How much money to quit music?

[mattgreenecomposer]

So let's say you've worked your whole life in music (which some of you probably have) and it is your current way of income.  Just curious how much money it would take for you to switch careers and go in a totally new direction that is not related to music in anyway.  Basically, if you were offered a job tomorrow saying you would make such and such a year but you wouldn't have time for piano anymore (other than for fun occasionally) how much would that much $$ have to be.

(Please don't answer this ? if your under 25 years old and have never worked in the real world)

[leonidas]

There is no amount of money.

[thalberg]

In my case, it was sort of the opposite of what you describe.  The question in my case was, "how small does your salary have to be to make you give up music?"

And my answer would have been the exact amount I was making.  Which is why I'm going into computer science now.  (I know, I know, I will not get rich, but it's better than what I was making!)

[quantum]

Buy some stocks.

[bob3.1415926]

I'm moving into software development. The long term plan is to make enough money to buy a nice grand, then slowly switch into piano teaching. The likelihood is that I never will, the size of income cut will probably never be at a level I can cope with, I might be able to do 4/5 SD 1/5 teaching though.
Part of me likes having music as just a (massively time consuming) hobby. There's a lot less pressure attached that way.
Besides I'm not lucky enough to get a nice piano anyway other than hard work and lots of saving up. I've got to keep that in mind.

[bob3.1415926]

I actually considered this. With my background, moving to London and becoming an investment banker (corporate finance) was definitely an option.
For those of you who don't know about investment banking, I'll summarise. On my second year I would be earning a 6 figure salary, by the 4th/5th year it would (including bonuses) be close to 7 figures.
However, you work 7 days a week, and if you ever only do a twelve hour day, you're lucky. A friend of mine has lived with an investment banker (corporate finance) for the past 6 months, and has seen him 5 times (no joke).
I was tempted to do it for a while, and buy all those things I want, then quit, and if it wasn't for the piano and my girlfriend I might have done, but those are two things I couldn't put on hold for 5 years, not even for that much cash.

[mattgreenecomposer]

Some interesting answers here
I'm curious how old leonidas is. 
He/She said no amount of money.  What if it was 1 million a year.  10 million a year, 50 million a year?!
I think 50 million a year would change anyones mind.  Although someone who is older might disagree and have good reason not to want a life style change.
For me it would probably have to be over a million a year.  The idea of that much money, starts to play with your mind a bit.

[prometheus]

Only reason to do this is because you are really desperate for money.

I don't see why people would want 50 million free dollars a year in exchange for not enjoying life.

How can 50 million dollars compensate for lack of music?

Let's say it's a *** 500 billion. What the hell am I going to do with all that money. How is all that money going to make me happy?


Unless you have a serious money problem I don't see why one should want to give up music, or anything else he or she enjoys, for unnecessary luxury.

[danny elfboy]

Some interesting answers here
I'm curious how old leonidas is. 
He/She said no amount of money.  What if it was 1 million a year.  10 million a year, 50 million a year?!
I think 50 million a year would change anyones mind.

No, money are worth sh*t if you must give up your passion and vocation for them.
Money can buy a lot of useless things to fill your grave with but can't buy what really matters in life, and what really matters in life is for free but harder to get. Lot of people (not saying all, because of course it's a matter of attitude) with money are just empty corpses without nothing really worthy in their life. And a life lived for a real passion even if this means giving up everything else we think is important in the west, is just the best way to live this existence. 

I'm definitely not past 25 but I was already working in factories when I was 14.
My parents chose volunteering in Africa instead of money and my siblings and I grew without anything that wealthy people have. Never a brand cloth, a giant television, a candy bar, a motorbike, ane expensive computer, an home teather.
And you know what, we have been way way happier than any middle class kid I have known.

Outdoor activities were way more exciting and funny than any toy money could buy, conversating with your family while walking was way more exciting than anything television could air, creating your own style with flea market clothes was way more original and creative than following the fashiong and conforming to the status quo, being  able to appreciate the simple things in life, like the dawn at the coast was way more enriching and stimulating than any alcohol, drug or junk food money could buy. Close friendship with someone who doesn't respect and seek your company just because of the presents you make, of the big house you have, of the lot of money you have but just for the person you are is the most beautiful relationship life could offer and superior to anything based on convenience. Learning about life through exploring woods, visiting towns, spending your day with working adults oberving what they do was way more enriching and effective than the thousands of infantilizing nonsense books and videos amazon is full of and money could buy. Taking your own responsibilities to be able to stay home alone and cook for yourself and being take care by your own siblings or friends was way more stimulating than any babysitting service money could buy.
Being treated like a human-being rather than a useless television-junk brat considered to young to have a brain or any right of individuality was a better childhood than whatever opulent mindnumbing condenscending childhood.

There have been moments when even buying bread was not something we could afford, but that indeed taught us what really matters in life and to be responsible for yourself but also to cooperate and always stand together to get through difficult moments.

Life is nothing but a game. A beautiful game and one can be happy and fulfilled and die fulfilled only if he or she plays without compromises, and risk and keep playing even when things get hard.

Lot of people don't even know that even the western society is full of families who must grow two or three children with just 1200$ a month. Or if they know this they expect them to be miserable, depressed and angry ... while it's usually actually the opposite.
When you have lot of money your life is filled with fake things and you start missing something genuine, the gift of immagination, the skill of adaptation, the pleasure of finding solutions, the warmth of cooperation, the appreciation of the simple things.

All the stereotypes we know about teens (just drinking and partying, always following the fashion, ignorant about politics, materialist, brainwashed by television) applies only to the way of life of the middle class and has nothing to do with the age of these teens.
It is not life, it's just a poor surrogate ... and when these claim to be tired of life, that life is a sh*t and that life is cruel ... they're just talking about their surrogate ... they will probably get 80 without ever having learned what a real life is.

I wouldn't give up my passion even if I was given a whole nation to own.
And that kind of powers (the power over other people instead of just the power over yourself) is for the weak.

[mattgreenecomposer]

Thanks for your lengthy reply Danny.  Before I respond, let me ask you this...  Do you do music for yourself or for others.  Another words, do you play piano or write music for other people or for yourself regardless of what other people think?

[danny elfboy]

Thanks for your lengthy reply Danny.  Before I respond, let me ask you this...  Do you do music for yourself or for others.  Another words, do you play piano or write music for other people or for yourself regardless of what other people think?

I make music for myself but also for those people whose cords are striken by my music.
In other words for me and the projection of who I am, in others.
I keep playing regardless of what other people think, in fact I do everything regardless of what people think.

If I cut my hair very short 50% of people will like that and 50% of people with despite that. If I care for the 50% who despise my choice and choose to let my hair grow very long I will indeed get the approvation of the 50% who didn't like me but will also disappointed the 50% that previously liked me.

Bottom line: the opinion of people is worth less than nothing and no one should ever waste one single precious minute wondering what people might think or fearing people judgement.

That being sad being true to yourself and no compromises just serves one well even "commercially". Someone used to say that if you have something to offer there's always someone who need that thing and is willing to pay so that you will keep providing it.
It's not mere business, it's an exchange which doesn't contradict the passion and the desire to do well.

As Walt Disney used to say
"I don't make pictures to make money. I make money to make more pictures."

So while there are people who believe that you need to compromises between your passion and your success/job I believe that it's just a pseudo-solution. Because if you accomodate your music/style/creations to suit those people that first were interested in your work, you'll also automatically lose the people who were first interested in your work. Just like the hair example, there's a perfect balance: 50% and 50% ... so it's always better to choose something that you love and to be honest with your ideal and never compromise with your intentions.

[mattgreenecomposer]

Let me just say Danny 10 years ago we would have probably been best friends...lol

I asked this question because for most people piano (or music in general) is a self fulfilling practice.  You are the one recieving benefit from what you do, and if other people like it then fine.
Most peoples response to money is me me me... I don't need clothes, and cars bla, bla bla...
Money and I mean serious money (20 -50 million) is not about me, me,  me anymore.
Your talking about others peoples lives as well. Jobs for employees who work for you, pension plans and not to mention charity.

Look at Bill Gates or Oprah.  They donate millions of dollars to charity every year, and still people rip on them b/c they are rich.  Its absurd.  They've imporoved thousands if not millions of people's lives with what they do. (cancer research, aids study, schools in Africa)  Reached people in a way that only $money can do.  (sad but true)  money is not always the enemy.  It's how you use it, with all that money comes great responsibility.
So staying in a world of just piano is actually very selfish in this sense.  Unless you are creating solely for the benifit of improving others peoples lives (which you have answered and proved my point that you are not.)
One more important me me me point.....family.  When you have kids etc your life is not about you anymore.  You might not care about money but your family will!  Getting your kids into private schools, saving money for their college, etc..this is not a viable option if you live on 30k a year teaching piano. 
Now if we could combine the two piano and money/ 50/50 I agree..best of both worlds.
I think if you look back on this post in 10 years you will probably change you mind.  I was just like you 10 years ago.  Then again we're just pawns on a Chessboard right?  Life is a game-so true.
Im curious what pianistimo thinks about this...hes the religious one right?

[danny elfboy]

I don't think the lives of people with lot of money are any better of the lives of people with less money. In fact I believe that the "solutions" that people with less money are compelled to find are way superior to the proposals for those with money.
Just to make an example, I'm an avid reader of everything written by John Holt and the philosophy of "unschooling" and have seen the amazing effects on kids (better than Summerhill) and such a natural education would give way more both at a knowledge and human levels to kids than any expensive private schools. Schools are the places were free thought and thinking for yourself instead of being nurtured are slaughtered by useless notions and dogmatic concepts (never counterbilanced by contrary opinions or evidence)

Montessorri used to say that the best school is the one who has the sky as its roof, meaning that the best way to teach something to kids is having them actively involved in exploring the world and being involved in their community and the tasks of living rather than having them sit for 5 hours understimulated by the boring nonsense a teacher (teachers are like magicians, they can turn dry and boring even the most adventurous and passional topic) is regurgitating for them. Private schools are no better and no kid come out as a better person and a better thinker from a private school.

That's was just a example but it just meant to show that we believe to need things that actually we don't need and are just ways to steal our moneys while getting something worse than what we'd have gotten for free.

Since I don't believe that I life without money is terrible and I actually believe nothing could be worse than suburbia middle-class life I won't feel the need to have lot of money for my kids. I had a great childhood and had my sensitivity and individuality nurtured since I was a bit more than an infant as my parents didn't believe in talking down to me or treating me like a second class citizen and this had a lot to do with staying out from the middle-classe reality.

I don't want to say what my children would want, taking advantage of stupid stereotype about what children desire (as if there really was a category "children" with identical wishes, thought, knowledge in spite of the environment they're growing in) and I'm pretty sure that my children will treasure the example of my parents and my example
to the point that I imagine them giving up their money to live in semi-poverty even if they will have a chance to be rich.

That being said I agree that beneficence is a completely different thing.
Becoming rich can allow you to help people who really need those money; and I'm not thinking about those who can't buy brand clothes or a big television, but of African children who need expensive surgery or the make a wish foundation or supporting the farming programs in Third World countries or having better welfare for the invalids and so on. But I don't whether it would be a good compromise. Making that much money just means that you're stealing them from someone else. If there's so much poverty it's because there's no resources balance and lot of people have too much. To make so many money I would have to be involved with organization and institution that I would never want to have nothing to do with. The very same USA richness depends on the fact that those with power have abused, killed, destroyed so many people while vomiting on their rights. Lobbies are rich because they're give a damn about other's people lives.
Big corporation can afford their richness also as long as they can't abuse people worldwide and pay nothing for their hard word while some mediocre coach potato is taking 4.000 a month for sitting behind a desk.

I don't think that my opinion will change when I will be older because I have already felt what's like to work, to need your own money but earning little of them for working more than cattle in a field and I have felt what's like to be responsible for the well being of another human being since I've been like a parent and felt like a parent when dealing with my siblings, my own blood the long 10 hours my parents were away.

[valor]

I'd rather die in poverty then give up something I love. If i were talking about work, i'd just find something that pays good but i wont ever quit piano.

[rc]

You mean simply to be in a non-music career, but still can do music as a hobby?

A rough calculation, I figure I could live more than comfortably off $50K/year.  A $100K piano would be acceptable, and a $300K house to put it in.

So if I could make $2.9 million in a year that would last me 50 years of comfortable music making...  Or even $290K over 10 years would be alright.

That is my price: $2.9 million.

[mattgreenecomposer]

Thanks RC...thats what I wanted to know...

[danny elfboy]

Well, if you're going to earn that much you're either doing something dishonest or at least unhethical even if legal (taking advantage of poor workers, destroying the amazonic forest,  denying workers their rights, using low quality material) or you're going to work so much that you won't have 3 minutes to play the piano, unless you'd rather use the 3 minutes for the piano rather than letting know your children that you kinds of still exist (thing that will have doubting for a long time)

[Bob]

I think I could be persuaded and it may not take that much money. 

However, I would still need something to satisfy the need to work on something challenging and satisfying that way.  Take out the music and replace it with visual art or writing.  I could see that. 

[rc]

Well, if you're going to earn that much you're either doing something dishonest or at least unhethical even if legal (taking advantage of poor workers, destroying the amazonic forest,  denying workers their rights, using low quality material) or you're going to work so much that you won't have 3 minutes to play the piano, unless you'd rather use the 3 minutes for the piano rather than letting know your children that you kinds of still exist (thing that will have doubting for a long time)

CAN I make that much money destroying the rainforest?  'cause that doesn't sound so hard.

Taking advantage of workers is too hard.  I'd have to constantly be duping them, and those labour laws.  Also underpaid workers make for crappy production - I would also have to dupe the customers.  I just don't see it working out.

I thought maybe dealing drugs, but I'm smart enough to know that I'm not smart enough to evade the whole of the law for very long.  Besides, I don't want anything to do with drugs.

So I'm thinking I'll spread the word and maybe somebody will just give it to me

[klavierkonzerte]

abseloutly no amount of money could make me quit music
actually i want more money to be able to afford a fine italian violin, they range from 150k to millions, and a nice grand piano and also i want to formally study music and of cource a bently coupe among other stuff.

i'm seriously thinking these days to try teaching piano because my job as an auditor is not that exiting.