How Do Indie Musicians Survive in NYC?

[elnrgby]

Originally Posted by fatsquirrel

I was actually giving an example of Parkchester being a middle income area rather than a low income area where I would expect musicians to live. But everywhere is getting expensive.

Parkchester IS actually a predominantly low-income area. Its peculiarity is that it is much safer, and better maintained, than other low-income areas in NYC - because it is not a subsidized housing, ie, most low-income Parkchester residents pay for their housing from their own low income (and therefore actually care about the property and neighborhood in a different way from low-income people who get their housing just handed to them as an entitlement). So, Parkchester is actually mostly low-income. Maybe you meant that you would think aspiring rappers would find a ghetto environment more inspiring than a low-income area with "straight" work ethic and values (with Parkchester not being the former but the latter)?

[macnyc2003]

I think that many working musicians, along with fine artists, have working spouses. I know because that's my situation.

[Bronxguyanese]

Originally Posted by fatsquirrel

Due to having a normie job I'm often tired when I come home and not able to keep my chops up which is very bad because I make hip hop beats and play more than one instrument in the technical metal world both of which are very technically challenging genres.

A few years ago I started doing taxes for musicians at home and I saw AGIs of under 10K for people in their 40s and 50s, with graduate degrees. This disturbed me a lot and made me thankful that I did not major in music.

New York has produced a lot of great musicians such as Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Princess Nokia, Manowar and Kiss. But today musicians can no longer just wait tables or work at music stores and survive in the city unless their parents are supportive of them into their 30s and 40s. I know that Princess Nokia lives in Parkchester, which is a very expensive area.

Do you know how the local indie musicians in your area survive? What do they do? Are most aspiring Bronx and Brooklyn rappers retired hedge fund guys in their 40s and 50s who made their millions already? Are they on SSI or some other type of welfare?

Couch surfing and having sex with unattractive women who have apartments.