Introduction

Session Musicians play a big part in the professional music world. Their use of technical expertise and creative versatility in recordings and live shows bring the artist’s vision to life. Session musicians are normally freelancing and typically get hired through contractors (Musicians Union 2023). They will get hired to play specific musical parts meaning they have to adapt quickly to the genre and creative demands. As the music world has developed with technological advancements and shifted more towards freelance and portfolio word, session musicians has become an increasingly more popular profession also due to the much better pay compared to most classical musicians or jazz musicians.  This essay will explore a session musician’s experience, skills, personal attributes, qualifications and responsibilities on a day to day basis. I will also consider financial and legal challengers a session player might be faced with and the importance of marketing and networking in this competitive field.

Qualifications and Entry Requirements

There is no single definitive pathway to get into session work, this is due to the profession focusing more on practical ability, versatility and reputation. 

That being said it is very common for session players to have achieved a music degree or attend a conservatoire or some sort of specialist musical education, where they develop advanced technique, musical theory knowledge and general performance skills. A music degree and conservatoire build these technical skills but also give players a chance to start performing and get a taste of the industry before going pro.These qualifications can also lead to valuable connections.

However, none of this guarantees anything, the most important thing a session musician can have is good experience and a good reputation. Employers will look for someone reliable, easy to work with, adaptable and a good track record. This is why Networking is one of the most important things in a small industry such as this. Being polite and respectful can go a long way in opening doors (Barnes LCON 2020). Opportunities can come in many different shapes and sizes, a session player may need to work for free and for people they might not like but work is work and it can lead to better opportunities in the future.

Knowledge, skills and attributes

Successful session musicians need to show a high level of musical ability with a big range of technical and interpersonal skills. Sight- reeding, high level tone control, strong sense of rhythm are some of the core musical attributes that are required of a session player. Being able to play through many genres and styles and play each one virtuosically is a skill that makes a great session player. Session music is such a broad field that players need to be adaptable, it could be film music, contemporary or touring with a band.

Having a decent knowledge about how recordings work and understanding the studio etiquette are also helpful attributes to have. Being able to help set up or even just understanding what is going on will make a session smoother. Personal attributes are such a big part in freelance work though, performing under pressure, being able to contribute without overstepping artist boundaries, reliability, adaptability and affection communication. Being polite, punctuality, not trying to be diva, learning the work, are all attributes a session musician needs (Barnes, Lcon 2020).

On top of this a session musician needs a strong work ethic, as a freelancing, self-employed career they are responsible for getting up and actually doing the work to earn the money. It is also a difficult career to start as it relies on networking and marketing which can be hard at first and gigs will be rare so to keep showing up and putting the effort in is tough but necessary. You need to be resilient as a session musician, sometimes a gig will go badly and you just have to keep going, (McDougall 2017). They also have to be committed to practicing and putting the work in on their instrument. 

Duties and responsibilities

Being a session musician requires you to have certain responsibilities, in work life and personal life. 

In their work life they have a responsibility to be punctual; part of showing respect and having good etiquette is showing up on time, this also builds a good reputation. They also have a responsibility to be open minded, following on from adaptability, they should be willing to listen to the artist and try to understand the vision. Professionally they should also have a good understanding of DAWs and recording technology to work smoothly with the producers and artist and usually there is time pressure. 

In their home life however they face different responsibilities and challenges. For example the financial responsibilities of being freelance, if you don’t gig, you don’t get paid. You won’t always know when your next gig is and therefore next paycheck, you have to be financially responsible. This can often be off putting for people looking to get into the field as they most likely have to work other jobs on the side to afford to live. You have a responsibility to keep practicing, learning new techniques and keeping up with the musical trends of the times. 

Career Progression

As a session musician becomes more experienced, and becomes better at their instrument(‘s) and at session work in general they will build up a reputation and start to get hired more frequently and for bigger names, recording sessions or touring. This leads to steadier income, more royalties and bigger fees. They might also receive bigger responsibilities such as becoming a musical director, being responsible for the other players and rehearsal schedules. Some may use their experience and skill set to try something new such as their own composing or songwriting and others may choose to go into teaching, private tutoring or higher education. 

Session musicians usually aim to move to something else as their career progresses because it can be an unreliable profession in terms of location and pay. As they get older and want a family they need something more stable with less travel and steady pay, like teaching for example.

Financial and legal issues

The reason being a session musician is unreliable is because there is an irregular salary; they can be paid day rates, per-track fees and for touring it could be weekly or per show. They also don’t get the benefits of a traditional employee, they get no sick pay, no holiday pay, no pension and no job security; if they don’t work, they don’t get paid. They also have wide expenses such as travel, insurance, instruments and maintenance, recording equipment and more. These costs can be significant and on-going; so on top of the unreliable pay, they have to take a cut out of it for work.

Being a session musician also presents legal issues, specifically in regards to contracts, royalties and copyrights. Often a session musician is hired on a verbal or informal agreement, this can often lead to disputes of writes and pay in the future. On many occasions musicians are given a one-off pay-out and give up their copyrights of the recordings that they contributed to. This means they may not receive payments from future sales or broadcasts. Organisations such as the musicians union offer advice about contracts and rights. They emphasize the importance of being aware of potential legal issues and how contracts work, as well as making sure they are being paid what they are worth.

Rising Challenges

In recent years but particularly in the last year, we have seen the advancement of AI. This is proving a threat to session musicians as artists and producers are able to generate the music through AI. Generative AI is one of the biggest threats to the job market in history and especially in fields like music. Anyone can now go online and for free create a whole song through generative AI. Session musicians might not be needed if nothing is done to stop this mass unregulated use of AI.

Marketing and promotion

In the modern music world, marketing and promotion is incredibly important if you want to be noticed and get hired. Online promotion but also marketing yourself when you meet people, word of mouth is crucial for a session musician’s success. Artists, producers and musical directors tend to re-hire musicians that they liked and that were good; being professional, on time and easy to work with can act as key promotional tools!

In addition to networking and spreading through word of mouth, session musicians take to social media and other online platforms to market and promote. This is key in the modern era. They use social media to promote their services and build a professional identity. Most session musicians will also have their own websites and show-reels to show their ability, versatility and experience to a wider audience. Maintaining a good online presence can help musicians get work outside of their local area, this is also due to remote recordings and online collaboration being used a lot more in recent years. However, effective marketing relies on a careful self presentation, they need to be able to balance their personal identity with professionalism so as to not lose credibility. Successful marketing as a session musician relies on a combination of professional relationships, consistent performance quality and a careful and curated online presence.

Session musicians play such a key role in the music world, most of the music that we hear on a daily basis were recorded or being played live by session musicians. There is no direct route to become one but that is a good thing, there are no necessary qualifications, if they are good, that is all that matters. However, as discussed in this essay there are some key skills and attributes a session musician should have to do this profession. 

This essay has also looked at some of the potential challenges of being a session musician, legal, financial, etc and how someone going into this line of work needs to be responsible with a good work ethic to make this into a career. 

In conclusion, session musicians remain a core part of the music industry, contributing specialist instrumental skills, fast adaptability and reliability across a wide spectrum of musical areas. This essay has shown that while there is no single way into session work, the success is reliant upon a mix of technical ability, adaptability, professional behaviour, and effective marketing and networking. Despite the creative rewards of this line of work, session musicians face other challenges, such as financial instability, legal mishaps surrounding contracts, royalties and copyright as well as an increasing threat from artificial intelligence. As this industry continues to change, session musicians will have to try and stand out, be legally informed, and proactive in creating long term portfolio careers. At the end of the day, session music is a tough but viable profession for the people who are willing to combine musical ability with good career management and a constant professional development.

References

• Barnes, C. (2020) Leeds Conservatoire. The Life Of… a Session Musician. [online] 
• McDougall, D. (2017). Leeds conservatoire. Musicians’ Survival Guide: The Life of a Session Musician and Songwriter. [online] ‌
• Musicians Union (2023). Session Musician Advice. [online] musiciansunion.org.uk.