Considering the move to Austin...29/male/musician and HR recruiter (Cool: sales, selling a house)

[JmHagman]

Hello, I am considering the move to Austin. I currently work as a musician (bass player) in Columbia, SC, but work is not as consistent as I would like it to be and this city and state are really being hit hard with the recession and traditionally do not rank high with any sort of economic indicator save HIGH unemployment and LOW wages. I have also worked in staffing and recruiting as well as admin and sales positions and have a college degree.

I am not the sort of musician looking to become a rock star or expecting to get signed, rather I have worked in a variety of bands the past 10 years pretty much playing any kind of music where I can make at least 100 dollars a night and play 4 to 5 nights a week. I don't know how realistic that is in Austin, but Columbia has been a major decline from Charleston, SC where I lived before (had to move for family reasons and don't really want to move back)

I am almost in the last year of my twenties and have never lived anywhere else but GA and SC and really would hate to have missed the chance to live in other parts of the country and experience different people and cultures.

I don't really know if I am asking advice or just typing this stuff out to see if it seems like a good idea to me, but everyone I have ever met that has visited or lived in Austin has had very positive things to say about it and I feel like it could be a good move. I really have nothing anchoring me to my current city and the state appears to be getting worse, not better (our current governor is facing ethics investiagations and rightfully so)
Also I am liberal and while I no Texas is rather conservative, I hear Austin is a rather liberal place.

Any advice you have for me would be greatly appreciated and if there are any fellow musicians here, please let me know!

[inthecut]

I suppose if you have a nest egg to carry you for a bit, you have nothing to lose but the same, if you come out here trying to do what you mentioned. If you are coming here broke, obviously that's a different story. I wouldn't go anywhere broke, unless I had a guaranteed job waiting for me. Put another way, if you are going to Austin with nothing but the shirt on your back, this might not be a great time, as the city is experiencing IT'S highest UR in decades as well, though obviously not as bad as the "rolling up the sidewalks" situation of the rest of the sunbelt.

If you are looking for an ideal situation per the Austin move, I can vouchsafe it does not exist. You will have to create an entire lifestyle out of whole cloth, so to speak, not knowing a soul, or having any business/music connections, and with, what it sounds like, little cash to bring down, while at the same time you'll have to pay for a place to stay/eat/car expenses/etc., and this while Austin is presently going though a tough time itself.

Many people in Austin, including natives, are struggling to find jobs right now. Austin prob has more bands per capita than any other city, and clubs simply don't have to pay out much of anything for all but the most established acts, as there are motherloads of bands happy to play out for little. To get a regular gig, per 4-5 nights a week, would be somewhat miraculous with all the bands out here. I can't even think of but a handful of bands that are house bands, playing out at the same club multiple times a week, and few that play out all over the city weekly, that are resident here. I would say the majority are from outside the city, and are playing out across the state, region, and country....sounds like you are looking to play out, and stay in the city, which means you would have to find several clubs looking for an equivalent of a house bands, in that you would play out there often, and have a regular retinue/fan base.

Per leaving a sinking ship(carolinas), have you ever heard of jumping from the frying pan into the fire? Things are not always what they seem. It really all comes down to making money and surviving.

Have you really busted @ss looking for work in South Carolina? Are you going to do anything diffferent in Austin that you DIDN't do back home? My answer, as I mentioned, is to come here if you have a decent little nest egg, are really leaving nothing behind of worth, with no family or personal resources of note, and are willing to bust @ss to make something of yourself here. I would put the music on the back burner till you have a job base that you can survive on, get to know people and network on here per music, and THEN work on the band issues, slowly, again with emphasis on getting a steady income.

Good luck if you come here, and best of luck if you decide to stay home and make something happen. It's tough all over now, in Austin as well.

[JmHagman]

Of course there is no ideal situation in which to move, but I would be able to come with a bit of a nest egg and while this might sound bad and be looked down upon by many on this forum, I am able to collect unemployment for the next 33 weeks, as I have been laid off from my most recent employer twice within the past year (what are the odds lol) That sounds bad, but I do have a sizable check deposited into my bank account every week, so I figure that would put me in a better position than coming there with absolutely no income.

As far as finding a job, I am not too worried about that. I have been finding jobs with companies 5 days a week for a career and no how to hustle, sell and find the positions that aren't posted in the most obvious places (ie internet) which is what any good recruiter does. Sitting around sending resumes over the internet is not looking for a job. Researching companies, finding out who the hiring managers are, going to networking functions, cold calling businesses and having an organized list of our activities is more of an effective search.

Thank you again for your response.

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by JmHagman

Of course there is no ideal situation in which to move, but I would be able to come with a bit of a nest egg and while this might sound bad and be looked down upon by many on this forum, I am able to collect unemployment for the next 33 weeks, as I have been laid off from my most recent employer twice within the past year (what are the odds lol) That sounds bad, but I do have a sizable check deposited into my bank account every week, so I figure that would put me in a better position than coming there with absolutely no income.

As far as finding a job, I am not too worried about that. I have been finding jobs with companies 5 days a week for a career and no how to hustle, sell and find the positions that aren't posted in the most obvious places (ie internet) which is what any good recruiter does. Sitting around sending resumes over the internet is not looking for a job. Researching companies, finding out who the hiring managers are, going to networking functions, cold calling businesses and having an organized list of our activities is more of an effective search.

Thank you again for your response.

You're welcome, Jim...still sounds like you are trying to convince yourself, per posting this in the first place. I suppose the worst thing that could happen is you run out of cash and go back home, so why not take a shot at it?

Good luck!

[JmHagman]

Hehe.. Yes I am one of the worst people at making decisions and seem to always want some sort of reassurance that I am doing the right thing, when what it comes down to is what I want out of it and how hard I am willing to work to make it happen. I am working on not second guessing every decision I make. I figure at this point, what have i got to lose..It's not as if I am selling a house, leaving a great job for some high risk adventure. I would basically be in the same position I am in here...Coming for a visit in a few months and still talking to some friends about it.. Looks like I will have a free place to stay for a while which is always good!

[jobert]

You caaan do ehhht!!!

[OneJackson]

Starving artist? we got plenty of those in Austin. stay home.

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by jobert

You caaan do ehhht!!!

Right, thanks for quoting Tony Little....just the mouthpiece we need to beckon starving artists to Austin from sea to shining sea.....

Tony Little - America's Personal Trainer // tonylittle.com

[JmHagman]

Originally Posted by OneJackson

Starving artist? we got plenty of those in Austin. stay home.

Cool. I will fit right in!

[mark311]

Originally Posted by inthecut

Right, thanks for quoting Tony Little

I think he was quoting Rob Schneider from the movie "Waterboy".