How Badly Do You Want to Work as a Professional Musician?

by Bob Popyk

Yesterday I received a phone call from a trumpet player who belongs to two locals in the northeast. He said he works all the time and agreed about not "lowering himself" to get out there and play for free. He said there are a lot of gigs if you want to put yourself out a little. For example, he was telling me how he came to know all the funeral directors in both locals that he belongs to. When a military veteran dies, the funeral director suggests to the family that "Taps" be played at the gravesite. The funeral director acts as his agent. I asked him what makes him unique at this. He said he hides in the woods or out of sight, plays taps twice-once towards the grave and then turns around and plays it again like an echo the other way. He also has a pamphlet that tells about his service. A little morbid, but he does this every week.

He says he has no competition. No one else wants to do it.

He told me he learned to play keyboard, so he can play trumpet with one hand and keyboard with the other. Corporate venues love him because they think it's unique. He sings too, and he sometimes emcees a function as well. He says it takes a lot of time staying in touch with the meeting planners, plus they change all the time. But he always asks for referrals, calls them on the phone, sends them thank you notes, keeps them on his mailing lists, and sends them a gift at Christmas.

Now here's the kicker: he's not one of the top players in town--yet he works all the time. He has some business sense, some marketing smarts, and a little personality. He never cuts his price (he always mentions he's a professional... an AFM member), and he never just sits around waiting for the phone to ring for his next gig. He's always finding different ways to earn a living as a musician.