An Indie Musician Earning Almost Nothing from Music

 

I am an indie musician in my late 20s who grew up in Gyeongsangdo province, then moved to Seoul. But, having had only a few performances and having not released a proper single, let alone an album, I am still unknown. In addition, I am not currently working hard to achieve my music dreams.

 

▲ I am an indie musician. ©Cha Yeon-ji

 

Now I am going to make excuses for not doing more to fulfill my dream. I have never devoted myself to music, even after I decided to become a professional musician. To be more precise, I have never been able to devote myself to music.

 

One of the sayings that spread through social network services (SNS) these days goes like this: "Being born in and having roots in Seoul is a sort of job qualification in itself." and "People in Korea make money so that they can live in Seoul." These sayings really hit home to me.

 

The minimum amount I should pay to live in Seoul is around 600 to 700 thousand won—350 thousand won for monthly rent, 100 thousand won in utility fees, and the rest for other expenses such as taxes, Internet/TV fees and cell phone fees. In winter when heating is needed, I have to pay more. And when transportation and food expenses are included, my living costs reach around one million won (975 USD) a month. So, purchasing even a small item like socks is a financial burden for me.

 

Then, how do I earn these living expenses, which stand at about one million won?

 

Many people seem to assume that musicians do not care about being poor or that they can make enough money to lead a normal life by giving performances. But, this is not true at all. Indie musicians, especially, earn next to nothing from music. So, most of them have another job to pay their living expenses. Some commute to an office five days a week and others do freelance work not related to music, teach at cram schools or work as private lesson teachers.

 

With the exception of some popular musicians who are well known to the public, few musicians can make their living only from music. The reason for this is clear when you consider the low prices of music files and the profit structure of the music industry.

 

Here is one example showing how financially difficult it is to live as an indie musician. One day, one of my friends working at a cafe ordered takeout and was surprised to find that the delivery guy was a member of a band she liked. Food delivery is little different from other part-time jobs, but my friend still felt sad about the circumstances in which quite well-known musicians have to do it to earn a living.

 

Doing Temporary Jobs Characterized by Long and Irregular Working Hours...

 

In order to do music, I also have to have a job. Currently, I am an employee at a cafe. Previously, I worked at a bank service center. Before that, I made a living as a tarot master on the streets of Gangnam, and also once worked as a telemarketer selling insurance products.

 

On top of this, I have had other jobs such as selling dolls, working at the customer center of an IT company, as a clerk at a convenient store and as a waitress. I also had the job of inspecting the defects of new cell phones before their release on the market. Watching cell phones malfunction all day, I felt that my life was also malfunctioning just like a defected cell phone, so I quit only two weeks after starting.

 

When I was lucky, I could find a job that required me to work only during the daytime five days a week, but most of the jobs I have had were ones with irregular working hours and only a day off per week.

 

There are some musicians who get a good, stable job first, then devote their entire free time to music. But, as someone who quit university after just three semesters, this has not been easy for me.

 

Fortunately, I found a part-time job at a cafe where I could work for a long time, and later received free barista training and was offered a job at another café with good conditions. But, as working at a cafe required irregular working hours and was very exhausting, it was difficult to get around to music.

 

Nevertheless, thanks to my improved financial conditions resulting from the new job, I felt financially stable and could finally start studying music. I bought a guitar, enrolled in a music institute and received music education continuously. Once I became able to spare some time for composing music, I felt less depressed.

 

But unfortunately this did not last long. I was diagnosed with a disease that required surgery, and after the operation, my physical strength deteriorated significantly. I had to quit my job. Until I found my current job, I was afraid I might never get a job at a cafe again. It was a really hard and nerve-racking time for me.

 

After the operation, my passion for music got stronger and I tried many things in my music career. I composed music, gave performances, met other musicians and picked up an instrument I used to play for a performance with a band.

 

▲ If I were guaranteed a basic livelihood—not even a fancy one—I could concentrate on music, I think. ©Cha Yeon-ji

 

How Great It Would Be If I Could Make Music with No Concern over How to Make a Living

 

Before I began this essay, I asked myself what any work other than music meant to me. It is nothing more than a means to earn money. It is just what I should do to make money, just arduous labor I would dodge if I could.

 

How great it would be if I could devote myself to music without any concern over how to make a living. If I were guaranteed a basic livelihood—not even a fancy one—I could concentrate on music, I think. My musician friends also often say something similar to this, which makes me feel sad about our circumstances.

 

Currently, I am working at a cafe without doing any musical activities. I'd like to compose music and practice and give performances, but I am not mentally ready for it yet. In addition, since late last year, I have been very busy helping to open and run a new branch of the cafe. Now that the cafe's business is reaching a steady pace, my life is also gradually regaining stability.

 

I may have to stop music again due to various reasons such as illness, feeling too busy, or severe stress. But now I am aware that I have to have another job to continue music. Hopefully, I will endure the difficulty of juggling labor work and music, never giving up on my dream.

 

I think many people in their twenties are living like me though they aren’t musicians. That is, they have set aside their dreams to make a living and compromise with their circumstances to some extent. I do not think they are making the wrong choices, though. Our society is not a place that helps individuals to realize their dreams through work. Furthermore, it is difficult for them to find opportunities to achieve self-realization. Given this, it is understandable that so many young people make choices that lead to relatively easy and comfortable lives instead of pursuing self-realization.

 

If I have no choice but to get a job, I'd like to have a job that is not daunting and thus spares me some free time to pursue what I want—something only for me, such as music, other hobbies, love, or traveling. In short, for me, a job irrelevant to music is nothing more than a means to make money.

 

Can I continue to do music while working in a field irrelevant to music? If I have no other choice but to have a job other than music, I hope I will still be able to keep my passion for music and continue to work towards becoming a successful musician.

 

Published: March 24, 2014

Translated by Kang Eun-sil

Original article: https://ildaro.com/6625

 

◆ To see more English-language articles from Ilda, visit our English blog(https://ildaro.blogspot.com).

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