Poll: What kind of player are you...

[JohnLutz]

I'm interested in where you use your gifts....

[mprvise]

I don't think "cover band" = "weekend warrior" in all cases (not in my case anyway). Had to go with other.

[Big Bob]

Since when is selling 100,000 records "making it"? You are still crashing on couches at that point. IMO you haven't made it until your 3rd or 4th platinum.

[Don L]

Praise & Worship band for the last 7 years or so.
Also enjoy playing at home and attending tone parties with friends.

[michael patrick]

Well, we play all original music. But I'd hardly describe us as going for much of anything. I always say that fame and fortune are going to have to come and find me, I ain't looking for them... I've got a wife and kids, and a career that is rewarding, pays well, and has good benefits. I'm not interested in schlepping around the Midwest in a van for weeks on end.

I'd be happy to make back the money we plowed into making our new CD.

[LHakim]

Another "Church Guitarist" here, although I was part of the post-punk underground scene in Detroit back in the 80's. Have also been and continue to be a basement, living room and bedroom player.

[Ken]

Its interesting that the Survey I have been taking the past month, (see the link in my Sig at the bottom) indicates that a good 33% of gear pagers here are bedroom players.

[harryjmic]

I'm in 2 cover bands but I sure spend a lot more time then just the weekends playing...lots of practices, tune learning etc. I always evaluate my stuff in context with a live performance, I have had way too many times where something I thought would work live failed miserably and vice versa.

[jbgordon]

I'm in a band that leads worship all over the place in Oklahoma. We're really just getting started, but we have a pretty full line up of dates to play. Also, we're recording an album right now that should be out this summer.
So I guess you could say that we're "goin for it" regionally, nationally, and also doing worship. Theres a link to our myspace in my signature. We only have one song up right now that was kind of the first demo track from the studio, but there will be a 3 song ep done within a week or so. I'm only going to be on 1-2 of the tracks on the album though, because Kendall Combes, who plays lead with Charlie Hall, is doing the studio work.

[Bryan T]

Solo act (going for it - regional, originals), band (going for it - regional, originals), teacher (12 students per week), and sessions (a few a month). Other (non-music) things for additional income.

Bryan

[willyboy]

fulltime musician - teaching, gigging, writing, recording, and session work, all in many styles

[macgill]

Since when is selling 100,000 records "making it"? You are still crashing on couches at that point. IMO you haven't made it until your 3rd or 4th platinum.

100,000 records is platinum in Canada. Lol.

Anyway, I guess "making it" is a subjective term. If I could make a decent middle-class living selling records and touring, I would consider that "making it". If you have 3 or 4 platinum records (US numbers), you haven't just made it, you're a superstar. 100,000 records sold also means some considerable income through touring and merch, so I think a band who took care of their finances should be a step above "crashing on couches" at that point. Maybe I'm wrong.

BTW, I play in a worship band who has also done some touring and had three singles released to national radio here in Canada with some success. Our record is distributed nationally, so I would put us in the "goin' for it" category too.

[yakuza]

regional, out of those I suppose

[Andy J.]

100,000 records is platinum in Canada.
Heck, that's over TRIPLE-platinum in Finland, 30,000 is platinum. Just a little reference to how small the market here is...
I guess we're "going for it", our records are distributed nationally but we all have day jobs (well, I study full-time, but anyway...).

[sage97]

What kind of a player am I?

I keep looking for the option that says "lousy" or "terrible" but can't seem to find either.

[Bulldog]

I put in other. I was teaching lessons until about 4 months ago, and I hope to start back up in the future.

[Chompies]

I play for my Church's Worship Band. I would like to start up a Cover Band though...

[trisonic]

I couldn't find "Hack" either - so I didn't vote.

Best, Pete.

[drbob1]

Hey, you can be a hack and play in some of the other categories, just write to me for lessons! I play worship regularily, covers sometime, in the basement always and for school productions twice a year...

[guitgator]

Yeah...that's only if you're your own record company. I know several people who got dropped from deals after selling a measely 200K of an album.

Since when is selling 100,000 records "making it"? You are still crashing on couches at that point. IMO you haven't made it until your 3rd or 4th platinum.

[Dave Orban]

Blues and R&B Covers.

[ransacker]

I guess that weekend warrior covers it for me. I went from playing in a regional ski-country act to W.W. over the last decade. Like alot of you, I have a Wife, Kid, Dog, Mortgage. All of which demand more of you than schlepping your gear out of a brutal ski bar into -10 degree weather at 01:30 and driving home on ice. After years of doing the afforementioned, I spent a little time drifting, travelled and got into a securities career only to have the dot com bust and 9/11 derail my sojourn to the middle class. Now I would rather spend a Saturday night watching Hockey Night in Canada and ready Pajama Time to my daughter. I work in a hospital as a surgical tech and deal with alot of bodily fluids and surgeons with inflated senses of self. It all beats dealing with club owners, recreational chemical meltdowns and no sleep. Now I get upearly on Sunday, read the paper, change a diaper and go off and play a few songs for the glory of G*D and leave it at that. Much better than the above.

[mad dog]

Not sure about this bedroom thing. Even when there are no gigs, I never play there. FWIW: gig a couple times a month on average, as much originals as covers.

[Don A]

I'm not on that list.

I'm more than a bedroom player, I jam with friends once or twice a week and we play at each others parties and barbecues, but I don't get paid so I'm not really a weekend warrior.

[rob2001]

I'm not really on the list either. I did the cover band thing for 20 some years but now i'm writing and recording with a 3 piece band and we also have done some studio work as a backing band. We work with a songwriting team with a female singer and we've done some pretty fun projects with them and record in a seriously top flight studio in Chicago. Goin there again in march.

But for the most part i'm a guy with a day job and playing is a great hobby that makes a few bucks sometimes. I wouldn't consider myself a pro.

[j_m_s]

Worship band. Cover band and Original band.

[Todd Lynch]

I don't think "cover band" = "weekend warrior" in all cases (not in my case anyway). Had to go with other.

Not in my case either - but I went with 'weekend warrior' anyway.

[semi-hollowbody]

bedroom player...
but I assume this includes getting together with other bedroom players and jamming on occasion as I have done that. We have never gigged or played for anyone other than the drummers room mates irritated slut girlfriend who woke up to our bad foo fighters rendition and came downstairs half naked to yell at us to turn it down...I asked her if she would dance for us, using the basement pole of course, which really ticked her off...

[kenoflife]

regional I guess - playing festivals and so on...
kinda cover and originals too - between categories as usual.

[analogmike]

Other - weekly drinking/jamming sessions to relax and enjoy playing, however lousy.

[LavaMan]

Need to add a category: Blues Jammer....

I played in cover bands for years and some all original bands along the way, but now all I have time for is blues jams...

[Redhouse-Blues]

To bad you can't pick two or more. I play in a worship band for a large church 2000+ on Sundays. I also do the weekend warrior thing with a Blues Band and go to open jams.

[Brett Valentine]

I've moved through a couple of those categories in the last few years. These days it's mostly church, but the occasional call does come in.

[Pietro]

I work at my church as the Worship Arts Pastor.

Not only don't I play in my bedroom, but I normally don't even have a guitar at home!

[wc8485]

Regional, and some teaching.

[Seegs]

I didn't see my category..."went for it" and now know better;)

Chow,
Seegs

[ljdsam]

Another Worship band player, but also covers band when I get the chance.

[playon]

I'm the good kind! ;)

Seriously, I do a bunch of different stuff, I play as often as possible (freelance sideman), I teach a little, play occasional sessions, and will be gigging soon with a regional original singer-songwriter who plays nationally, but as an opening act on select dates, not a full-on touring thing.

In the past have toured nationally as a sideman, played with some well known American roots artists, and played on a couple of albums, but that was long ago, it was back when the dead sea was just feeling kinda sick. (* rimshot!)

:roll

[Dandy13]

I didn't see my category..."went for it" and now know better;)

Chow,
Seegs
+1 :BEER

[Serious Poo]

We play originals 2x a month, so I put other.

[bluelew]

I checked worship because that was the closest choice to what I'm involved in. I am heavily involved in two outreach bands. One is a blues based Christian band that does all kinds of events. We have a cd out of mostly originals that you can hear on the myspace and other link in my signature. I didn't write any of the tunes but I really like how "graveyard", "now I see", and "your condidtion" turned out. We've been all over Florida and had a great time down in Peru a few years back (we're going back this summer).

The other band I'm in is a prison ministry band. We have been to most of the prisons in Florida from "CSI Miami Glades" to Tallahassi. We usually spend the weekend at a facility doing outreach in the "yard" on saturdays and worship in the prison chapel on sundays. Going through the sally ports with a massive P.A., tube amps, and your favorite Strat and having the gates close behind you is always exciting. We are at the mercy of the weather, gaurds and inmates. Seeing some of the guys smile during Santana's "evil ways" is a blast- giving some hope to the hopeless. You haven't lived until you've led worship in a prison chapel!:NUTS We've had former guys from "Tower of Power" and "KC and the Sunshine Band" come up and join us.

[redpill]

100,000 records is platinum in Canada. Lol.

Anyway, I guess "making it" is a subjective term. If I could make a decent middle-class living selling records and touring, I would consider that "making it". If you have 3 or 4 platinum records (US numbers), you haven't just made it, you're a superstar. 100,000 records sold also means some considerable income through touring and merch, so I think a band who took care of their finances should be a step above "crashing on couches" at that point. Maybe I'm wrong.

I have a buddy whose old band (Hum, for those interested - he played guitar) has probably sold over a half million albums when it's all said and done (one album went 250,000 quickly all by itself, so I'm estimating on after-the-rush sales and the other recordings he was involved in with them). They lost their record contract in 2000. He now has my old job as an IT manager in a university department. I gave him the part time, $10/hour job that led to his current career path something like seven years ago. He got a considerable four-figure paycheck for a "reunion" concert in 2003, then did a second reunion locally in 2005, but that's it for that band. He still makes music, and good music in my opinion, with other bands - but it's not making him even a supplemental living. That said, he seems like a happy guy, so it was a cool experience for him.

I'd say platinum is "made it" - but even that is no guarantee of a living in music. Read "All You Need To Know About The Music Business" by Donald Passman for the numbers on what going platinum really gets you. And honestly, touring dries up. It's hard to reach the top, and even harder to stay there, unless you're a factory label product.

Music as a profession is absolutely brutal. I respect the passion and will of those who bother.

[BluesHarp]

Here Here! 1+!:BluesBros

Need to add a category: Blues Jammer....

I played in cover bands for years and some all original bands along the way, but now all I have time for is blues jams...

[trushack]

I basically sit in my basement and write and record for my own pleasure. I have occasionally jammed with folks here and there and would like to join a "gigs for beer money, if any money at all" sort of band before I get too old, but other than that I just do it for fun. So I'm a "bedroom player".