Trusting the process, and other lessons to approaching the business being the music

How did you get into making music? Is it your full-time occupation?

Camillo: It all began in 2020 when I moved to Ghent and started making music with some friends. This band, called WEBSTEK, grew into a fully fledged project and we got the opportunity to play several shows. I had always liked music, but I never thought I would actually be a performer. After a year of playing with WEBSTEK, I realised I wanted to go for it. I ended up forming another band called Kwa Kwa. After finishing my studies I had even more time to dedicate to music and that’s what led me to my solo project. I wanted to write kleinkunst. In that regard, my musical trajectory has been very organic. This year, I got a lot of opportunities to perform the songs I’d written. Being alone makes it easier to accept offers for a show because I only have to check if I’m available. On top of that, I can keep all the earnings. As far as the bands are concerned, I don’t feel like I can rely on those projects alone to make ends meet. My solo project has allowed me to substantially supplement my income and makes being a full-time musician a more feasible prospect. So this is what I do, but I can barely make ends meet at the moment. 

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What did you imagine a career as a musician would be like?

C: I would consider myself a musician from an artistic point of view, but not necessarily from a career standpoint. That’s because I don’t feel like I’m playing enough shows, nor am I earning as much money as I’d like. Once my earnings and the number of shows increase I think I’d be more comfortable in considering my career to be that of a musician. 

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What challenges did you face getting started? Was anything more difficult than you expected, or is there something you wish you had known earlier?

C: A major challenge was figuring out how to earn money. The issue is that there is simply no five-step plan to making it. There is only hope and trust that what I’m doing is capable of one day being a full source of income. 

I wish I had more of a business-minded approach. Starting with a plan, a knowledge of finances and how to be self-employed would definitely have been useful. At the moment I feel that I’m missing some opportunities by not having that approach. Now I’m mostly figuring things out as they come. 

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The issue being that there is simply no five-step plan to making it

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Antonio: If you have any questions regarding the arts field and your career development as an artist, Vi.be, Kunstenpunt, Cultuurloket or Artists United can help you find your way! Starting musicians are mostly at home at Vi.be, which offers general information on musical careers within most genres. Kunstenpunt, on the other hand, is particularly involved with the visual arts, performing arts and classical music. Finally, you have Cultuurloket, which goes beyond this scope as it offers guidance for the entire cultural sector, including art education and legislation.

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How do you earn money as a musician? Does being part of multiple bands or collectives contribute to your income? 

C: I’m essentially betting on multiple horses. Almost all the money from doing shows with the bands flows back into the bands. That's because, for the members of WEBSTEK at least, the band is just a hobby. I mostly bring money in through my solo project. It's the only way I can be sure because I have total control. It doesn’t depend on other people's agendas, it’s just me and my guitar. On top of that, I could look into doing more side jobs to supplement my income. I’ve done some hosting gigs and media work here and there. Definitely a nice plus. 

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I’m essentially betting on multiple horses

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A: You can distinguish 3 main ways of securing an income as a musician:

First, you can work with a social bureau. I suggest checking out the differences in your net salary between social bureaus. Some are more expensive than others because each charges a percentage for the administrative services they provide. Amplo is well-known, but there are other, potentially cheaper options: Interimpro by Paypro Services, Tentoo, etc. You can find a full list here.

Other options, besides becoming an employee, when working with a social bureau, are the 1bis or project contract. A 1bis contract removes the hierarchal component in the employer-employee relation, as there is no agreement to deliver a determined amount of work within the employment, without removing your rights as a worker (a pension or insurance). However, this increase in autonomy and initiative removes certain benefits, such as an end-of-year bonus. A project contract is a temporary employment with an employer that spans the duration of an agreed artistic project. After this project is finished, the employment ends.

Another method of securing an income consists of being directly employed through a non-profit organisation you can set up with friends or relatives around you. Once your income reaches a certain level, this could be more beneficial. I can’t speak for others but if you were to work via RoAn Art Consulting, my company, the gross salary would be around 8000 euros per year. In this case, the non-profit needs to take the administrative costs for example payroll statements, Dimona registrations, etc… into account and again, compare that for different social secretariats.

The final way to gain an income consists of being an independent art worker. As an independent art worker, you have total control of your own creative pace, career and income. However, this comes with a couple of risks, as a lot of costs are no longer being managed through your non-profit organisation or your social bureau. In other words, being independent is costly. I would therefore recommend gaining a certain amount of resources and volume before opting for this route. Note: when combining the art worker certificate and art worker allowances and being independent as a side income, there is also a maximum on what you can earn under this statute. Also, take into account that all the income as an independent will not count to renew your benefits after three years. That could result in a loss of your benefits as an art worker. More detailed information can be found on Cultuurloket's website.

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How do you book your shows? Do you have management or do you work with a label to help you out? 

C: I do everything by myself. So I’m really happy last year, it turned out the way it did and I got the opportunity to perform and show myself to people. I was lucky to receive a lot of offers from people to come to play shows. A couple of weeks ago though I got into contact with a friend, a manager for a couple of projects, who said he was interested but was going to wait it out a while. The same goes for a booker. For now, the manager is unofficially helping me out with my planning for next year. The interest and the help are nice, but I’m always a bit sceptical. I don’t expect that others will create a lot for me. I don’t expect that the thing they promise will really happen, that whatever plan they lay out will result in a big thing. I don’t want to expect a lot and want to do things by myself!

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Who do you look to for advice and support in your music career?

C: Besides vi.be I mostly do online research. But, I also try and talk to as many people around me as possible. That includes other artists that I think are in the same situation. This helps me in getting insights and input on what to do. 

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How do you keep track of your earnings and expenses as a musician, especially in the early stages of your career? 

C: I really don’t know how much I spend a month on things, but I don’t think I spend a lot. I try and save as much as I can. I recently opened a savings account and with the savings account, I can keep track of what's coming in. All the money I earn from performing I put into the account. 

Every day is a bit of an adventure, just me making music and surviving. There are some other bits of money coming in through other gigs here and there, but those gigs are not structural. So, while I don’t have a lot of money, I do have a lot of time. And, I need that time to write the songs. 

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A: While it might not offer a significant or secure stream of income, being paid through an AKV (amateur arts compensation) offers a small bonus in the early stages of a career. An AKV consists of a small payment for a performance or other things, that is limited to around 80 euros a day and 30 days per year. The biggest advantage is that you don’t need an artist certificate, while other commissions might require you to have one! But it doesn't offer a lot of income security, as it is limited to around 2400 euros a year. More info can be found on the website of Working in the Arts.

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How are you looking to grow as a musician?

C: I would love to see myself ‘really’ being a musician. I want to make music, perform nice shows, and have my songs played on the radio. But, I don’t want to forget to enjoy the journey. It’s one thing being a musician, the other is the trajectory there.

I’d say the plan for this year is to be officially connected with management and a booking agency and obtain an artist statute. I’m looking to vi.be to support me in getting that sorted.

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You can want to become someone, but there is an active component to it. You have to act like the thing you want to become!

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A: From 2024 on, artists in Belgium can apply for an art worker certificate and art worker allowance. In short, there are two ways to get this.  

The first option would be the starter certificate as a bachelor's or master's in the arts graduate. To get this you need to submit a business plan for the next five years, a financial plan for the next three years and prove five artistic assignments for a minimum of 500 euro gross. There is no real deadline for when you can apply for this certificate. As long as you have an arts degree, you can decide to go for it immediately after graduating or way later on in your life. The choice is yours!

The second option is the art worker certificate plus. In this case, you don’t need to prove any art school diplomas. Instead, for the application you need to have worked as an artist and prove a 5418 euro gross salary. Income from copyrights or freelance artistic work counts too. Besides this, there’s a commission that checks if you are a professional artist depending on your portfolio. 

With a valid art worker certificate plus or starter certificate, you can apply for a monthly allowance. You receive this only if you can prove 156 days of work (calculated in task wage or taakloon) as an employer in the last 24 months. When working with an SBK this would equal 22.140 euro gross income, when working directly through your non-profit this would only be 16.700 euro gross. (Note: This was calculated on the example contracts we had.) The amount depends on your situation, for example; do you live alone, do you have children, etc…

You can only apply for an art worker allowance as an unemployed person who is entitled to get the unemployment allowance. Once you have the certificate and receive the allowance you can apply for an extension of your allowance after three years and prove 78 days of work in the past three years, which equals a salary of 5982,06 euro gross as an employee.

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What advice would you give to young musicians on how to approach the music business?

C: I'm at least as much in need of advice [laughs]. One thing would be not to expect things to work out as quickly or as easily as you might hope. You cannot treat it like a hobby. Dedicate as much time to it as you can. Do it, do it all day, do it every day. These are the words I live by. As long as you believe in the process things will come. 

It’s also crucial to get out there, show yourself to listeners and try to grab every opportunity. You can want to become someone, but there is also an active component to it. You have to act like the thing you want to become! 

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<div class="editorial-banner"> <div class=“editorial-credits”>Antonio Cornelis: personal business advice in the artistic/creative sector <br/>info@antoniocornelis.be<br/>+32 494 56 18 10 <br/></div></div>