How do you earn your livelihood ?

[visheshl]

I was just curious, how do most people on this forum earn their living?
Are they able to earn their bread and butter thru music, or is music their side hustle/hobby

[dvdrtldg]

I have a weekly radio show and podcast with the national broadcasting network in Australia. I like to say that I "earn money from my music" because I make all the music for the show. To be honest, the music's just incidental and I could just as easily use copyright-free library stuff - but I do sometimes get emails from listeners asking me where they can get the music they heard on the show, which I find way more gratifying than emails wanting to discuss the actual content of the show

I also have a dedicated music project from which I earn (barely) enough money to keep me in plugins

[PhillipOrdonez]

I have a weekly radio show and podcast with the national broadcasting network in Australia. I like to say that I "earn money from my music" because I make all the music for the show. To be honest, the music's just incidental and I could just as easily use copyright-free library stuff - but I do sometimes get emails from listeners asking me where they can get the music they heard on the show, which I find way more gratifying than emails wanting to discuss the actual content of the show

I also have a dedicated music project from which I earn (barely) enough money to keep me in plugins

That's awesome. I can imagine how those emails feel

[motuscott]

Whoops, the sheriff needs a nap

[huggermugger]

Twenty years as a freelance composer/sound designer which evolved into a fifteen-year professorship at Humber College in Toronto, teaching audio production and post-production. I retired two years ago and now I'm a burden on the state. Plus I get to play with virtual synths all day, every day. I bathe occasionally too.

[StephenHutchinson]

Twenty years as a freelance composer/sound designer which evolved into a fifteen-year professorship at Humber College in Toronto, teaching audio production and post-production. I retired two years ago and now I'm a burden on the state. Plus I get to play with virtual synths all day, every day. I bathe occasionally too.

Woah, Toronto you say? Small world... I currently live at Yonge & Bloor in the "big smoke". .

Congrats on the Humber College professorship! That is indeed incredible... and now you have time to play with all the nice new audio toys.

[dvdrtldg]

Twenty years as a freelance composer/sound designer which evolved into a fifteen-year professorship at Humber College in Toronto, teaching audio production and post-production. I retired two years ago and now I'm a burden on the state. Plus I get to play with virtual synths all day, every day. I bathe occasionally too.

This is basically my sliding doors ideal alternative career path, congratulations

[dhruan]

Design Lead (UX/Product/Service and/or User/Human-Centered Designer).

What do I do then? I help build digital services and software, all the way from:

• early-phase research (looking into people's lives to see what their pain points and needs are in that particular domain to find out what the problems we should be solving and where we could deliver value), to

• concept design (early designs that try to capture what would be the best way to deliver this value), to more polished

• UX design & prototyping (moving the needle closer to what the actual product or service should look like, how it should function, etc.) to

• validation (make sure that it is actually usable, safe, etc., and functions in the intended way > delivers the intended value), etc.

In practice, I am a designer in a software development team, responsible for the development of the healthcare professional experience of certain cancer care-related software, with some competence lead activities thrown into the mix. Been at this particular gig for over three years now, first as a senior designer and now a design lead.

Our software facilitates patient & care team communication and symptom reporting so that things that previously fell through the cracks, due to long times between appointments, get caught in time. What does this mean in real-life terms? Improved QoL for stage 3 & 4 cancer patients, for starters. There are other benefits also, for example, the patients survive for a fair bit longer due to things that could be fatal getting caught in time (important for patients who are being treated with immunotherapy or other novel drugs that might have severe side effects).

I've worked in the field of design for 25+ years, and see myself doing this (well, more in design research and leadership roles) for the next 25, especially in the field of medical software. I've worked in various industries over the years, including the public sector, and finance/fintech, and this is the first time that I feel I actually have a meaningful mission, helping people who are dealing with one of the most heinous diseases there is, and having an actual impact. It is also a very personal mission for me as my better half and many others in the family or friends are currently living with cancer, and fighting the good fight. Well, those who have not lost it already.

Music production is very much a creative outlet for me, something that I do on my own terms for my own benefit (and often, to the annoyance of others...)

[Popey]

I am a people partner at a UK fire service. Basically my role involves learning and development for staff ranging from executive leadership to first aid training. I am also involved in setting up assessment centres for promotion boards which entails setting up role plays, realistic fire scenarios and interviews.

Only music related thing is we will slip in the old music related role play names for our actors or the police/ambulance teams that attend (eg. Tony Hadley, Martin kemp etc)

Music wise it is very much a hobby.

[motuscott]

Twenty years as a freelance composer/sound designer which evolved into a fifteen-year professorship at Humber College in Toronto, teaching audio production and post-production. I retired two years ago and now I'm a burden on the state. Plus I get to play with virtual synths all day, every day. I bathe occasionally too.

You definitely win.
Respect!

[EdGrip]

I can lay down a new track in silence, using only one level, and I hit my marks 9 times out of 20.

[gritz]

I work for the man , 34 years working from 15 1/2 to now few years left to go - senior analyst for an American bank specialising in uat and tech projects- now at the age I loathe it but need the money but it pays for the nice things

[huggermugger]

Twenty years as a freelance composer/sound designer which evolved into a fifteen-year professorship at Humber College in Toronto, teaching audio production and post-production. I retired two years ago and now I'm a burden on the state. Plus I get to play with virtual synths all day, every day. I bathe occasionally too.

This is basically my sliding doors ideal alternative career path, congratulations

When you get there, let me know, we'll share war stories and talk about all of our scars.

[huggermugger]

I work for the man , 34 years working from 15 1/2 to now few years left to go - senior analyst for an American bank specialising in uat and tech projects- now at the age I loathe it but need the money but it pays for the nice things

The nice things are worth it!