The musician’s union defines a session musician as ‘anyone who plays a musical instrument or vocalist in a live recording or gig that is not a featured artist’ they further explain that ‘session musicians can be engaged directly by a production company or a record label but are often engaged through a fixer (or contractor)’ while session musicians may rarely be visible to the public their contribution is fundamental to the music industry, underpinning recordings and live performances. Session musicians are highly skilled professionals in not just the technical musical demands but the financial and legal challenges also. Whiles session playing can be ‘lucrative work’ (Burdge) but can be scarce Burdge describes it as ‘feast or famine’ which is one of the challenges of the industry. This essay will explore all aspects of the profession examining the; experience required to enter the profession, skills and qualities necessary for success, duties and responsibilities, financial and legal considerations, promotion marketing and finally the potential career progression. To further help me understand the job I also interviewed session player Ian Burdge which I will reference throughout (and I have put the audio recording at the end). The essay aims to provide a clear understanding of session musicianship and will conclude with why I find this career attractive.
To become a session musician, you need experience playing many genres with a range of people. A high instrumental standard is essential for example you must be able to read sheet music and chord charts whiles also being creative making riffs or developing other musical ideas. Burdge mentions in our interview ‘you can’t get away without technical proficiency’ and you must have gone through ‘quite a long process of learning your instrument’ this is especially important for classical or jazz players. This highlights that although musical degrees or ect won’t guarantee work it can provide you with the training and skills necessary to enter the profession. Some clients may be very specific in what they want you to play whiles other artists may allow lots of freedom or want your help in developing an idea they have in their head. Highlighting why versatility is one of the most important skills as a session player. A good session musician will use their abilities ‘in ways to serve the songs not their egos’ this means not overplaying or showing off but doing what’s needed for the song and client. Although as Victor Wooten explains in his video on ‘How to be a session bass player’ you may also be hired for your style and should ‘add yourself to the song’ as it’s ‘our job (as session players) to make it better’ however distinguishing between times to add yourself to the song and playing what’s written exactly is also a key skill. Therefore having strong creative skills alongside good reading skills is a very useful skill. It requires lots of self-motivation and organisation to be on top of all the different sessions, gigs and finances, so you must be independent in managing yourself and finding work (although some top session players may have a manager). Entering the profession can be challenging as formal academic qualifications like a degree don’t guarantee a job as a session player however conservatoire training (or other music degrees) can help train and develop skills required to be a session player like sight reading or other technical skills.However, experience and a strong portfolio is more valuable when starting out as a session player.
Since the industry is mostly freelance based self-promotion is essential for maintaining visibility and attracting clients. Marketing and social media is an important part of being a session musician. Session players may have a website acting as a portfolio with songs they have played on or artists they have worked with etc. Videos of live performances may also be useful. Social media is a key part of marketing in the modern music industry for example showreels demonstrating musical abilities can help gain attention. Although, word of mouth is also a key to gaining work so networking is an important skill for a session player this may highlight why studying at a conservatoire may be useful for future work. As word of mouth is a key part of the industry, being professional (learning music quickly, being; reliable, punctual and consistent) and easy to work with may be one of the most important factors to gaining future work.
The industry is small and word spreads fast so maintaining a good reputation is key. This is why social skills are just as important as your playing abilities because no matter how good of a player you are if people find you hard to work with or communicate ideas to you will be servery limited. Pino Palladino says in an interview (Newport sessions: session playing) session playing is more about ‘communication than playing music’ being able to ‘sense the situation and try and make it work for everyone’ is one of the reasons he has been successful. As a session player you will constantly be meeting new people so being able to work with a range of people who you often will have just met is key. Therefore, session players must be sociable and friendly. Additionally, recommendations can go a long way in the industry highlighting why you need to be 100% on every job you do even if it may not be your favourite project.
A busy day as a session player may be going between different recording sessions for different artists and then doing a gig in the evening. This schedule requires significant organisation stamina and professionalism. One of the key responsibilities include punctuality as recording studios are booked for specific time slots which can be expensive to hire. Arriving late or unprepared can result in wasted studio time which may negatively impact your and the artists professional reputation. Therefore, being thoroughly practiced and prepared is essential. You will be expected to produce useable takes quickly and with minimal rehearsal time. Similar applies to live performance work. You must be able to communicate your desired tone and monitoring levels to sound engineers in order to maximise efficiency reduce errors and contribute to a successful show. Burdge explained to me in our interview that he usually will work 2-3 days a week on sessions in which timings are extremely strict as it’s extremely expensive to have overtime and the studio is booked for selected times. So as mentioned previously punctuality is extremely important. This also shows that session players may need other projects to help with finances. Additionally modern session work now involves recording from home as its too expensive to hire out studios for basic recordings so another skill session musicians need is very basic recordings skills to be able to record themselves to a decent standard from home and send it off quickly in the desired format ect. Furthermore having a basic recording set up at home will be necessary for this.
Session playing whilst rewarding, can also come with significant financial and legal struggles. As most session players are freelancers that means you must manage your own income, taxes, and pension as well ashaving a lack of employee benefits like sick pay holidays ect. Income is often irregular and can vary massively on different projects which can create financial instability. However, freelancing can come with many benefits like flexibility in which you have greater control over your time making it possible to balance multiple projects at once. As a freelancers you can also diversify your income streams rather than relying on a single employer this can be more interesting than other careers that can become boring overtime. Additionally as Burdge mentioned ‘as a session player you cant expect to have work all the time its either feast or famine’ so most session players will often have other income streams from for example teaching or releasing your own music. In a lecture at Leeds conservatoire Neil Balfour referenced in his talk how difficult it can be to know how to value yourself and saying no to things that you aren’t being paid well enough for which you can navigate through the musicians union’s rates. Additionally Blake Mills highlights a interview (Newport sessions: session playing) ‘learning how to say no to things you know your not the right person for’ is healthy and important so you can make sure u can give your 100% to every project your working on.
To succeed session musicians must be financially organised and legally aware. Legal challenges can include managing your intellectual property and copyright. In many cases session players do not own the rights to what they record and are instead paid a one-off fee this can mean musicians can loose royalties from their recordings, therefore missing out on future income. This is a difference from session work in the states where session players get payed royalties but means their income can depend on factors they cant control such as how well a film does ect. PRS can help tackle many of the challenges referenced earlier, for example PRS is a royalties collection agency which ‘pay royalties when a member’s music is played in public, broadcast, downloaded, streamed, or performed live both in the UK and around the world’ this can help support musicians in collecting their royalties without all the admin which can save time and money ect. Additionally, liability for equipment and injuries must usually be covered by the musician unless they have insurance like public liability insurance which provides ‘liability for damages following injury to a third-party person or damage to property while performing or teaching’ . Additionally as musicians have expensive equipment insurance on your instrument is key for if anything happens to it. However, these are other fees a musician must cover themselves on top of all the other financial issues as referenced earlier.
Live session work, such as touring with an artist or band, has many benefits but also presents significant challenges. Although touring can be fulfilling and exciting whiles also giving a stable income for that period. It comes with many personal challenges due to the long times away from home, family members or close friends. Additionally, due to the irregular times of working staying in contact with friends on a regular 9-5 timetable may be a challenge. Session players often tend to move away from live work like touring as they get older and maybe want to ‘settle down’.
Career progression can involve moving from freelance session work to more permanent roles as full time band member or playing for higher profile artists – touring and recording. This can provide greater financial stability and increased recognition. Recording can be especially fruitful if credited accordingly through royalties. You may start to develop a name for yourself or become a specialist in your niche however Burdge says ‘for bassists, guitarists and drummers you can’t afford to be a specialist if your a working musician’ so this may be unlikely. although as you progress it is true that their may be higher demand for your services leading to more consistent work. Experts in their field also often leads to teaching roles like writing books or doing talks as seen through players like Victor Wooten who has started doing this also. Session player may also move into careers as songwriters or arranging if they are skilled in that area of session playing. Therefore showing their are a range of potential ways to progress your career but it is also very flexible their is not specific way to progress your career. Starting out as a session player may not mean your finish your career as a session player.
In conclusion life as a session musician comes with many ups and downs however there is no doubt that this a career I would love to do in some capacity. Getting into this industry takes lots of work and can be challenging but is very much possible. The more people you meet and play with will help you create a reputation which alongside networking and good marketing/promotion may give you a foot into the industry. You must have a high instrumental standard as ‘you can’t get away without that technical proficiency’ (Burdge) but as mentioned, instrumental abilities can only get you so far and as Palladino stated its more about ‘communication than playing music’. Session playing whilst rewarding, can also come with significant financial and legal struggles but there are many successful people in freelance careers so it’s definitely not impossible to make ends meet as a freelancer. In addition, freelancing has many benefits as mentioned such as flexibility and diversifying of income streams. There is lots of opportunity for career progression from session playing as often session players may move to roles in songwriting or arranging. Therefore, in conclusion I find a career as a session player exciting and something I think If I develop my current skillset I can achieve.
Reference list
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Burdge, I. (2026). Ian Burdge on session playing . 1 Jan.
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Newport Jazz (2023). Newport Sessions: Blake Mills & Pino Palladino, ‘Session Work’. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKjEjmR8GY8 [Accessed 6 Jan. 2026].
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