, or anything like that. But if you want to be able to do art and be able to pay money and pay rent, then this is for you.

I will respond to questions in the comments to try and help you succeed.

For reference, here is my old visual artwork that I did when I was a video game concept artist:
http://majestictreefrog.deviantart.com/

I'd put some music up but I don't have recordings from back then. Accept my advice or not based on this I"m just being upfront.

Hard truths: It isn't easy

But it isn't as impossible as a lot of people will make it seem.

First hard truth: most artists aren't business people and this means that when it comes to the "business" parts they don't do well.

Second hard truth: The art that makes money and the art that makes your soul sing are usually not the same thing.

Third hard truth: No matter what you do, expect to put in a LOT of time honing your craft and your ability to sell it. Even with this guide, don't expect to just run outside tomorrow and start raking in tons of cash. But what I can promise is if you do what I suggest here you can speed up your ability to make cash DRAMATICALLY.

The biggest thing you can do is just accept these truths and deal with them. You can learn business skills and you can do the "soulless" art to hone your craft, make contacts, etc, to help push you the direction you want to go.

What's hardest

Of the industries I've tried my hand in, there has definitely been a difference in the level of difficulty/skill it takes to make cash. If you want to get into "the arts" but don't know where to focus your energy, this might help. The most difficult arts to make money in are:

1. Music
2. Film
3. Graphic art/design
4. Photography

I should put a note here: If you have a huge number of friends and are a natural promoter you can make money quickly in the music industry as a DJ. Learning to DJ "good enough" isn't hard - we've all been to clubs where the DJ was basically an ipod playlist. I've been to clubs where the DJ was almost never in the booth cause he was too busy hitting on girls but the music kept playing and he still got paid. I've known professional DJs but never been one, so I won't cover that here unless people ask - in which case I'll reach out to my network at get answers.

I'm going to focus on the music industry this post, future posts will cover the other industries.

Understanding the music industry.

First, the music industry has little to nothing to do with music, especially when you are starting out. You're not in music, you're in beer and ticket sales. The promoters don't give a shit about your music, the clubs don't give a shit about your music, the other bands/musicians/DJs generally don't give a shit about your music.

• Accept this: Nobody gives a shit about your music. *

The music industry is really the OTHER STUFF PROMOTION industry. Even big festivals make tons of their money on beer and shirt/sticker/etc sales. In fact, a lot of the "good money" to be made in music is for composers who can create custom music to suite a mood or vibe to help push product.

Good news: If you understand this, you can succeed.

I was in a relatively successful band that got paid enough to handle all our equipment, gas, etc, while working weekends. We could have done a lot better except for one huge mistake: We played too many shows.

Wait, what? How can you play TOO MANY shows

Yes, you can play too many shows. Especially if those shows are in the same area. Remember: it's not about your music, it's about everything else. The only reason the club/festival/whatever is letting you play is either to fill time because they couldn't find someone better or because they know you'll bring fans. Fans that drink beer and buy shirts.

If you play a LOT of shows then your fans can always "go the next day". Imagine you are playing every weekend for a month in the same city. You have 100 fans. Each small club sees you bring maybe 10 people as most people are kinda lazy. Do they want to book you again? No. Because they sell 10 people worth of beer. It's not uncommon for 50% of your "fans" to have something else to do no matter when your show is.

Compare that to playing ONE show and promoting the fuck out of it and getting 50 people out. Then you sell 50 people worth of beer and get a bigger payday AND a really happy club that would LOVE to have you come back.

Now imagine sharing a ticket with three other SMART bands that do the same thing. Now you can do a show at a place that can fit a few hundred people and command better fees.

Key takeaways: Promotion and product sales are how you make money

You are not (usually) selling music. You are using your music to sell everything else. Selling music comes later when you have a large enough fanbase to make that sustainable.

Revenue options:

1. Get paid flat fee by the house (if you get paid at all)
2. Get paid a % of door and bar (this is a good deal if the % is solid)
3. Sell CDs, T-shirts, etc to fans.
4. Get endorsements

Why you want a % bar + door

If you are able to build a large fan base and direct them to your show then a % of door and a % of the bar is the best option. The issue of course is dishonest bar owners who tell you far lower amounts than what you really made. The easiest way to avoid this is to network with bands in your area.

Here's how this works:
1 show, 100 people
Door: $5
Drinks: 1-2 per person on average (unless your fanbase drinks a lot, which would be great), $10-20 a person.
Total: $500 door + 10% of bar (200) = $700 for your band for a few hours.
Merch sales:
All ove rthe place, but assume you sell some stuff for another $100

This isn't amazing money but it's actually pretty good for what a lot of bands make. A 4 person band takes home $200/each per show. 1 show a week = $800, enough to pay rent in a cheap city plus some left over.

This is just for a 100 person show. If you can get 2-300 people obviously the money is way better. You also need to be able to trust the bar owner. If you can't, the door (With your OWN door person) + some fixed fee is a safer bet. Get the money UP FRONT before you get on stage or you can assume you'll never see it.

The problem is being able to play 1 show/week and still draw a crowd

How to beak the too many shows problem

Either be famous or be a really good cover band. Simple as that. Good cover bands can play regularly and my suggestion to anyone reading this far is to play covers to pay the bills and "slip in" the occasional original. Working on covers lets you make cash and work on stage presence and build a mailing list(more on that soon) to promote your originals on.

Brand your Original Band and Cover band differently.

Don't confuse your audience but DO capture as many email addresses as you can. Use mailchimp or another mailing list provier (mailchimp is free) and try to capture people's name, email, and their home city. Building a list is the best way to make your life easier as a band.

Advantages of a list:

1. You get opportunites to let your fanbase know of future shows
2. You can run contests, promotions,etc, to keep fans engaged outside of playing shows
3. You have a verifiable number of fans that you can use to book shows, get endorsements, etc.

How to get endorsements

I couldn't do any better than Rob Chapman already has

Other sources of revenue

You can get your music on TV if you get it to the right people. Follow this guide: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2014/05/04/how-to-get-songs-placed-on-tv/

iheartRadio, BBC, and many others allow you to submit music without having a label, agent, etc. It doesn't hurt and it might pay off. Do it.

Leveling up

Save up and produce GOOD music videos. Don't spend a ton, but make them interesting and build a fanbase on youtube. In the description of each video make sure to point visitors to a place where they can get on your mailing list.

Reach out to your fans

Fans aren't just people who show up to listen to you - they are people with their own connections and skills. One of the best things you can do as your fanbase gets bigger is to ask your fans to do things to help you build your band. My old band got some radio airplay because of one of our fans knowing the DJ at a college radio station. This led to a much bigger show. We got free logo and album art, etc. LEVERAGE YOUR FANS. Not only will they be more engaged in your project but you'll find that you get a lot more free stuff than you could imagine.

** Things to ask for **

1. Places to stay if you are touring. If you can cut down on hotel fees that will be a HUGE help to your bottom line
2. Airplay on any radio station possible, college on up.
3. People who are into graphic art, video, etc, to help you create stuff to sell. I've been a photographer for other bands, Infernal Opera in Philadelphia uses my photography on a bunch of their shirts, CDs, etc.
4. Connections to clubs. One of the best way to not get robbed by a club is to have a personal connection. Nobody wants to get known for fucking over the friends of friends, even most shitty club owners and club managers.

** Pay it forward **
If you have other skills like photography, graphic arts, etc, use those if you can to help other bands. If it doesn't cost you to do someone a favor, do it. You never know when it will pay off. That's how I got into bodypainting after I left music: I helped someone out and got hired as an assistant with no experience for a PAID gig at a strip club. Yep, got paid to paint naked strippers just because of one good deed. It's worth it. Do it.

GO FORTH AND ROCK

Credit Clint Catalyst on Flickr

I'll answer questions as best I can. Let me know how I can help.