Musicians: Get Paid More Money (Megapost!)
Now before we get into this post I want to clarify my position on something...
I STRONGLY believe in musicians being compensated for their talents and contributions in any setting, including houses of worship.
There is a lot of time and effort that goes into our craft, (Degrees, Years of practice, etc..) and DEDICATED, HONEST, HARDWORKING musicians should be compensated fairly for it.
And for those folks who throw around phrases like:
"You should do it for the Lord." or "You shouldn't care about the money." or "It's all about the ministry."
I encourage you to tell your employer to stop giving you a paycheck because you've decided that you are going to do your work solely unto the Lord...
...let me know how that works out for you :)
Now, there are two sides to every story, so for those musicians who attempt to get 'something for nothing' by demanding a lot of money in exchange for mediocre ability, unprofessionalism, and a lax approach to your craft and position,
I beg of you..
I truly want to help you avoid a rude awakening! And with that, this brings us to the topic of this post.
"How To Get Paid More Money"
So, I get asked this question a lot:
"Vaughn, how can I get paid more money at my church, gig etc..?"
The short answer is...
ADD VALUE!
But how? What do you mean by add value?
I'll get to that in a minute, but let me add some context to this concept of 'adding value'.
In this world, we are only compensated for the value we BRING to people.
Nothing more, nothing less.
The more value you bring, the more compensation you QUALIFY for!
But that doesn't mean that you'll always get it..more on that later.
There are TWO important principles that must be active in your life before you can apply what I'm about to share with you.
#1. "You MUST have a standard of excellence for YOURSELF, not for anyone else."
With this mindset you put forth your best effort because that is who you ARE.
Having this mentality makes commanding a pay raise so much easier, because you KNOW you are worth it, and you have confidence that you are one of the best at what you do.
Reference: Proverbs 22.29
#2. "Become LARGER than your place." -
Having the skills pertaining to your position is important, they are a solid foundation to build upon, but here is where your leverage for a pay raise comes from:
"Being larger than your position."
You hear about this all the time. About how people, who have built great companies, ministries or music careers, treated their humble beginnings, as if it was the 'big leagues'. They operated in excellence.
Usually they were met with some ridicule and scorn from the small thinkers around them, (family, friends & associates), but they didn't let that get them down.
They kept pushing and blew up into HUGE successes, and those that discouraged them, now praise them as if they were supportive from the beginning.
How did they push through the noise and rubbish?
They pushed through because they ruled their life and affairs by the first principle mentioned above. They chose to do their best, because they knew they deserved the best!
And that's what I want for my musician family, I want you to know that you are worth the best because you can BACK IT UP.
So let's talk about how to do that.
5 STEPS TO GETTING A RAISE
1. Add More Skills/Responsibility
in addition to keeping the skills necessary for your position in top condition, adding valuable skills to your tool-belt gives tips the balance in your favor.
For Church Musicians these usually are:
* Introducing New Material To Existing Repertoire
* Teaching Vocal Parts
* Creating Arrangements For The Band
* Improve The Skill Levels Of Those Who Work With You In The Band
* Play & Sing Simultaneously
Basically the point is to encourage and fuel growth and expansion wherever you are.
Remember, nothing is static. They are either growing, or dying.
To do this effectively we have to move on to the second step..
2. BECOME A RESPECTED LEADER
Now if you are already phenomenal at what you do currently, you should be appreciated and respected in that space. This is a GREAT launching point for you position yourself for a pay raise.
Now the key is to garner respect for your leadership ability, and for WHO you are as a person, not only for WHAT you do. This makes you a well-rounded, full-bodied personality There are many resources out there for this but I personally recommend
Chapter 7 of Napoleon Hill's, "Think & Grow Rich" as a blueprint for developing outstanding leadership skills.
3. DON'T BE PRESSURED BY POVERTY MINDED PEOPLE
This applies to church folks, club promoters, wedding agents etc.
Most people try unfortunately to give less than the value they GET.
This crap irks me to the core!
But nonetheless it's a reality you have to deal with.
* The best way to handle this is to have Principle #1 (Standard of Excellence) ingrained into your psyche.
* Know the value you bring to the table
* Make sure to have a contract spelling out your current responsibilities and compensation rate. AND FULFILL THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES WITH THE HIGHEST QUALITY AND ATTITUDE!
So when you start adding skills to your services at the organization, you have leverage based on the document and "Names signed on the dotted line".
(If the people you deal with don't like the idea of a contract....RUN!!!!)
* Don't let them emotionally abuse you with guilt and pressure.
Be willing to respectfully be the "Bad Guy". Don't budge from your standard of knowing what you deserve. Your success and personal self-esteem depend on it. Have you ever experienced someone using guilt to get you to yield to something you didn't want to do?
If you have any kind of family you know what I'm talking a bout...
You may get called heartless, or selfish, but those are attempts to manipulate, deceive and prostitute you for your gift and talents.
Guard against them!
4. LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE - LET THE COMPETITION COURT YOU
If you are truly valuable then you understand this principle.
Be so awesome at what you do that other people want to hire you.
Even let your current employer "overhear" that you are desired by other organizations. (Don't be a jerk about this)
But key is...IT HAS TO BE TRUE!
If you start creating false demand, word will get out quick and your credibility will be crushed. (I've seen this happen to friends of mine..not good)
and finally the last step is..
5. BE BOLD WHEN YOU ASK FOR THE RAISE
Timidity suggests that you aren't even sold on the idea of YOU getting paid more money, so why should they be sold on the idea.
This is why the standard of excellence is important, because it builds your self-esteem to a healthy level.
We've all been there when someone tried to sell us something and they weren't confident in their pitch for the product. It made us feel unsure about making the decision because the whole interaction felt shaky and unstable.
The same applies for you.
If you aren't comfortable with 'Selling" yourself and your abilites in the marketplace I highly recommend following Grant Cardone on social media.
You can find him at www.grantcardone.com
That brings us tho the end of this MEGAPOST!
If you want more insight on this topic watch the: "5 Mistakes Musicians Must Avoid" Video
Now I want you to comment below on your experiences when it comes to asking for a raise as a musician.
What challenges or victories have you experienced?
Tell your story below. I'm sure it would benefit someone!
If you know of anyone who would benefit from this post