 |
"Gigging" as a Music Freelancer, Pt. II*
Fitting pieces together into a "Frankenstein" career
Pros and Cons As Jason Heath states in his excellent and highly-recommended Double Bass Blog, “a freelancer must stitch all of these gigs together into a Frankenstein career.” A freelance career is a like a patchwork quilt. Being a freelancer impacts every aspect of their working life, from the workplace and skills development to their financial situation and lifestyle. There are pros and cons: What are the advantages of being a freelancer? - You can take on projects that inspire you while being able to continue doing your own creative work.
- The very nature of freelancing means that your workload is often varied and rarely routine.
What are the drawbacks of being a freelancer? - The nature of freelance work can be erratic and can vary from month-to-month, leaving you feeling insecure about finances.
For example, the month of December is typically an active month due to the holidays, but January is typically slow. During the months leading to the Arizona summers the work gets busy but during the hot summer, freelance work is virtually non-existent.
- Filing taxes is very complicated. Many freelance are musicians declare themselves as self-employed and get a wide variety of W2’s and 1099 tax forms.
- There are hidden expenses. Driving from location-to-location can add up to a substantial gas expenses and wear-and-tear on your car.
- Holidays sometimes have to take a back seat, as you either cannot afford them, or don’thave enough time to celebrate them because of heavy workloads and/or gigs during those holidays.
- Your earnings are erratic and you can spend too much time away from home. Work can become an obsession. You think that if you aren't working, you should be, or that you can’t afford not to.
- You must be very careful about planning for the future. Since freelancers are self-employed, health insurance and retirement planning are up to each musician.
According to one source, freelance musicians may represent as much as 80% of the American Federation of Musicians total membership. With a few reliable gigs to count on as a "home base," freelancing can be very rewarding career for a professional musician. For the musicians of the AZOOMA, the Arizona Opera is indeed such a "home base."
back to PART I More information:
*originally published at:
http://azooma.blogspot.com/2007/12
/pieces-of-puzzle-part-ii.html
 |
|
