# How much do you make?



## Scott Cairns (Jul 25, 2005)

I thought it might be interesting to take a "sample" (haha) range of what composers are making.

I understand if people dont want to publicly post their earnings. I think if you only tick an option in the poll its anonymous. (right, Frederick?) 

To keep it simple Im using US dollars as the scale.

Thanks.


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## Ed (Jul 25, 2005)

Im making zero at the moment.

I suck.


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## TheoKrueger (Jul 25, 2005)

I make more than 105.000$ a year.... in my dreams!

Almost zero here as well


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## José Herring (Jul 25, 2005)

11% of us are making more than 105,000 a year. That's cool!

Some of us are making nothing. That's kind of sad to me as there isn't anybody on this board that should be doing anything for free music wise.

I myself fall in one of the middle catagories, but this year so far is shaping up rather well.

Jose


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## Niah (Jul 25, 2005)

zero. zilch. nada. nothing. 

But looks like somebody is making some


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## groove (Jul 25, 2005)

i'm in the second categorie, and it is apparently going up for the future and that is the least i can expect for everybody here at VI when i listen to so much talent !!!

stephane


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## choc0thrax (Jul 25, 2005)

Wheres the option for minus income? I make nothing from music but pay out tons of money for samples.


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## Leandro Gardini (Jul 25, 2005)

What a great topic...it made me feel better because I thought I was the only one that can?t make any money with music :roll: ...
...now I can see that it?s not only a brazilian problem but an human problem!!!


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## José Herring (Jul 25, 2005)

leogardini said:


> What a great topic...it made me feel better because I thought I was the only one that can?t make any money with music :roll: ...
> ...now I can see that it?s not only a brazilian problem but an human problem!!!



It's like any business. You find a market and you deliver to that market a product that's desirable to that market.

I'm sure that there are tons of kids in Brazil that want to make a record. You find them. Let them know that you are a producer then charge them a fee. Some may have to borrow, some steal, some may have it in their bank account, but if you start to deliver something that people think is hot they'll come up with the money to pay you.

It's taken me a long time to realize this but that's the business. And, if filmscoring is your game then you'll need to move to a market that can support that. Nothing sadder to me than somebody trying to persue filmscoring in Montana.

So find a market in your area. In Brazil I imagine it must be latin records and latin pop. Get in and start to charge. Do good work and you'll start moving up.

Jose


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## handz (Jul 26, 2005)

What?? There is really a chance to make money with composing???? :shock:


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## José Herring (Jul 26, 2005)

handz said:


> What?? There is really a chance to make money with composing???? :shock:



My friend. Would a man who picked apples give his fruit away in the Village? How would he expect to live? He can't just eat his own apples he has to find somebody who wants apples badly enough to pay money for it so that he can buy his shoes and his clothes and house his family. 

Find somebody who's dying to be a pop star. Say you do music but that you can't do it for free. If she want's it bad enough she'll pay. In the end she has a beautifully composed and recorded demo real that she can shop around and you have money in your pocket, rights to your songs should she get it on the radio and somebody else shoping your music around and should she ever do another song she'll call you first. :wink: 

CD or Apples no difference except sitting around a studio getting paid to make music for a pretty lady beats pickin' apples any day.

Find a market in your town. Find out what that market wants. Sell it to them and you'll make money doing music.

Jose


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## PolarBear (Jul 26, 2005)

Those who get nothing could as well as me be hobbyists that just do it for the pure fun. Interest though that it is the majority as of what I just saw


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## tobyond (Jun 24, 2007)

Sorry to revisit an old topic here, but I found this and thought it worth adding to this.

So, who's moving to Tucson, Ariz? /\~O


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## Jack Weaver (Jun 24, 2007)

Typo or just humor. 

But come on in, the water's fine. Other than occasional visits by Jose & Craig it gets lonely.


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## Craig Sharmat (Jun 24, 2007)

If I could I would consider living in Tucson, great place to be!

With internet getting faster it might be a possibility somewhere down the road.


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## Jack Weaver (Jun 24, 2007)

I'm sorry. I didn't know that you had gotten so out of hand with that internet gambling thing.


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## Desire Inspires (Aug 16, 2016)

A little but not enough to go full time yet. I should be there soon.


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## Killiard (Aug 16, 2016)

Damn, if you'd only left the thread alone for another year this would have been an amazing thread revival after 10 years


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## Siebert (Aug 16, 2016)

I made $141.10 in royalties last year but it's not what I do for a living.


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## jononotbono (Aug 16, 2016)

I recently got an £89 Royalty payment for a Music Festival I played at 4 YEARS ago. In the word of Charlie Sheen... WINNING.
Bought myself a nice Rain Coat.


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## gsilbers (Aug 16, 2016)

josejherring said:


> In Brazil I imagine it must be latin records and latin pop.
> 
> Jose






or zouk bass/electronica/moombahton


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## GonzoFB (Aug 16, 2016)

jononotbono said:


> I recently got an £89 Royalty payment for a Music Festival I played at 4 YEARS ago. In the word of Charlie Sheen... WINNING.
> Bought myself a nice Rain Coat.


Is is the one you're sporting in you avatar? Looks like a goodun for the splatter


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## GonzoFB (Aug 16, 2016)

Oh and I make zip. I have no contacts and have no idea of how to make any. I live just to the left of the middle of nowhere. All in good time I hope.


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## jononotbono (Aug 16, 2016)

GonzoFB said:


> Is is the one you're sporting in you avatar? Looks like a goodun for the splatter



Do you like Huey Lewis and the News?


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## GonzoFB (Aug 16, 2016)

My friend, they did some of the music in one of my favourite ever films - but WE DIDN'T GO NAMING OUR BAND AFTER THE PROTAGONIST!


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## Rodney Money (Aug 16, 2016)

Maybe a better question would be, "As a composer, how many relationships have been destroyed by your obsession?"


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## GonzoFB (Aug 16, 2016)

Oh and Jononotbono, I loved the picture of your studio, it's not too disimilar to the one i'm observing gestate myself, although yours is a lot more - less mad shall we say


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## GonzoFB (Aug 16, 2016)

Rodney Money said:


> Maybe a better question would be, "As a composer, how many relationships have been destroyed by your obsession?"


Haha, and how many never got off of the ground due to it either. Boy, the ultimate dream of a lady, or fella, who's passion is you and sound engineering...


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## jononotbono (Aug 16, 2016)

Rodney Money said:


> Maybe a better question would be, "As a composer, how many relationships have been destroyed by your obsession?"



They weren't relationships to start with.


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## Rodney Money (Aug 16, 2016)

jononotbono said:


> They weren't relationships to start with.


I wish that was the case, but for me it involved a 10 year relationship including marriage. Whoops, I just shared way too much info, lol. But I'm good now, of course!


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## jononotbono (Aug 16, 2016)

Rodney Money said:


> But I'm good now, of course!



Like I said! They weren't relationships to start with.


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## InLight-Tone (Aug 16, 2016)

If there's a will there's a way, though it may not be through the avenues you expect...


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## AlexRuger (Aug 16, 2016)

Rodney Money said:


> Maybe a better question would be, "As a composer, how many relationships have been destroyed by your obsession?"



Oof...that hits too close to home. In all honesty, that's the one thing that really irks me about this career-path--the time spent away from loved ones. I'm not sure if there's an answer, though.

Maybe if people are comfortable, they could specify what they do specifically? For example, I make my living working in film/game music, but it's not always as a composer--in addition to writing for my own projects, I assist a lot of composers, do music editing, game audio implementation, build Kontakt instruments, create custom synth patches, mix, master, orchestrate, etc.

EDIT: woah, did anyone else notice this thread is over ten years old? Weird...


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## jononotbono (Aug 17, 2016)

Rodney Money said:


> I wish that was the case, but for me it involved a 10 year relationship including marriage. Whoops, I just shared way too much info, lol. But I'm good now, of course!



I was only only half joking when I wrote my previous messages. Haha


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## dannymc (Aug 17, 2016)

just made my first money for my music this week, $50 on pond 5 sales. yipppiee roll on the new yacht 

Danny


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## Hat_Tricky (Aug 17, 2016)

AlexRuger said:


> Oof...that hits too close to home. In all honesty, that's the one thing that really irks me about this career-path--the time spent away from loved ones. I'm not sure if there's an answer, though.
> 
> Maybe if people are comfortable, they could specify what they do specifically? For example, I make my living working in film/game music, but it's not always as a composer--in addition to writing for my own projects, I assist a lot of composers, do music editing, game audio implementation, build Kontakt instruments, create custom synth patches, mix, master, orchestrate, etc.
> 
> EDIT: woah, did anyone else notice this thread is over ten years old? Weird...



I quit playing live music due to time away from a relationship, and thought for sure I'd have way more time now "working from home" as an aspiring composer for media/libraries (leaning away from libraries because i dont work quick enough) while teaching around 20-25 students as well.

I still think I'd have way more time for a relationship as oppsoed to being completely unavailible thursday afternoon through sunday noon for gigs (and being completely zombified sunday, then back to teaching monday-friday)

Still hoping I will have time for a meanigful relationship.


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## Desire Inspires (Aug 17, 2016)

AlexRuger said:


> EDIT: woah, did anyone else notice this thread is over ten years old? Weird...



Yes. The topic is as relevant as ever.


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## dan1 (Aug 19, 2016)

Lol I make more than all of you combined
Last year I earned a grand total of $0.00 in royalties
That sums up to $0.00 earned in the previous decade
So in total I made a whopping $0.00
but who cares the moniz, give me a job on a blockbuster I'll do it free


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## Desire Inspires (Aug 19, 2016)

dan1 said:


> Lol I make more than all of you combined
> Last year I earned a grand total of $0.00 in royalties
> That sums up to $0.00 earned in the previous decade
> So in total I made a whopping $0.00
> but who cares the moniz, give me a job on a blockbuster I'll do it free


No need to brag!


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## Mike Fox (Sep 10, 2016)

"I used to make money, but then I became a composer" - Mike Fox.


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## InLight-Tone (Sep 10, 2016)

mikefox789 said:


> "I used to make money, but then I became a composer" - Mike Fox.



Yet that sentiment is what is stopping you from achieving financial success...


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## Mike Fox (Sep 11, 2016)

InLight-Tone said:


> Yet that sentiment is what is stopping you from achieving financial success...



Tell that to Stephen Foster.


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## mverta (Sep 11, 2016)

More than some; not as much as others.


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## dcoscina (Sep 11, 2016)

I just started doing music full time. It's been a little spotty since I started in May but I've been getting around $700-$1000 per ad. This is a buy-out deal however where I won't make any residual monies from royalties. The music has been 15 and 30 second spots thus far. Mostly corporate ads. I'm working on a national advert at the moment. Not sure how much I will end up with by year end but I'm hoping not to return to boring ass day jobs where I did operations management for years (creatively and morally bankrupt as far as I'm concerned and definitely not for me).


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