Jamie: First off, Paul, in the beginning, we all will do what it takes to make our individual businesses successful. I think that goes without saying. The fact that you are out there working is the biggest step you can take to finding a niche that you fit in, that you enjoy and that will pay the bills and more. It has also been my experience that the kind of gig that you really enjoy may change next year or the year after. Let me give you a few personal examples.
About five years ago, I mostly did corporate events (seminars and lectures), middle and high school assemblies and church events. I didn’t need a lot of sound gear, the pay was respectable and the gigs were pretty easy. I still did outside work to fill up my calendar, but for the most part, I felt as if I had found my place in this biz.
Well, a year later I was asked to bring a rig and mix a show on the L.A. CBS lot. I had so much fun I couldn’t stand it. I worked three times as hard, but I got paid almost three times as much and had at least four times as much fun. Anyway, I invested in more gear and decided to direct my efforts to doing these types of shows exclusively. I landed some really good clients and worked into a lot of one-nighters and a few series (three or more shows over a period of time). Everything was going just great. I knew without a doubt that this is where I wanted to be in this biz. Up until last summer, when I had a couple of opportunities to take a sound system and a crew on the road. Now, I have done years of road work as a musician, but this is way more fun. I drove long hours, worked long hours, made great money and had a blast. So now I want to spend half the year on the road and half the year in town. I think that would be my perfect niche.
My point is that life is a changing thing. I don’t want to sound too philosophical, but I am having more fun and making more money doing sound than when I started. I think you will either find your own niche or it will find you. Good luck.
Tim: Well, I pretty much agree with you, Jamie—as time goes by, the music business really does evolve and is ever changing. I started out as a musician. When my band would go into recording sessions, I wanted to understand what the producer and engineers’ roles were, and I wanted to understand what they were talking about. I decided to go to school for technical sound recording, only to find out two years later that I could not sit behind a console for 12 to 16 hours straight and be a recording engineer. I just didn’t have the patience for it. So I ventured out and found a job as an equipment systems technician, which eventually turned into a monitor sound technician job. My typical day would include running eight to 16 or more monitor mixes. I absolutely loved this job. At the time, I wasn’t making much money, but the experience was invaluable and helped give me a solid understanding of audio techniques.
The next step for me was to begin doing sound on my own. I started off by managing small rehearsal studios and doing live sound on a smaller scale. I was not working with the pros like before, but I was making more money and I began to accumulate my own gear.
Over the years, I’ve dabbled in all kinds of stuff including recording, audio repairs, equipment manufacturing and design, audiovisual, booking shows, producing, band management, promotions, musicians’ referrals, backline rental and anything that would keep me in the music business. I was determined to work in the music business, so I remained willing to try any job. One of the great benefits of this mindset has been that I still get to tour and perform at least 100 shows per year as a musician as well as write and record. Because of my work, I still get to play! Isn’t that why we work anyway?
I would like to say that I’ve found my niche in this business, but, like Jamie said earlier, it is an ever-changing world. It’s been helpful to clarify my priorities, which haven’t changed much in the past 20 years. I was going to work in the music business no matter what. And secondly, I wanted to continue playing music as well. Through the years, I’ve tried to stay true to myself and not force myself to do things I really wasn’t motivated to do or wasn’t cut out for. But part of the journey has been getting to know what aspects of the music industry excited me. I have found that my passion is in the technical side of the music business and, to this day, I can honestly say I absolutely look forward to my work. Remain open-minded, determined, embrace learning opportunities, keep a positive attitude and focus on doing the best you can wherever you’re at in this business, and I’m sure your “niche” will unfold.