If asked, "What kind of job do you expect?"
Surely all will answer, "Easy Job, Fun and Big Pay"
If you just love music and listen to music a lot, you can only be said to be a music lover. But if you have made music a profession, you can only be called a musician
Does being a musician have a future. Can musicians live their lives through music?
I'm not a musician; I'm just a music hobbyist and studying music. Will I make music a profession in the future? The answer is if it is profitable, of course, I will.
In the following post, I will list some of the advantages and disadvantages of being a musician. If you want to become a musician, maybe this article can be your consideration.
I wrote this post based on musicians' responses and what I saw in the reality of a musician.
Here's the explanation:
1. A profession that makes future in-laws skeptical;
Most mothers are afraid that if their children marry musicians, in their minds later, their children will live a difficult life. As I heard from a musician in Indonesia, he said in his story that when he approached a woman, the woman's mother said, "If you married a musician, what would you eat?" Guitar string?
Well, for those of you who are trying to find candidates and who also want to become a musician, it seems you have to tread carefully and be more persistent in finding work.
2. Musicians Don't Have Salaries Regional;
It never was and never will be. The hope is that maybe next year there will be because some time ago there was a musician's competency test, but yes, there is still a long way to go, so hopefully, the government can provide a minimum wage for us musicians.
3. You don't have a fixed salary;
From the ranks of musicians who can be called artists, songwriters, or cafe musicians, buskers in cafes to street singers, although none of them has a fixed salary. The impact is that if a musician already has family dependents, of course, a lot of expenses must be prepared for daily needs.
4. Unusual Working Hours;
The average musician is like a bat. because most musicians' work hours are at night. For example, many musicians start work at 7 pm and finish in the morning. Unlike the case with office workers or other jobs in general. When all normal people finish work, a new musician starts to work. When they fall asleep, a musician is at work, and when they wake up, a new musician is getting ready for bed. Currently, I am also experiencing the same thing, although I am not a person who deserves to be called a musician.
5. There Are No Holidays;
There is no holiday for a musician, even on big days like Christmas Eve. Precisely Christmas Eve for a musician is sometimes the best moment to work. Especially when the new year is usually held with a lot of music events. And the organizers will be willing to pay musicians many times over. If normal people usually spend Christmas Eve with their family, a musician is not with their family. Sometimes there is often a little dispute between the wife and her husband who is a musician.
So, are friends who want to be musicians and have families ready for this situation?
6. Musicians are Underappreciated But Desperately Needed;
Again, I'm talking about this in Indonesia. There are many activities held, be it festivals, concerts, or others that involve musicians, but musicians feel underappreciated there. In particular, the habit of musicians who are not artists or who are affiliated with artists means they do not get a standard salary, let alone a bonus.
7. Big Capital But Small Income;
To produce a good music production, a music studio must also be equipped with up-to-date and expensive equipment. For example, microphones, soundcards, and musical instruments have good brands and quality. But again, like point number 6, musicians are hard to appreciate.
8. Musicians Do Not Receive a Pension;
A private worker or government official will generally be given various facilities, including guarantees, pensions, and others. Even government employees whose pension amounts have been determined have known before retirement arrives. But otherwise, a musician does not have this. For example, after completing a contract with a company, for example, you will not get anything.
9. Risk of Various Diseases;
Many of the musicians, maybe even friends in this community, experience various diseases. For example, gout, diabetes, and high blood pressure. This is caused by an unhealthy lifestyle, as I have explained in point four.
The work of musicians certainly provides entertainment to others. And his habit that is entertained by musicians is that of people who are tired of working, and it happens habitually at night. Besides at night, when a musician entertains, it is also his habit in places that provide a variety of food and drinks, most of which are not good for his health.
10. The Effect of Alcohol.
People already assume that a musician is synonymous with alcohol. We can't deny that indeed most of the musicians we meet consume a lot of alcohol, free sex, and various other negative things. But being a musician doesn't mean you have to adopt such a system. You don't need to follow things that don't benefit you, in fact, you have to be a true musician and prioritize professionalism.
1. Being a musician is a cool job;
Many people, especially teenagers, dream of becoming musicians. Why not, because being a musician allows you to create works that others can appreciate. Many musicians will later become famous people, become people who can bring influence, and give positive messages to others.
2. No-Stress Job;
Being an average musician is influenced by his hobbies. And work done on the basis of habitual pleasure will bring happiness. From this, a few musicians experience stress or depression.
Initially, the desire to become a musician is because you like music, then you learn music, for example, an instrument, and then you can live with that instrument.
So, logically, if you work in a profession that you enjoy and enjoy doing, it will not cause you stress. It's just that sometimes you will feel bored with the same routine every day, even though this boredom is experienced by all workers in any field.
3. Ageless;
Because musicians have a close relationship with trends and fashion, many musicians have an advanced age but look young.
4. Musicians Set Their Own Work Hours;
This is what makes the work of musicians very enjoyable compared to working as private employees or government officials. If someone works in a private or government office, of course, the working hours have been determined. For example, they enter at 8 AM to 4 PM, and like it or not they have to follow these rules.
Unlike the case with musicians, musicians can determine their own working hours. Even if you do not work as a music producer but a music teacher, for example, you can also determine your own working hours as a teacher and your students must follow the learning schedule that you have created.
And even if you are the one who offers you an event, you also have the right to determine for yourself whether you want to accept the offer or not.
5. Earnings may be higher than in other professions;
A musician is often paid by the hour. For example, if you do an entertainment stage performance, you get paid $100 an hour and do it for four hours. That means you make $400 in one day. In one month, you perform as much as five times, meaning you will earn $ 20,000 within a month. In Indonesia, there are no private or government employees who have such a salary.
6. Musicians Live Socially;
A musician is required to have many friends, to have many jobs. If you, as a musician, don't have many friends, it is certain that you will find it difficult to get a job project. On the other hand, most of the jobs that come to musicians come from offers from friends or relatives.
7. Financial Management Capability;
If we look at the negative fact that musicians do not have a fixed salary, the average musician always has good money management skills. Because the income of a musician is not fixed and not routine, a musician is required to be smart in managing finances. On the other hand, if you are not smart in managing your finances, your family will also fall apart due to not having an income when you don't have a work project.
8. Music is a Diverse Profession;
The area that is meant here is of various kinds, both in terms of the work area, various jobs, and others.
If you are a musician or a music player, for example, you can do work anywhere. Many people need entertainment. Of course, there will be many places that can be your work area.
In addition to a large area, musicians also have many professions that are indeed carried out by musicians. For example, if you become a songwriter, you can later sell the songs you create. Being a music teacher, producing music for clients, you can even perform outside of your contract, for example, being a musician or singer in an entertainment venue.
9. A musician is sought after by many parties;
Today, many businessmen have opened bars, cafes, pubs, and other outlets. Business managers, of course, need musicians to attract visitors. Because, logically, visitors to this place are people who need entertainment, so the entertainers are musicians.
In addition to the businessmen in the fields mentioned above, there are also many businessmen who have opened music schools, which, of course, need a musician as teaching staff. Not to mention that there are now many people who want to create YouTube content as singers. Of course, they need professional musicians to produce their music and voices.
10. The profession of musicians is not restricted by age.
I often see a musician who is very young. For example, if you apply for a job at an agency, it is not uncommon for the agency to provide an age range, for example, 17–30 years. On the other hand, in musicians, if you already have the ability as a musician, it doesn't matter what age you are.
I often see many musicians who are very young, and on the other hand, I also very often see a musician who is very old. This means that as long as you are able to be creative, your age does not determine whether you become a musician.
Okay friends, those are some Positive and Negative Facts that I wrote in this post, hopefully, this post can be considered for friends who are not musicians but want to become musicians.
Note: All pictures above are taken from pixabay, except those with the source below