Ever since I began playing guitar at the age of 10, I have aspired to be a gigging musician. My father showing me clips of David Gilmour playing the Pink Floyd Pulse performance was a huge turning point for me. I felt inspired to begin a career in music and I began to realise the emotional weight and impact a live performance can have on the audience, as well as those on stage. This, set against the onset of my own musical journey, meant that I was eager to gain experience in live music from a young age. Luckily, both my school and local area offered many opportunities for children to learn instruments and perform at local town events. As I grew up and became more conscious of my options and the true nature of being a live musician, I gained some knowledge about the needs of an average player, from financial balance to the legal aspects of playing both covers and copyrighted originals. With this general grasp of the basics, I decided to research the profession, to give myself more of an idea of how I might operate in my own career.
My experience in live performance is fairly extensive, encapsulating everything from playing with my band from my hometown, Face for Radio, to session, pit band, and function band work as a guitarist, bassist, and drummer. However, I have yet to deal personally with any financial negotiations for paid gigs, or any copyright/licensing agreements. To better understand these gaps in my experience, I decided to interview a number of musicians I know personally, ranging from experienced session players to members of nationally and internationally touring bands.
What are the (academic and professional) qualifications and/or experience required to enter the profession?
One of the most perpetuated points I discovered throughout my personal research was the fact that no specific prior qualifications are required. That said, being in the entertainment industry, people coming to a band’s/artist’s shows are essentially paying for their service, so the more streamlined and professional the set, the better. In my interviews, every single person mentioned two things: proficiency on your instrument, and experience playing in different settings, whether that be any studio work or playing in different types of ensembles. To quote one interview, with an internationally touring drummer, “being dynamic to suit the venue or situation is the most important part of gigging”. This would additionally imply, while instrumental proficiency is important, it is also crucial to know how you might need to change for different settings, e.g. a drummer using hot rods or a smaller kit when in a pub in comparison to a large venue.
What knowledge, skills, and personal qualities/attributes are needed for success within the profession?
According to a BBC Introducing article (2021), in the world of pubs and clubs, promoters’ main requirements from an artist are for them to be “reliable … on time … and … to bring a crowd” and really nothing more. Each of these points has a significant impact on both the success of an individual gig as well as the likelihood of being booked for future gigs. Reliability and punctuality are vitally important to an artist/band breaking into the world of consistent gigging as they build trust with promoters. If an artist adheres to set times, arrives on time, and puts on a good show, promoters will be incentivised to book them again.
On top of that, bringing a crowd is equally important since it is the direct cause of ticket sales and bar profit. Artists who show promoters that they will draw an audience will be seen similarly to low-risk investments, with the knowledge that their performance will probably create profit. This can lead to being booked more frequently, likely growing one’s fanbase and experience, leading to bigger shows and better time slots over time. Overall, these expectations show how consistency, punctuality, and quality of performance are crucial for continuing growth in the gigging world, especially for independent artists.
What are the duties and responsibilities of the profession – what does a typical day’s work involve?
The day of a gig can be fraught with sudden changes, conflicts, and unexpected hiccups, but if well prepared and able to adapt, experienced musicians should be able to deal with most of these unforeseen changes. With this in mind, gig days can be stressful and difficult to navigate, so it is vital that everyone involved pulls their weight. In my own experience, a usual gig day will go as follows: band practice/meeting in the morning until perhaps the early afternoon, depending on the distance to travel and the load-in time. During this time, it may be important to do some additional promotion, e.g. an Instagram story or post. Next, transit, wherein all the gear needs to be loaded into cars/van and transported to the venue in time for the load-in. The load-in itself can be a difficult time when certain members may not be contributing as much as others, so it’s very important to “know everyone’s responsibilities”, quoting one of my interviews, so that conflicts and tension can be avoided. Sound check follows the load in, and with a split bill it will likely have quite strict timings for different bands to sound check. This can be one of the main times when promoters see your reliability, as referenced earlier. The time between sound check and the show can be used in a number of ways, resting and relaxing in preparation, changing into gig attire and warming up – which is especially important for singers – are the usual ways to spend this time, however what is done with it is up to the performer. After this comes the show, when professionalism is key. Instruments should be tuned before going on stage, song changes should be tight and well-rehearsed, and the show should, ideally, be engaging to the audience. Finally, the load-out, the part of the working day that almost all the interviewees said that they had had problems with, with everything ranging from band members disappearing to, in one case, having had their van blocked in by the following band. Overall, the day of a gig can present many challenges and instances of friction, clear preparation, adaptability, and well-defined responsibilities are what will help to ensure the whole day runs smoothly and the band/artist makes a good impression on both promoters and audience members.
What are the main financial and legal issues that impact the profession?
In the lower levels of live musicianship, it is difficult to break even and make a liveable wage from just ticket and merch sales. All of the people I interviewed who work doing music full time supplement their income, on top of playing gigs/touring, with additional work. The most common secondary profession I observed was teaching, from private lessons to owning an entire chain of music schools. Last Minute Musicians (2020) have an article detailing the most effective ways to make money as a musician, including teaching as well as depping, and diversifying one’s own live portfolio to include things such as weddings or corporate events. The need for additional income shows that it’s difficult to rely only on money made from gigs alone, with many people taking on additional roles in order to support themselves, whether it is just in periods of fewer or gigs or constant simultaneous income streams. This shows how, at the beginning and intermediate levels, essentially anything other than being a famous artist, requires multiple streams of pay.
With regards to the legal side of live music, it can be difficult for independent artists to navigate the industry without help or advice. However, there are many legal aspects that can contribute to earnings from live music. One key example of this is performance royalties from venues, money that can be claimed when an artist’s music is played live at gigs, festivals, and other events. Performers must report details of their shows in order to claim these royalties from services like PRS, including the date, venue, and setlist. Different performances are remunerated in different ways with small venues paying at a fixed rate depending on the size and larger event royalties being calculated based on ticket revenue (PRS for Music, n.d.). To conclude, while it can be difficult for independent artists to deal with the complexity of music legality, developing consciousness of these legal/monetary opportunities can both protect their rights and can also allow for other financial avenues to support their living.
What would the potential marketing and promotional aspects of this profession look like?
In the early, independent stages of a gigging career, before getting management or being signed to a label, it seems that almost all the promotional work is the responsibility of the artist themselves, especially when releasing music and trying to grow a fanbase in general. One of the most compelling examples from a contact I interviewed came from Amelie Gibson, the lead singer and guitarist from Brighton-based band, SLAG, who personally hand draws a promotional magazine – the SLAG MAG – that is sent out monthly to fans on an email list with information about upcoming shows and releases, album recommendations from the band members, and other activities and info. Social media also plays a huge role in promotion for modern bands and artists, with Instagram being the main way most people announce shows and releases as well as to engage with fans and get a feel for the wants of consumers. It has become so important in fact, that most labels today even have requirements for social media numbers before signing a new artist, e.g. 3000 Instagram followers.
What are the intellectual and personal challenges presented by the profession and how might these be dealt with?
Every single person I spoke to during my research mentioned working closely with others in a band to be their most frequent personal challenge throughout their career and experience, whether it be spiteful legal disputes or simply not getting along perfectly with another member for a short while. For many, the creative process in collaboration with others can also be a struggle due to many musicians’ individual artistic identities in many cases not remaining true to their own vision when brought to a band setting (Beech et al., 2016:12-14). These struggles show fundamental tensions within band dynamics, regardless of intention from any members. Ultimately, working as a musician, specifically in a band setting, requires people to constantly search for a balance of personal artistic integrity and collective responsibility, which can prove very difficult to sustain over a long period.
What career-progression/development opportunities are available within the profession?
In an ideal world for many players, the progression of their work would take them to the very top of the music industry, touring the world and selling out shows. This, however, can be largely tied to age and lifestyle, with many, though not all, of the interviewees over 30 who I spoke to now focusing more on things like teaching and session work. The other people I interviewed all referred to milestones such as playing headline tours or noteworthy festivals such as Glastonbury and Reading/Leeds. It became clear throughout my interviews that, in a career path as variable and capricious as this, there isn’t an obvious definition or measurement for success. Some seemed to believe that reaching these lofty goals would be the next stepping stone in their career, while others simply saw them as stages in their career, not necessarily dictating where it should continue next. The music industry, especially for creatives themselves, seems not to be shaped by linear trajectories but more by individual circumstances and priorities.
In conclusion, my research has shown that success as a gigging musician relies far more on experience, professionalism, and reliability than on formal qualifications. While proficiency on one’s instrument is essential, good communication, adaptability, and working well with others are just as important. Gigs themselves make up only a very small part of the overall work done by live musicians, when considering self-promotion, financial and legal admin, and navigating interpersonal dynamics such as those between band members or collaborators. Interviews I conducted with real working musicians, as well as additional online and academic research, highlighted the need for multiple income streams in many cases, as well as showing that success in the industry is not linear, nor is it simply defined by the size of shows or the number of streams. Overall, this research has expanded my understanding of gigging professionally and has given me a greater awareness of important factors to consider within my own pursuit of a career in music.
Reference List
BBC (2021) Getting gigs. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/5SFqBPmPbLCjtNmwFyKcNXW/getting-gigs#:~:text=Find%20a%20venue,need%20to%20bring%20a%20crowd. (Accessed 29 Nov 2025)
Beech, N., Gilmore, C., Hibbert, P. and Ybema, S. (2016). Identity-in-the-work and musicians’ struggles: the production of self-questioning identity work. Work, Employment and Society, 30(3), pp.506–522. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017015620767.
Fellowes, J. (2020). Top ten ways to supplement your income as a musician. How To Get Gigs. Available at: https://www.lastminutemusicians.com/how_to_get_gigs/ten-ways-to-supplement-your-income-as-a-musician/.
PRS for Music (n.d.). Reporting live performances. Available at: https://www.prsformusic.com/royalties/report-live-performances.
