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[Jasmine]

Composing for a living. The dream of (I'd like to believe) every composer who frequents this forum, those beyond, and then some.
I'm at a place in my life where I want to slowly, and surely, make that happen, though I wonder if I am in a position to do so.

I have decided (basically two weeks ago), to try and make preparations for part-time self employment. I would work a part-time job, and on hours off, write music, to make up for the other half of my income.

How plausible is that?

I have also been looking into taxes, and trying to calculate exactly how much I would need to take out, or save aside, to fully amend that burden.

Should I attempt to market myself, or establish my "job" as a company?

Working full-time (teaching), and trying to compose is destroying me, and my self-motivation always pours out on the composing end, which leaves my teaching lacking.

I understand that freelance composing can be stressful, mainly because of the instability of funds. I have already come to terms with that, along with budgeting (a necessity), saving, planning ahead, and cutting back (not a problem). I have also though about trying my hand at other possible composing opportunities. Writing jingles, working for a site. The options are limitless, except my part-time job HAS to be secure.

Are there any composers here who are currently working part-time/composing part-time? Composing full-time? How did you get yourself in that position? Can you offer any words of wisdom or feedback? I have been reading a few articles and blog posts, and one of the biggest factors in self-employment is knowing WHEN to start, and making sure you are ready. I plan to take my refund check and throw it into my savings. That'll hopefully give me an extra 2 months of biding time as I job search.

I guess I'm tired of dreaming, and ready to start working towards the dream.

[ZackParrish]

I composed full time for a while, and it was hell. Music becomes a job at that point so the motivation to do it just isn't there since you HAVE to write in order to make money. Currently I'm doing programming full time 8-5 M-F and then write music at night and on the weekends. Sometimes I write for about 40 hours a week, other weeks I might write about 15-20 hours tops. Just depends on how tired I am or whether or not I'm inspired. The one important thing I have to keep in mind is that it isn't really a job, just something that I love to do that happens to make money.

As far as taxes go... they are really difficult to measure so if you don't put in a lot extra in your main job then make sure you save save save and also keep a record of all your deductions(any purchases you made for music, new libraries, new computer, new game(research material)). You can also write-off your cable bill since it's used for writing music. An accountant works wonders here but you can also find tons of information for this online.

The deductions may actually save you... this past year I made way more than I had anticipated and before I applied my deductions I owed the IRS... afterwords they owed me a nice chunk of money.

Another thing to consider, that I am always neglecting... is to avoid taking on too much work in the music side. There will be periods where you might not get a single gig for months, and you'll become semi-desperate as a result. Then when a gig finally pops up, and then another, and another, etc... you'll accept all of them because you REALLY need it by that point. Then before you realize what you've done you have 6+ projects all expecting music to be done by the same time period and you just don't have the time to pump out that much music. So budget your time... it sucks to toss a gig but it's gotta happen. I usually toss the excess ones I get to random other composers I know that write a similar style to what was requested of me.

Also don't be afraid of dropping a gig that wastes your time. If they make you rewrite or modify a track over and over again... kick'em to the curb. Every modification and every rewrite is lowering the value of your music financially. I've dropped a few in my past, not many... but once I spent so much time on a track that it wasn't worth it I would email the person and let them know that I'm dropping them because it's a financial burden to me now and obviously not working out for both parties.

I think that's all the advice I have for now... someone is messaging me on skype and it's distracting as hell...

[bbtombo]

Have you considered job hunting in the video game industry? Telltale is looking for a junior/senior sound designer right now! I always check on my favorite companies' sites to see if they're offering resumes. I also went to a bioware panel at PAX a few years back, and they said that they'll accept resumes/portfolios generally anytime! Even if they're not looking for an audio position, if you can sell yourself you'll never know if the right person will pick it up, you know? It never hurts to try and apply!

[Breakdown Epiphanies]

I don't think that I can give any sound advice on becoming a professional composer as I am still doing it in my spare time. But I enjoyed reading Ben Prunty's take on the matter over at his Blog (he is the guy that made the soundtrack for FTL and Gravity Ghost):

“It takes ten years to make an overnight success.”
http://benprunty.com/2014/03/03/the-most-important-advice-i-can-give-to-an-aspiring-game-musician/

[Kyle Preston]

The options are limitless, except my part-time job HAS to be secure

It's really great that you're setting some ground rules for yourself in advance; they become very important later on; particularly after you've been in a tiny room by yourself too many days in a row and you get a bit  

I took a risk awhile ago; it definitely hasn't paid off financially, but creatively, yeah, it certainly has. It's very helpful to know what you want, what your goals are, and to know a bit about your productivity habits.  Thinking of your time as a resource is also important, as Zach already pointed out.  You have to ask yourself what you really want to be doing with it. Anyway, I left my full-time job for two part time jobs with unreliable schedules; one as a physics tutor and the other as a live audio engineer. Sometimes it's supra-hectic, other times it's quite calm and I have days on end to write.

There are plenty of practical things to consider, for example, how introverted vs how extroverted you are. This has been a really important question for me to answer as I started noticing some significant dips in my workflow after spending a bit too much time by myself.  I'd always thought I was an introvert, but even introverts need at least some social interaction every now and then. There was always a spike in how much work I got done after those long days at my part time jobs. Some of this is hearing music with fresh ears, but some of it has a lot to do with spending time around others and then actually enjoying that time I get to myself in the studio. So I learned, to my surprise, that being by myself full-time probably isn't a good choice for me. Eventually, I'd like to find other creatives/engineers to share a studio with me to share ideas and socialize.

It sounds like you've already made some good decisions regarding your transition Jasmine. As far as establishing a company, I don't know this for fact, but most of the sources I've read and heard say to wait until it is financially feasible to do this.  Maybe that's bad info, maybe not, but I know that I couldn't take on any more financial burdens at this point (GODDAMN COLLEGE LOANS!). If my entire salary came from working as a composer, then it probably would be smart to find an accountant (their incentive is to help you financially as much as they can as it's good for them too) and establish a company of your own.

And again, your time is very important.  There is some money in writing jingles for sites (there's also a TON of competition) and if you want to get better at that and earn some money, that is great.  I did it for a bit, will probably do more, but personally, and after having a bit of a think about it, I'd rather spend my time honing the skills to make the music that I want to make and getting better at that. Those abilities are more important to me than making a quick buck (and if your part time job IS stable, you might have the freedom to spend your time on what you want). Taking on projects that I WANT to do is my number one goal.

Oh, and I'm sure others have said this plenty of times before, but I've never found any reliable work from posting my portfolio anywhere; a lot of what you get are emails saying "Hey, I like pianos and you had one in that song.  I'm writing to give you the opportunity to write 4 hours of music for me for free.  Everyone on the project is here because of the love they share in this vague idea I had on the toilet the other day".

I'm not bitter or anything.

But the best projects that I've worked on/almost worked on/had a nice conversation with a friendly developer on, came from pursuing the project itself, online and in person. If you really feel like you can contribute to a project (and they need a composer) and you believe in it, then reach out, even if it makes you really uncomfortable (it's still terrifying for me).

Did not mean to smack this thread with a text wall, but since your situation sounds very familiar, I wanted to share some fruit with you.  Best of luck Jasmine.  

[Jasmine]

@Zack:

Hey man, thanks a ton for your feedback! I am glad that you were able to give me a full-time perspective -- more than anything, I want to set myself up so as to keep music from being a monetary necessity. As far as saving, I definitely plan on it (starting now), while also ensuring that I am on my best budgeting game.

And, about the ol' "don't take on too many projects at once" moniker... Definitely not the situation I'm in right now.

 


@Neaptide:
I have! I read somewhere that many companies do accept resumes, whether or not they are looking for a composer (you never know when they are bound to drop someone off D:), but one thing I would like to get accustomed to is creating sound effects. Try a few small side projects to get an idea and feel around in the area of sound design. The mere mention of sound effects is intimidating, but only because I am not used to doing them.

@B.E.:
Hey B.E., that article said plenty! I know that, more often than not, I get so hung up on talent. The fact that there are composers out there with more talent than I sometimes makes me believe that I wasn't "made" or "destined" to make it work. His insight gives me a new, and much appreciated, perspective. Thanks, man!

Kyle:
I understand the financial risks. Well, I say I do, but I will soon find out. My goal right now isn't to be financially successful (which is, of course, an end goal), but more so fulfilled. I assume that, perhaps, this venture will grant me that, but I'll have to wait and see.

Also, I completely understand the financial burdens. I have a rather large loan looming over my head (teaching fellows), and the amount of damage it could cause me, financially, leaves me sick to my stomach. I like having good credit!

Posting my portfolio seems to be an easy cop-out, but the more I search and read, the more I realize that going to gamecons/conventions is the best way to get myself out there, and more importantly, meet people who are passionate about exactly what I am passionate about. Then, we'll all be BEST FRIENDS 4EVAR.

Seriously guys, thanks for the comments! The future is uncertain, but I'm really pumped to see where this road'll take me.

[Breakdown Epiphanies]

I'd always thought I was an introvert, but even introverts need at least some social interaction every now and then. There was always a spike in how much work I got done after those long days at my part time jobs. Some of this is hearing music with fresh ears, but some of it has a lot to do with spending time around others and then actually enjoying that time I get to myself in the studio. So I learned, to my surprise, that being by myself full-time probably isn't a good choice for me. Eventually, I'd like to find other creatives/engineers to share a studio with me to share ideas and socialize.

a giant +1 on this. I do my daytime job as a political scientist and journalist mostly on a freelance basis so I spent a lot of time in my appartment at the desk. Then in the evenings I start working on a music project and I sit at the very same desk again. Especially in the winter things can get lonely. Luckily I am doing the Breakdown Epiphanies project with a good friend (a habit that carried over from playing in a band, I guess). With my writing and journalistic work I make sure to sometimes go out and work at different places like a coffee place or the university library and I try to visit my employers in person on a regular basis.

[rmrzero4]

*Big breath*

I don't know how much I can contribute to what has already been said, but I am learning all of this myself as well. I took the route of going to college for music composition, mainly just to have the degree, and hope to pick up some things along the way. Well, the result of that was a shitload of time invested into relevant things, but not so much getting the experience needed to break into getting hired on as a composer anywhere.

My problem after 4 years of college is that I fell out of forums like tigsource, not participating in indie projects for side money; I invested all my time into student projects that often paid a very low flat rate for 15 to 30 minutes of music, plus recognition for the school in their art fairs. After school, I was working at my full-time job to pay rent and have a social life. This was my daily repertoire for those 4 years, and finally after being one of the 10 or so people to make it through the program alive and well, the competition for a job with any company is no different than it would have been if I didn't go to school. Or so it seems.

I've been spending my time these days checking job boards and surfing linkedin only to find openings for positions in music (moreover sound, because apparently they are the same category of work) that require X amount of years within a COMPANY, and have your name tacked to X amount of AAA titles. It's getting to the point where the people that would qualify for this positions are actually taking on junior roles because the competition is so high.

Okay, I might have to take that back. It's not competition, it really just seems like random selection, for a league of people that have been floating around in the AAA scene for a long time.

Of course, I'm a strong believer that anything is possible as long as you set your heart to it, but it also is going to take a whole lot of patience. It's been 4 months since I graduated, I am starting to get letters in the mail saying that my grace period for my loans is about to end in 60 days and I am looking at my full-time job right now and telling myself that I need it, but I also need to sit down and start writing again.

Going back to the whole introvert vs. extrovert, I am a total introvert when it comes to business, and perhaps I might not be in the right field for such a personality trait but hey, I'm trying.

It's a pretty scary thought knowing that my head is telling me to expand even further and start looking into audio visual work all because there's actual jobs in it, and knowing that my degree is pretty made-up bothers me even more.

You're not alone. Here's to making the best with what we have, and finding peace and success in what we love.

[PythonBlue]

I composed full time for a while, and it was hell. Music becomes a job at that point so the motivation to do it just isn't there since you HAVE to write in order to make money. Currently I'm doing programming full time 8-5 M-F and then write music at night and on the weekends. Sometimes I write for about 40 hours a week, other weeks I might write about 15-20 hours tops. Just depends on how tired I am or whether or not I'm inspired. The one important thing I have to keep in mind is that it isn't really a job, just something that I love to do that happens to make money.

As far as taxes go... they are really difficult to measure so if you don't put in a lot extra in your main job then make sure you save save save and also keep a record of all your deductions(any purchases you made for music, new libraries, new computer, new game(research material)). You can also write-off your cable bill since it's used for writing music. An accountant works wonders here but you can also find tons of information for this online.

The deductions may actually save you... this past year I made way more than I had anticipated and before I applied my deductions I owed the IRS... afterwords they owed me a nice chunk of money.

Another thing to consider, that I am always neglecting... is to avoid taking on too much work in the music side. There will be periods where you might not get a single gig for months, and you'll become semi-desperate as a result. Then when a gig finally pops up, and then another, and another, etc... you'll accept all of them because you REALLY need it by that point. Then before you realize what you've done you have 6+ projects all expecting music to be done by the same time period and you just don't have the time to pump out that much music. So budget your time... it sucks to toss a gig but it's gotta happen. I usually toss the excess ones I get to random other composers I know that write a similar style to what was requested of me.

Also don't be afraid of dropping a gig that wastes your time. If they make you rewrite or modify a track over and over again... kick'em to the curb. Every modification and every rewrite is lowering the value of your music financially. I've dropped a few in my past, not many... but once I spent so much time on a track that it wasn't worth it I would email the person and let them know that I'm dropping them because it's a financial burden to me now and obviously not working out for both parties.

I think that's all the advice I have for now... someone is messaging me on skype and it's distracting as hell...

I realize this thread was last posted in nearly a month ago, but bear with me.

Quite frankly, I fully agree with your position, Zach. I do my own music mostly only because I enjoy it, and doing things for a job can easily take the enjoyment out of it.

I also found your bit about dropping gigs very comforting. Just today I had to do the same, even if it was for a game mod, and as painful as it was to do, you assured me that it's normal for that to happen. I've also had plenty of experiences with developers who constantly want you to revise your piece to death, and that is where I get especially frustrated with doing music for others instead of myself.

Lesson learned: there are more things to think about with applying for composing game music than just the game itself. You also have to worry about the personalities of the others on the team, and they won't always be tolerant for opinions other than their own. Granted, I admit I'm slightly biased because one of my fortes is retro 80s music, but still, I'm sure it applies to some degree to every composer.

I'm trying to find the time to get an unrelated job in computers and IT, and I do have a 40-hour work period in the field coming up. This kind of thing I'd strongly urge for people to do if you want to make music for others to listen to but don't want to worry about depending on it for your income, because let's face it: there are more drawbacks to music as a career, as opposed to a hoby or part-time job, than just the competitiveness.