10 Things No One Will Tell You About Being a Travelling Musician

Burnaby Mountain, BC (courtesy of me and my camera)

So, you want to be a musician? You want to be a musician who TRAVELS? No doubt you've heard stories from teachers, friends, fellow musicians, and mentors about how amazing the life of a musician who travels can be. Here's what they DIDN'T tell you. 

I come from Chicago originally, a musically rich city where opportunities abound for the well-connected. In 2008 I moved to a tiny town in Texas to go to school, and in 2010 I moved to a slightly larger tiny town in Texas to continue my education. I spent a year in Vancouver, Canada, 6 months in London, and I am now approaching my third month in Dublin. I feel like I can speak as an authority on the subject of travelling while musical. 

5. Travelling is incredibly expensive. No, really. 

Unless you're someone who has a cushion to fall back on, being a travelling musician can drain your bank account. Even if you decide to stay in-country, the costs of travel are soaring. According to the EIA (the Energy Information Association), the average price projection for 2014 is $3.44 per gallon of gas. If you live outside the USA, it will cost you even more to drive to gigs: the average European price per gallon of gas is over $5. Train travel is more expensive than ever, and unless you can book your gig and airline tickets over 6 months in advance, that's going to cost you approximately two arms and one leg. Sure, there are tricks to bagging travel deals, but when you get a call on Monday for a gig on Thursday, chances are those tricks wont pan out. 

Hotels are getting more competitive, and sites like Kayak, TravelZoo, and Expedia can be a big help in finding affordable accommodation. If you think that sharing a bathroom with 20 other 20-somethings who are all backpacking across the country is acceptable, then of course hostels are always a cheap option - but make sure you wear flip-flops in the shower. You could always sleep in your car, but then you risk parking tickets and getting picked up by the local authorities, because in most places sleeping in your car overnight isn't legal. 

4. Taxes. 

If you are a USA citizen, you have to pay taxes even if you live in another country. Even if you haven't set foot in the US in years. It doesn't matter. They will find you. Filing these tax forms is made easier with services like H&R Block and Turbotax, but many Americans find it difficult to navigate these tax laws. They were put in place to discourage putting huge sums of money into offshore accounts, but of course it's us normal folk that get caught in the fray. 

If you stay in your own country, you'll get to know the steaming misery of independent contractor tax forms. Chances are, these forms didn't withhold any taxes for you like a normal 9-5 job would, so you get to sift through piles of receipts and see what you get to deduct as work expenses (travel, equipment, etc) and hope beyond all hoping that you don't get slammed with a massive tax bill. Many "independent contractors" end up having to hire a tax professional. I do not recommend your great-Uncle Howard's ex-best friend's daughter's college roommate to do your taxes. Go with a bigger company, they are more likely to accept liability if they screw up.

3. Labour laws

If you have out-of-country gigs, you'll need to check the local laws. Some places, like Canada, require a work permit to do gigs in small venues. You have to be a pretty big name to get around those labour laws. You could try flying under the radar, but I really don't recommend that. As previously stated, they will find you. And they could potentially deport you. It's best to see if you can get a temporary work permit in the country you'll be gigging in. I know it's a huge inconvenience. Trust me, I know - I've spent countless nights drowning in paperwork. My "important paperwork file" is now a filing system within a filing cabinet. Apparently we aren't ready to go paperless for work contracts and visas quite yet, which is a shame. I'm sure I am singularly responsible for at least one acre of deforestation. 

2. The Inner Sanctum

As a musician, you'll know that it takes time to network and build relationships within the music community. We are the worst at allowing nepotism, but it is a fact of how we do business. People help people they know. People hire people they know. If you're the sort that full-on moves to another country *ahem*, then besides the mountain of immigration paperwork you'll have to do, you'll also have to hit the ground running. It certainly depends on the city, but it can be very difficult to get gigs in a new place, especially if you are one of many, like a soprano or a pianist. You have to reach the Inner Sanctum, and you'll do that by going to gigs and handing out business cards, having a good online presence, and never backing down. Unfortunately this can be hell on earth for the introverted, and in this case the odds are stacked against someone who isn't comfortable with hours upon hours of socializing. In my experience, local jobs boards advertising openings for musicians are often unpaid and only offer "experience and exposure" as payment. For a young, budding musician, that may not be the worst thing to ever happen, but as older and wiser musicians, we need to get paid for our work. Checking local bulletin boards can sometimes be profitable - hit up libraries and music stores for leads on studios looking for teachers or ensembles holding auditions. 

1. Auditions

Name-dropping frequently occurs in most professional auditions, but as a newbie, it's likely the panel won't have heard the names you have to drop. You're from out-of-town, they don't know you or your private instructor, and they've never heard of the school you attended (unless you're one of the lucky few that can afford one of the bigger, more reputable institutions). Furthermore, every organization is different in what they find acceptable audition material. Many panels in the USA would frown on singing something by Charles Ives or Menotti in an audition, whereas in Europe it might be welcomed. You should research the organization, the panel members, and the production. Make sure that the pieces you choose for an audition make sense! If you walk into a conservative audition and sing Michael Nyman, it's likely that they will stop listening after 2 bars of music. 

But - 

Don't let these hurdles discourage you from giving it a go. Travelling as a musician is intensely rewarding in so many ways! Your resume looks fantastic with out-of-town or out-of-country gigs listed - it proves that you have the passion and the perseverance to go where the work is. You meet really wonderful musicians that become friends and collaborators, which can always lead to more work or opportunities. You get to experience new landscapes and cultures! In Canada, I had the pleasure of looking at Grouse Mountain every day when I went home, and I had the opportunity to premier a choral piece with one of the most formidable women's ensembles in British Columbia. In London, I learned the Tube map while attending rehearsals for the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, which was one of the most gratifying performing experiences of my life. Here in Dublin, I've spent the past 3 months absorbing Irish culture at its finest, spending St. Paddy's day in the city center and learning about authentic Irish folk music. I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything, and I have no regrets in where I have travelled and lived. So get out there, get travelling, and create!