In North Turramurra, there’s a point where the mighty Cowan River meets a sizable picnic area known as Bobbin Head.
All year round, tourists can be found traversing the area in pedal boats, most of which are supervised by Sydney musician Harper Dore.
Besides the boats, Harper’s known for a few other jobs, to Wahroonga locals he’s the bloke behind the counter at Chargrill Charlie’s, a chicken restaurant franchise, and to those who love local music, he’s the bassist of the indie band The Tin Heads’, and one half of the music organisation ‘Bugalugs’.
According to Mr Harper, the reason he has had to take on so many jobs is that it’s simply unsustainable to just make music.
“The expenses of making and producing music usually outweigh the amount of money we make,” Mr Harper said
“It really wouldn’t be viable for me to just focus on music.
“I wouldn’t be able to survive.”
In order to ‘survive’, Harper works 4-5 days a week between Chargrill Charlie’s and the pedal boats; the rest of his free time is spent almost solely on music.
He’s not alone, in a study published by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) it found that on average, only 28 per cent of musicians make enough money for the profession to be sustainable.
On top of this, the MEAA also reported that 82 per cent of musicians don’t receive superannuation guarantee, leaving many musicians to also miss out on valuable retirement funds.
Wollongong-based singer Renzo Delgado shares a similar story, by day he works the counter at Chemist Warehouse, by night he plays with his band ‘High Catz’. He also believes he doesn’t make enough money as a musician.
“I’ve never made money through music,” Mr Renzo said
“Maybe if I was a bit more on top of it and gigging more I’d make some but for now, not really.”
Mr Renzo often plays two gigs a month, which is on average more shows than most musicians are ever able to secure.
For aspiring musicians, there is hope. Music rights management companies such as APRA AMCOS exist to make sure musicians are compensated fairly and understand their rights.