Nicholas of all the guitarists active on social media/~the internet~ your direct no b.s. candor, sense of humor, and kindness really sets you apart (your playing speaks for itself of course). Thanks for this video, it's an enlightening look at what it takes these days! Freelancing is a tough grind and you're right, you don't have to love every job/gig. Keep on pushing, we appreciate it!

Really great to hear how you do it. I get stuck in gig world and it starts feeling like a a grind… this expanded my thinking… multiple income streams should be applauded, but I think the musician stereotypes have made me feel like it’s not a legit career… Thank you for sharing.

Love the honesty, you got my respect. I currently make about $20 bucks a month on YT and that keeps me motivated to grow, also got gigs, looking forward to reach sustainable levels like you. Best regards.

I clicked this video anticipating someone telling me they make $1k a month in gigs and sell $7k worth of courses, which is clearly not the case. I really enjoyed this man, super transparent and honest. This is all great advice and I'm really glad I came across your channel!

I think you, Bad Snacks and Harry Miree are the only people that I have seen who have addressed your financials publicly. Love to see it!

Would love to watch a video where you talk about practicing process for musicians. Or better, let’s do a joint video where you talk about how you learn song arrangements for your tours etc.

I'm not even interested in becoming a full-time musician, but it was cool listening to what you did to get to where you are. Cheers

Reminder to creators out there, for KZfaq, you have to have impeccable title+thumbnails just about every time, alongside valuable videos, to be able to get worthwhile growth (growth equal to effort put in). Also I noticed on your channel that you have a bunch of videos that are supposed to be shorts but are over 1 minute long, so they won't get put there. I'd highly recommend trimming every one of them and in the future, down to under 1 minute. It messes with the algorithm and your videos page, dragging stuff down.

It was one of the most open and helpful videos, thanks for that☘️ with lots of positive vibes 🦋

Great video to hear about income and your journey. My son moved to LA as part of a pub deal and sorting how to make $. He’s doing a lot of this which is cool. I’m still sending him this link. Thanks again. ❤

Thanks for this, I love how open you're being about all of your streams of income! Including the fact that you mentioned how few years ago you made less doing each, it shows growth over time is possible! Your"channel is great and you should have way more followers💜

Thanks so much for sharing. I appreciate the honesty. Tough stuff for sure!

Great info! I will have to check out the career consultation. Starting over after founding two music schools and doing cruise gigs this year figuring out a new plan

Great video man, you are living the dream! I make money primarily from gigging, but am trying to grow my socials more to hopefully expand my horizons. Thanks for the info!

Thanks for sharing and we love the Jazzmasters on the wall.

Wow dude good on you! Not sure how you organize all of these activities. You are obviously very ambitious and multi talented. 8k a month is good but in LA its not nearly as good as TN where I’m at where cost of living is WAY lower. I wish you all the success you can stand,as hard as you work you deserve it! With your work ethic I believe you will be unstoppable😊

This video was great man! Will definitely be showing this to some of my students 👌🏻

very informative video man much love for you and your carrer!!!!

Im happy for you and thanks for sharing this.I needed this

Am making about the same per month in ATX but almost exclusively through teaching. Man, it’s exhausting. Cool to hear about how you’ve diversified things! Inspiring for sure.

This is a great video! Super informative. Thanks a lot for sharing all your experience with us. I learned a lot! 🎶

Very helpful content & I love the positive mindset

Dude, this was DIRECTLY up my alley, for things to learn/keep in mind about the direction that I'm heading with music. It's a goal for me to have a career with music. Though, I'm currently building some missing foundational pieces on guitar, in order to make that happen. I have a list of investments, that I'm going to be making, when the time comes. I've entered the singing world. I've made countless connections with other musicians in surrounding areas. But this gave me SO much insight about the diversity of ways for me to stay open minded, on the business side of things. I really appreciate you for making this video, and going into the details that you did, with the level of honesty that you did, as well. Since this was made a year ago, I was wondering if you had any other related videos up, like what you mentioned at the end of this one?

Thanks for talking about these things! so encouraging! cheers

Thanks for the valuable video Nicholas! I love your channel

Would love to hear more on the studio work end if things!

This was really helpful information. I quit my day job to persuing music. I'm not making as much as I did a few months ago and I needed some ideas. Thanks a lot!

Thank you for sharing! Love how open you are about your experience! Very, very helpful video 🤟

Thanks for sharing! Super refreshing to hear some realness/transparency around making a living at this. Hope you're well!

Amazing way to explain, awesome content !

I love your honesty throughout this whole video. Very helpful.

Great info, man! Yes, I’d love to hear more details

Thank you so much bro this really helps. I have been following you since 2014 you been my inspiration 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

You look like Nicholas cage.anyways nice content nick. I was inspired by your guitar on 12 guitarists solo on pickup music. You really killed it. Your KZfaq channel is underrated. You really deserve over 500k subs

Thanks for the video man! Been watching you since 2011. Yes, make another video on this! 👌🏼

Hey Nicholas this was an amazing candid learn on money making. It's smth I've wondered as practicing guitar with a full time job. And your methods are help sm being so straight forward. Cheers over sharing !

Very cool man. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you! Love the honesty and clearness in this video!

Thanks sharing your experience!

Cool to see someone i know popping up in my algorithm!

Hi. Would love to see a video about the science of posting. As you mentioned, day and time, length, etc..

Really good video! Thanks for sharing :)

Clearly a super hard working musician, have a sub good sir

Loved the video man!! Thank you for being so open with everything. I'd say right now biggest challenge for me is networking in my city. I've got the gigging/teaching side going fairly well, and am working on the social media consistency, so will just need to try and be intentional about getting out to open jams as much as possible.

Thanks man, this helped a lot! Thinking about making the transition!

Another Nicholas! Great video and detail. Thanks for sharing! P.s what's your favourite donut spot in LA?

Played guitar my whole life and never got to do any of this..

Thank you for sharing the information! I would like to know more about growing social media. Thanks :3

This is literally my life! Every point is spot on 🙌🙌 my Main thing I want to do more of is brand deals… any advice to get more or that stuff??

3:09 cute doggo

Very helpful thx. And also you should consider being cast in film as a young Pete Townsend. Need a decent British accent however. Cheers!

i found this helpful and would like another vid !

awesome video thank you!!

Thanks for sharing this! Very insightful and honest.

This video was super helpful! Thanks man! 🤟🏼

Thanks for sharing this. I really like your idea for teaching and the streamlining of it thru a subscription model. I need to do the same ❤

Dude Nicholas, as a professional musician with basically 1 income stream (touring^^) I appreciate this video so much and you‘be definitely given me some great ideas and inspiration to branch out and build up other streams of income! Thank you for making this super insightful video!!

Yes make another video I really liked this one

Sounds like a fun lifestyle 🎉

Amazing dog!!! Useful video.

Thank you so much for this video!!!

Tank you men!

donuts

Hey man, this was really helpful. Thank you so much! 😀🎹🎵🤟🎊

Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for this! Where can I find singer songwriter nights and open mic nights/open jam session? I live a couple hours from LA so I can’t just go there and walk around necessarily… thanks!

Man this is so helpful. I’ve always wished some ig musicians would talk about and explain this stuff. Thanks for the transparency

Interesting. Thank-you.

What are the $8K after taxes?

Got a lot of doubts am going to LA and want to make a good livin playing music

Dude, rock on, spot on, big thanks

Best thing to do is keep your day job till you get enough income from your music job to offset your day job income and practice all the time in your non work time when you're at your day job. This is how you can make a living in music.

I started KZfaq in 2007 as well.

Thank you Nick for sharing this. Love from India

How do you recommend starting to work with studios as a session musician?

Great video.

Nicholas I'm from Latin America and I know that I have a lot to learn in different areas. I'm not a great guitar player yet and I know just a few things about producing music. But I'm trying to post on social media everyday and I don't know what should be the step 1 to start this journey. I'm just creating guitar solos for songs made in my country and posting them on Instagram. I'm not playing in any band, I don't have to much followers (around 200), I don't produce for anyone. I want to know what things I can do to start this thing correctly. BTW I'm 22.

😃How did you make the transition from workin' a job to workin' as a full-time musician? I'm a singer-songwriter so that would be the dream goal! Good content brother.

I’m teaching at studios in Arizona should I move some where better like Nashville or Austin I don’t want to live in la because I dint like visiting it

Thank you so much !

Where is the link to the book about you said?

Very interesting info, I’ve heard in general that there is a lot of work in LA for musicians, writers etc.. but that the cost of living is very high and $8000 a month sounds pretty good, but in reality in LA it probably doesn’t go that far, or does it ? How did u mitigate that ? That would be a good topic for those of us who have dreamed of doing it !

This got recommended in my feed shortly after I lost my job and decided to try to do music full time, and my name is Nic. And I play a Jazzmaster. And my favorite color is blue. Is this a sign or a glitch in the Matrix?

Long time Instagram follower , first time KZfaq view.. I've grown too like you soon much

$8000 a month.. is this possible ? Help 😅 need more income

Do you have a course but on marketing and building an online presence? Creating content and stuff... I suck at that haha

How do you manage your time with these 5 projects going on simultaneously?

after taking the leap of quitting my desk job in insurance making $100k, i pursued music and at age 39 Katy Perry invited me on tour.

Thanks Nicolas. Are these figures NET or prior costs?

I’d love to know how to make more money as a musician online. Example: fivr, patreon, other online platforms

Thank you.

Are the devils horns from the Strat in the back intentional? 😂

New Subscriber here... 16:00 Please! PLEASE!! do a followup video !😅

How many hours a week are you working to make this income?

Question man, I just moved to LA to follow the dream just like you, I am a guitar player I wanna try to get into some session work but I didnt study music everything that I know is pretty much by ear so wondering do I need to study music for this kind of work?

Oh My Goodness Dawgo! 3:08

Appreciate

2k a month for gigs and 4k a month on royalties on collabs? That's weird, how much is an average gig in LA for a guitarist?

🙌🏽

5:13 soooo.. u had a lot of friends who were producers u say....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm saw enough of video. more than eeeeee nough. too much.