Alright! So you’re fresh out of drummer school and the world is your oyster! You might not have quite the sway that Neil Pert commanded, but you can certainly hold your own on stage or in the studio. So how do you make your way into a career playing the drums?
In this article, we’re going to cover some of the career paths you are going to want to consider. You may have heard that the music industry can be a tough nut to crack. Well, with some persistence and a little out-of-the-box thinking – you should have no trouble making your own luck. Let’s bang out some options, then:
Session Drummer
Ok, let’s start with the ideal one. Do you have any idea how much money an accomplished studio session drummer can make? You can expect to fork up $1500 – $2500 per day if you want to book one of these guys – but they earn every cent of that money.
A session drummer is a drummer who is called up when a recording studio wants to produce a record. A session drummer rolls up with his sticks and plays PERFECTLY, all day, all night – whatever the producer and songwriters want. It’s point-and-shoot drumming, and it takes a massive degree of talent. This may be more an aspiration than a viable career path at first, but we’ve got the strategies to help get you there.
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Freelancing
A freelance drummer? Yeah, it’s a thing! While it may not pay as well as a big studio, the accessibility of music recording software and equipment in recent years has some very positive ramifications for drummers who are starting out in their field.
Drums are extremely difficult to replicate well digitally, so putting a page up on Facebook or an ad up at your local music store can be a great way to find recording gigs and practice your chops as an independent session drummer.
Teaching
The beautiful thing about music is it is meant to be shared. Not only is teaching a really reliable, consistent, and respectable way to make money as a drummer – it is extremely rewarding. You didn’t put the time and energy into learning the drums because you are indifferent about it. This is an activity that is simply not done without passion.
Passing that love and passion on to the next generation of drummers and sharing that special bond that comes with learning a craft through mentorship is a truly incredible way to earn a living. That’s definitely something we can say about our instructors at MI! Teaching is probably the best and most reliable path as a drummer, though we know most of you aspire to play stadiums like Travis Barker – and hey, maybe you’ll get there too!
While teaching the drums is a very valuable task that needs to be done, some of you might be aspiring for different kinds of connections. Here is another route into the industry.
Intern at a Studio
Going out on a limb here – we’re going to assume that you learned how to set up a microphone and you have likely even dabbled in some digital audio software whilst at school. Those are great transferrable skills and if you’re open to thinking outside of the box and trying a – sticks off approach, you can use them to make great industry connections through a different route.
Try interning at a studio. This will develop your skills as a musician and producer and empower you as a drummer in ways you never thought possible. Being at the studio is a way to position yourself to make strong industry connections that will lead to gigs and opportunities down the road.
Music Business
Maybe software and microphones aren’t your thing – but you’ve got a head for business. Moving into music business positions like working as an A&R rep or a manager is another positioning approach that is similar to interning at a studio, but utilizes a different skillset.
Again, you will be putting yourself in the loop of the kinds of people who can offer you opportunities to play – gigs, record albums: you name it. The possibilities are endless when it comes to networking.
In Summation
The honest truth is that you are going to be best off using a combination of approaches. Teaching, freelancing, and positioning yourself as often as you can be is going to be the best approach to getting you in the chair of a juicy gig.
Just remember to have fun, and drum on!