Looking for income options

[Spadezer]

Small backstory: I graduated from college, and spent four months trying to get a job only to work for about two-and-a-half months until my team/division lost funding from their parent company. This means that I have to cancel my plans on buying a good copy of Ableton or a full version of FL studio with my own money because all of the budget I originally had planned for anything have now turned into can't spend unless I absolutely have to.

The point is I've thought about doing something like starting a Kickstarter project, but I don't know if it's the right route to go. This is all part of my masterplan on making a small income from music (originally planned to be on the side of a regularly working engineering job). I'm starting to get more of an itch to make music but I don't want to do it with an illegitimate DAW copy and the FL studio demo I have (since I've built a new computer) is quite limiting for making the projects I want to make. I can make small loops with it like the one I have here. This can be a fun challenge to see what I can do in a 4 hour time frame (more or less depending on how much I like to stare at my computer screen in one sitting), but it's too limiting.

So is Kickstarter the way to go or should I look at something else?

TL:DR - Can't seem to get/keep a job and I need outside money to start making money with music. Should I use Kickstarter?

[BrokenDeck]

Have you considered getting a regular part-time job at a Costco near your loation? They're ALWAYS hiring.

[Eagleon]

Kickstarters are hard. Really hard. Really, really difficult unless you have something exceptional - and even then, if you don't have enough public presence to begin with, the PR and marketing involved will look like nothing compared to picking up a part time job to hover with until you establish your music empire.

My advice, if you're truly serious about this, is to lower your cost of living to the bare minimum, get a job (still in your field, at least, for the love of all available gods - don't go into poverty and our wonderful lower-caste voluntarily, it's not as romantic as it looks) and work from your savings to fund a more conservative approach. Pick up your toolchain gradually starting with Producer, and "make do" with the copious amounts of free synths and effects available until you have the tools you're used to. As an added bonus, you'll be incredibly resourceful by the end of it and have a better idea whether any "pro" tools are actually worth your time, or just shiny window dressing. Build up reputation and marketing experience using free promotional efforts until you have the fanbase and confidence needed to answer this question yourself.

Then run a Kickstarter.

[sleepFacingWest]

I wouldn't go the kickstarter route. It's unlikely that you'll make the money you need, and trying to crowdsource funds to buy something for yourself is sort of BS to begin with. If you're fresh out of college, get any job available and bust your ass. Pretty much everyone has to do this at some point and the people who don't are assholes. Really, they act like total assholes. Bartending or serving tables can be a good source of income and is a pretty easy industry to break into. If you hustle and are able to be polite to people even when they're being jerks, you can make some rockin' money. This has a few benefits:

1) you'll gain more work experience which employers in ANY field like to see. Taking a job outside of your field when the going gets tough shows good character. It's a sign that you fix problems instead of complain about them and are a self motivator.

2) you'll make enough money to buy your software pretty quickly as tips really add up. The added bonus is typically the harder you work, the more money you make which isn't always the case with salary jobs.

3) you'll learn how to talk to ANYONE which will be indispensable when trying to networking later on.

4) you'll meet a lot of people while you're working. People are cycling in and out all the time and you get to chit chat with all of them as it's part of your job. Occasionally you'll meet people who are either in your preferred field or something related. Have business cards on hand and a website with your cv, resume, or portfolio ready to go. Seriously, I've met so many famous and/or important people while working behind a bar and I've kicked myself when people would ask for a sample of my work and I didn't have something to hand them.

5) you'll have something to draw from for artistic inspiration. Some of the best art was inspired by a rough night at work.

6) after having to deal with entitled jerk wads who talk down to other people, you'll be on a better path to avoid becoming one.

7) no matter where you live or what happens financially, if you can bartend or wait tables you can ALWAYS find a job. It doesn't matter if you're in North Carolina or Taiwan.

Sorry for the novel. I think the coffee is kicking in.

[Sequenced]

At 8/10/15 12:23 PM, Spadezer wrote: but I don't want to do it with an illegitimate DAW copy and the FL studio demo I have (since I've built a new computer)

lol

[johnfn]

At 8/10/15 12:23 PM, Spadezer wrote: This can be a fun challenge to see what I can do in a 4 hour time frame (more or less depending on how much I like to stare at my computer screen in one sitting), but it's too limiting.

Have you considered hibernating your computer rather than turning it off, so that you can resume progress on the song the next day?

[thebitterroost]

Dude, you really don't need outside money. Don't be in a position to owe anyone. I know someone who sucessfully kickstarted a board game, and the celebration of hitting their goal immediately ended when confronted with the mammoth task of fulfillment. Tougher than it sounds, since you may miss production deadlines, have technical problems with ordering from other companies, list goes on...

If you're gonna go that route anyway, just do a no-strings version like GoFundMe.

As for a budget-friendly DAW, get a copy of Reaper. They license on the honor system, so you can use the full set of features during a time-indefinite evaluation period, then pay the $60 personal license fee later on when you can afford it.

As far as hardware, get a workhorse mic like a 57/i5/etc and a budget interface. M-audio and Tascam have a whole range of cheapies that sound great! You can get up and running with as little as $250-300 or so total.

There are a myriad of free samplers, synths, and drums out there.

[Spadezer]

At 8/11/15 02:39 PM, johnfn wrote:

At 8/10/15 12:23 PM, Spadezer wrote: This can be a fun challenge to see what I can do in a 4 hour time frame (more or less depending on how much I like to stare at my computer screen in one sitting), but it's too limiting.

Have you considered hibernating your computer rather than turning it off, so that you can resume progress on the song the next day?

I haven't really thought about it that much. I'm not sure if I tried it or not, but I know when I decided to take a break once and started doing other internet things, FL didn't work quite right and I had to restart it. I also had it once when I finished something, tried to export into mp3, and then it had an error and I had to close it down.

Again it's limiting and sometimes acts like a gamble of will I get to publish this or not.

[Eagleon]

At 8/17/15 10:04 AM, Spadezer wrote: FL didn't work quite right and I had to restart it. I also had it once when I finished something, tried to export into mp3, and then it had an error and I had to close it down.

Again it's limiting and sometimes acts like a gamble of will I get to publish this or not.

Would 'didn't work quite right' involve glitchy crackly sound by chance? For me, ASIO4All needs to be restarted occasionally for that reason, the buffer gets distorted by something something and it becomes unusable until I do. Just opening and closing the ASIO settings in 'options -> audio settings -> show asio panel' is sufficient. Otherwise I keep FL up constantly to tinker with between hibernations, and there's usually no problems.

[Spadezer]

Would 'didn't work quite right' involve glitchy crackly sound by chance? For me, ASIO4All needs to be restarted occasionally for that reason, the buffer gets distorted by something something and it becomes unusable until I do. Just opening and closing the ASIO settings in 'options -> audio settings -> show asio panel' is sufficient. Otherwise I keep FL up constantly to tinker with between hibernations, and there's usually no problems.

Well this is good to know. I may have to try it out for future projects.
Although I tried to export a file once and then it errored out and froze. I don't know what to do with that other than kill it.

[Spadezer]

For those that may be interested in my project, I have just got word on a job offer for an engineering position at an OEM so I should be fine with income now. But to my original master plan.

[frootza]

Make extra income with your music:

1) Get a list of venues in your area (large and small)

2) Contact the venue, by phone is best, email is okay too... ask them “Hi, I was wondering who your talent buyer is?” or... “Hi, who books the artists at this venue?”

3) Call the person from step 2, (there may be multiple contacts) and be respectful yet professional.

4) Show them some samples of your music and ask if they'd be interested in having you perform. If they aren't interested, don't sweat it and proceed to another venue.

**Even if all you have is some mp3 tracks, you can still spin them like a DJ would. Its about creating an interesting live act. Make a point to explain your plan and act to the talent buyer.

5) Discuss the $. Beginning, you may be sharing the bill with other artists or getting a small amount of money from the show. That is okay, really because you are getting your foot in the door. See if you can work out a % of bar money in place of cash or see if you can have a tip case for patrons that enjoy your passion.

6) Get it 'in writing' if possible, but remember that venues don't want to get a bad rep, so if anything goes haywire you can use that to your advantage.

7) Prepare and play the show as best as you can! Collect $ afterwards.

8) Profit? (Literally though, profit.)