Digging Ditches Vs. Cover Gigs

**Guest post written by Matt Santry, independent musician and founder of the Well Paid Musicians Club.

"Have you seen the new Netflix series called "Westside"? If you haven't, the best way I can describe it is Real World meets Glee.

There’s a character named James who works construction by day. In the first episode, he asks his boss to cut his hours down to 3 days a week so he can have time to practice for an upcoming show.

They show James digging ditches, tearing down walls and doing backbreaking manual labor.

How much do you think James makes in a 5 day work week? $500-$700?

This is insanity to me!

He's a talented guy. So why couldn't he do 1 cover gig at a private event and make that same amount?

Then James could have 6 days to practice, play other shows or do whatever he wants to do.

+Use Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to Kill Your Thursday, Friday, and Saturday

The problem is, I see too many musicians making the same mistake. They work low to average paying jobs to pay their bills and pursue their music careers in their spare time.

In my interactions with these musicians, I found some common objections and misconceptions:

1. They don't believe it's possible for one person to make $500-$1500 per gig.
2. They don't know where to find/book these types of gigs without an agent.
3. They think it's too much hassle to play a private event like a wedding.
4. They think it's all or nothing. You either do covers, or you do originals.

To address these ideas, I can tell you that...

1. It's very attainable and EASIER than making that kind of money at a club show.
2. You can use any of the 5 sites below to find and book these gigs directly with clients.
3. Once you do a few private events, you get the routine down.
4. This is just false. Lots of talented performers do both because it pays the bills.

On Tuesday, December 11th at 8 pm EST, Kyle Weber of IndieOnTheMove and I will co-host a free webinar on "Top 5 Sites for Booking High Paying Cover Gigs."

In this webinar, we'll cover the ins and outs of these platforms as well as some marketing tactics to help you get the most pay for your particular skill set.

Thumbtack - "Find local professionals for pretty much anything"

GigMasters - "Your every event marketplace"

GigSalad - "The best way to book talent for your events"

WeddingWire - "Let's find your wedding team"

TheKnot - "Your All-In-One Wedding Planner"

Want to learn how to book $500 + cover gigs? Register for this free webinar, show up and take notes!"

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+What I Got Paid in 2015

+How to Make a Living Playing Music