Who Earns What

Perks: "The lifestyle. I've always liked being on the outside of nine-to-five culture. The whole romance of being in a band and not working, even if you're dirt poor, it's still a great life. When you're on tour, you surrender yourself to the day's schedule, and there's something amazing about that. You roll out of bed on the bus and your meals are paid for and you've got a per diem, 20 to 30 bucks a day from the label. Either the club makes the meals or it's catered. You've got fruit and food in the dressing room, plus things like clean socks and cigarettes. Finding a good cup of coffee is your most difficult job of the day."
Pains: "I have kids, and if you have a family, it's quite a strain. And you're not paid every two weeks. You won't get anything for a few months, so it can be a juggling act. I've worked as a carpenter on the side, and it's good to have another trade instead of just being a musician."
Pay: $45,000

INDIE LABEL OWNER
Chicago

Perks: "You get to be waist deep in creating your own record collection. I've been a music geek since I was 15, and what better way to live that? I set my own hours. If I have a bit of an 'Irish flu' one morning, I can come in later. It's casual Monday through Friday. It's allowed me to delay an adult lifestyle and shirk any real responsibility."
Pains: "The sad irony is that I listen to music less than at any time in my life since I was 15. All day I'm staring at spreadsheets, putting together ad plans, or a thousand other things that are tangential to the actual music. I work six days a week. A lot of the artists stay at my house. One time an artist didn't know the pilot light was out in my stove and put a frozen pizza in, turned the gas on, and took a nap. I came home, and if I'd had birds, they would've been dead. You're living it, and that's a good way to end up institutionalized."
Pay: $40,000

RAPPER'S BODYGUARD
Miami

Perks: "You get to enjoy a life that the normal person wouldn't be able to afford, at no cost and no expense to you. I fly first-class and stay in five-star hotels everywhere in the world. The gratification of the job is: I make people do right. Just like the police, I'm not going to allow a bad person to treat someone bad who shouldn't be treated bad. I carry a gun and a knife, but I don't need a weapon to take someone down."
Pains: "The public perception and the actual job are two different things. It's not a party for me when I'm working. Anyone can be a threat. You don't eat with your client, because the most vulnerable time is when your client is eating or sleeping. You don't really have a personal life. If your client wants to stay out 20 hours a day, then you do, too. It's also about protecting my reputation. Nobody's going to hurt you or kill you on my watch, but if they do, that means I don't work anywhere else."
Pay: $150,000

Get more rock'n'roll salaries, perks, and pains in the April issue of Spin, on newsstands now.