jung4g

OK, I'll keep this as brief as possible, but it's something I've been stressing about so I figured I ask some opinions on the matter.

My current situation

Full time Student @ CSOM (business school) at the University of Minnesota
Loan Shark at a emergency loan office at the U
I will be taking over the office next summer which means
$17k a year (I know not much, but it's salary for partime, like 2 6 hour days a week, basically very little work for what I'd be paid) plus paid parking $1200/year in contract parking, plus tuition assistance -almost half my school paid for.
This gives me time to work on my cars, chill with my boys, play some random music, and work to graduate.

Possible situation:
My band is in a position where we may "make it". As in get signed by a big label (Sony) for a record deal. If that happens, we basically give up whatever we're doing to write, rehearse, record, tour, promote, whatever. It'd be a full time gig probably not here. I'd be leaving most of my friends (besides those in the band), my girlfriend (of 5 years), my cars , my school, my job (which is basically guaranteed until I graduate (2 years left), and I'm not sure how long the deal would last if it happens.

As of now, I'm gonna stay put until they give me some solid FIGURE$. If I'm guaranteed a bunch of money, I'm down for sure, I can be paid to put a hold on my life, but if it's conditional, I may decline my position in the band. I'd rather have certainty (spelling?) in my current life, I'm plenty happy now, than a slight chance that if everything works we may just make it. It's a tough industry, and I've been playing around Minneapolis for the last 5 years in 5 different bands, and heard many promises about where we were going, and never seen it happen.

What do you guys think I should do, stay and drop the band (I like music, but it's not that important to me, more of a job than a passion) or should I go for the band deal?

I can't decide... at least without a dollar figure

Dr.Boost

If you have a promising career I wouldn't mess that up. I'm sure you know, but hundreds of thousands of bands or groups try to make it and fail. Good luck to you with the whole thing, but I wouldn't throw away your life for an unsure thing.
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draztik

tru dat dr. boost, don't mess up your life and go for the band.. when your done with college and you get the offer, then do it. not while in college.. i wouldn't do it if sony offered me $50k on my first CD cuz then what if you don't make it you have little money and no education to live off of. so finish college then worry about the band. thats what i'd do anyway. good luck, i know its hard to pick.

MikeJ-2009

If the money is right, put your life on hold, make as much money as you can, and then come back and continue life. My best friend is one of the baddest drummers I've seen. He really has talent. His band was tossed in favor of Slipknot by Roadrunner. After that the band broke up and he's left with this amazing talent. He has never gotten back into a band, but it makes you wonder how far he could have made it in any band. If you have a talent, don't go through life wondering what "might" have happened. Go for it.
My moms old neighbor is the singer of the White Caps. Some punk rock band. He's like 30 now and they still play sometimes, but this guy made money in the peak of the band and now he has his own electiric company.
If you can live life without thinking about "what if", then just live your life and snake people for loans. Just some things to think about.

BlinD

If the music is more of a job I dont think youll fully enjoy a opportunity like that. But itd suck to sit there and wonder what could have happened. Its a ride. I'd take it if I was you. If you fail. You can always fall back. Cant live on what ifs.

TunerToys

Gosh, it sounds kinda like you answered your own question here, but just because I'm a swell guy, I'll put my two cents in... : )

If the deal is offered, and if there is a great deal of cash offered, then you should probably evaluate the following...

The money from the deal has to be sufficient to enable you to live while supporting the deal. It also must be enough to put a bunch away for when the deal is over. This set aside money should be enough to complete those things you put on hold while supporting the deal.

This should include at least, I said, at least, 4 years or more of college expenses, including living expenses. If you are going to trade away a done deal to take the new deal, that deal should enable you to pick up where you left off, without struggling to get by.

Always have a lawyer check it out and make sure the deal meets your requirements and needs! I'd hate to see you on one of the sad Band stories on MTV or VH1, all washed up and broke after a one hit career.

Hope that helps and doesn't confuse!

Craig (former drummer for a band that never made it, and now a computer geek for Intel. I just make cool junk for Hondas in my spare time...)

Dr.Boost

I was thinking the same thing.

If you don't truly love being a member of this band and you just want it for the money, don't go for it. You would be doing it for the wrong reasons.
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racerex

I'm all about taking risks in life, but honestly, I don't think this is one worth taking, especially the way you talk about the band with uncertainty as to whether or not it will make it, and how you feel that it's more of a job.

Lately I have had some pretty good job offers that would require me not to quit school, but at least to drop the majority of the load I'm taking. After evaluating my values, I have decided that education is to important, and if I'm getting good job offers now, how much better will they be after a degree.

IMO, all the money aside, I say education is far too important to put off for a sketchy band deal. Now if we could only get all the ignorant people in the world to see the value of education.....

miss-piggy

um...do the music career as long as your band doesnt suck. my guess is your band probably sucks and you will get strung along by record label bigwigs and dropped from your development deal and come out in debt......if you kick *** you should have been already touring and making a name for yourself....inconclusion.....stick with college.

Special ED

dude, you can go back to school. maybe the job won't be there when you come back(most likely). plus, i have never heard you be so positive about a band until now, you haven't bitched about a retarded emo keyboardist or a pair of "MCs" that expect to be huge. im not sure if this radio thing is going to work out, but i know i always have a fallback, you do too. i got your back, as long as you turbo my car when i get the money.