Art & Commerce: Strange Bedfellows

Art & Commerce: Strange Bedfellows

How Jazz Artists Sustain Their Careers in the 21st Century

The path to fiscal viability and financial sustainability has never been an easy one for jazz artists.  Those who choose to pursue college degrees often find themselves saddled with crippling student loan debt just as they are entering the “real world” workplace post-university.  Frequently, a career in the arts-whether performing or visual-does not come with a regular 9-5 hours or the typical benefits of blue-collar or white-collar careers (401ks, paid vacation time, health care, etc.).  Most significantly, a career in the arts oftentimes does not come with a steady paycheck.

How, then, does one make such a career as a jazz artist work in the modern age?

In its relatively short history (roughly 120 years or so), jazz has struggled for “respectability.” It has transitioned from performance spaces like bordellos to  large open-air festivals to opera houses and the finest concert halls in the world. 

With this transition has come a greater acceptance and “legitimacy” that has created opportunities of which early jazz artists could never have dreamed.

Despite these expanded opportunities, however, many jazz artists still find it hard to sustain and maintain a living by performing jazz exclusively.

Some find lucrative musical work doing studio recordings for television and film.  The demands of these types of jobs typically require unique musical skills such as the ability to sightread flawlessly, a thorough understanding of multiple musical styles, and the ability to double on multiple instruments.  While jazz artists are usually highly skilled at improvisation, these types of jobs rely more on one’s musical reading skills and ability to blend with a section.  Likewise, some may find playing opportunities in pit orchestras for music theater productions.

Similarly, jazz artists can find section work in established repertory jazz big bands such as the Count Basie Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Mingus Big Band, and any number of ensembles in the U.S. armed forces (principally, the U.S. Air Force Airmen of Note, the U.S. Navy Band Commodores).   

Ultimately, whichever path a jazz artist chooses, he or she must confront the same question that faces performing artists in other idioms; namely, how does one monetize one’s art? 

To answer this question, there are several things to consider.  In the case of a performance, things such as rehearsal time, travel time to and from the gig, the size and acoustics of the venue, the lighting arrangements in the venue, accommodations and whether or not their cost will be included in the fee, opportunities for merchandising and recording, and how many musicians will be needed for the gig all need to be taken into account.

Now more than ever the onus is on the artist to solicit and promote his or her performances, recordings, and merchandise.  It is not enough to “just play music.”  Now, one must have a computer skills, an internet presence, a social media presence, and an understanding of self-promotion.  This may entail maintaining a personal website.  It may entail self-funding a recording project as major labels continue to marginalize jazz, and the demand to record for smaller niche labels becomes fierce.

Merchandising can provide an additional revenue stream for jazz artists.  With the current resurgence of interest in vinyl one would do well to consider providing a vinyl pressing of one’s current album, as well as mp3 files and/or a CD release.  Maybe a limited edition colored EP or 45 would be warranted.  T-shirts have long been a favorite of music fans, as have stickers, buttons, and keychains.   

Currently, many jazz artists are also deriving revenue by offering exclusive products such as method books, transcription anthologies, online tutorials, and, in some cases, even their own lines of instruments and musical accessories.

This brings us to another forum for sustainability for jazz artists; teaching.

There are more university jazz programs than ever before.  Increasingly, established recording artists are finding the benefits of balancing a steady teaching position with touring and recording.  Aside from college programs, artists are teaching in summer camps, jazz academies, online workshops, and one-on-one private lessons.            

The jazz artist of the 21^st century faces many challenges to the sustainability of a long-term career.  One must consider how best to make one’s musical output attractive to consumers with fickle tastes and short attention spans.  The relative scarcity of jazz clubs compared to the halcyon days of the 1930’s and ‘40s, added to the public tastes which have relegated jazz to a highly specialized kind of folk music, mean that competition for gigs and dollars is fierce. 

For a jazz artist to survive, he or she must consider the benefits of diversification.  By not narrowing one’s focus exclusively to performing, or performing only jazz, one creates greater opportunities.  A familiarity with other styles of music-classical, pop, rock, R&B, etc.-expands the pool of possible gigs one might get called for.  Likewise, a strong sightreading ability and strong doubling skills can open doors to studio and music theater work.  The ability to explain musical concepts and relate to players of different skill levels can lead to teaching opportunities.  Skills such as the ability to discern subtle differences of frequency and timbre, coupled with a strong sense of musicianship and a familiarity with the jazz idiom and its history, as well as a thorough understanding of recording software (such as Pro Tools) and techniques, may parlay themselves into engineering, producing, mixing, and mastering opportunities. 

Jazz and commerce need not be mutually exclusive.  An expanded view of a musical career- coupled with the development of extra-musical and para-musical interests, skills, and abilities- can create the opportunities needed to sustain oneself.  The tools are there.  It’s up to us to use them.