At the start of the 19th century lived two very famous flutemakers - Potter and Monzani, so famous indeed that other unscrupulous makers forged their names, with names such as Pottar and Monzane. Both of these flutemakers died very rich. Not all in the flutemaking business fared so well - the brilliant Nicholson and Ward died in poverty.
Coming right up to date, I suspect few of today’s flutemakers are going to die fabulously rich, indeed with mortgage rates as they are, some of us may not be able to afford to die at all. I guess it’s obvious that if dying rich were the aim, flutemaking isn’t the game.
But it does raise the interesting question - what should a flute maker expect to earn in today’s economy? Assuming you work full time, and allowing for all the equipment and resources you have to accumulate and maintain, how should we see a flutemaker in relation to other trades and professions. Should we earn more or less than a teacher, a plumber, a doctor, a banker, a builder, a scientist, a real estate agent or an executive?
As a perhaps relevant factor, it seems that we could live in an era in which “music for free” could influence the monetary value of music, and such related industries.
In other words, if a popular flute artist’s music could be had for virtually free, then perhaps their $100,000 gold flute could diminish in value, too, etc.
Indeed, the professional musican has always been at the bottom of the food chain, with the roadies, light and sound operator, venue owner, manager, etc all sitting on their shoulders, taking their bit first with the dregs (if any) trickling down to the musos.
Fortunately for instrument makers, most of our customers are not professional musicans, or we’d starve!
In years gone by, it was not uncommon for the professional musican to have one of the least desirable flutes at the session, but still make the best music! While that might seem unfair, consider how truly horrible it would be if the situation was reversed, and the beginning amateur players had to struggle with what only a professional muso could play acceptably!
I can appreciate that dedicated amateurs could represent a substantial basis of flute consumption, yet perhaps even they could need performance inspiration as provided by those generally outstanding, professional class players. There, moreover, it appears that there are but only so many paid, professional positions to be had, and, more to the point I was making, if those positions somehow become undermined by “music for free”, then perhaps “music for free” could effectively serve to put ever more of those positions out of business. With ever fewer professionals to provide such inspiration, moreover, perhaps amateur participation could decline, as well, perhaps as a negative spiral, where perhaps flute demand at large could correspondingly diminish.
Therefore, perhaps promoting flute performance of a high, professional standard could also serve to promote amateur participation, and hence flute consumption, as well.
You can’t compare a musician to an instrument maker because what a musician makes is based primarily on being employed in the first place. A working musician should do fairly well, if that’s actually how he or she spends what can loosely be called a working week.
However, with an instrument maker, if the demand is there, you should live comfortably, if not in a position of affluence. In other words, if you are spending at least 40 hours a week building flutes, you should do as well as anyone in what we laughingly call the middle class.
What I’m saying is that without a thriving music industry, especially in today’s world where the rent must get paid, etc., the matter of how much a flute maker should be paid for their efforts could become irrelevant, simply because there might not then be sufficient demand for enough flutes for a flute maker to pay his rent, etc.
The world of music has changed in many ways, especially during the past several decades. For instance, I once lived in a small town which had its own bandstand, a gazebo, a feature once common in many cities and towns, and in those times before any of today’s electronic devices, and before the wind-up Victrola, before any records at all, it appears that a local bandstand once hosted the liveliest source of music to be found at those localities. Now, it could be true that more than a few of those early band members also had regular day time jobs, perhaps as farmers, but it’s now been many years since most of those bandstands have seen any use, and, simply because it takes a considerable amount of individual dedication to perform to a high standard, perhaps very few of today’s professional level players can afford to not make a living at it.
Moreover, without dedicated professionals, perhaps amateur interest could fade, and without the both of those groups, perhaps there could be no viable flute industry, making the matter of a flute maker’s revenue irrelevant.
Well, fellow flute makers and players, it looks as though we’re all in this boat, together!
The rule of thumb hereabouts for us small shop people is if you get to keep 10% of gross sales …your doing about right…(and your investment is about twice annual sales…Gulp!)
Maybe I could convince you to take up sputtering as a side venture ?
In the US, for instance, old fashioned, wind-up type clocks were made for many, many years, but then along came the electric clock, and today it’s close to impossible to find somebody qualified to repair those old fashioned clocks.
Similarly, once upon a time people would commonly have their shoes repaired, at a nearby shoe repair shop, but today?
And, a list of such vanished industries could go on and on.
Now, consider music, and flutes in particular. If a loss of professional players could lead to a loss of amateur players, and in turn lead to a loss of flute makers, then, beyond being at a loss as to where to purchase a new flute, where, oh where, could a flute even get repaired?
That’s a very good question, Terry. I think the answer can’t be in terms of annual wage, but in terms of piecework. It seems that a topnotch keyless flute reaps something in the realm of US$1000-1600 or so. So it would seem a flutemaker should earn the equivalent of however many flutes he makes in a year times a reasonable price less overhead.
In terms of the other professions you mentioned, I’m a scientist and plan to retire early (401k permitting) to make flutes. I don’t expect to earn as much as I do now; I plan on flutemaking supplementing my retirement income. OTOH, I don’t plan on spending as much time in the shop as I do in the lab.
I can’t pretend to know the answer to what you “should” earn. I will say it’s very likely more than you actually do.
Unfortunately…
What you can charge in today’s economy and actually sell more than just a bare few flutes is probably “considerably less than you did before.”
Be of good cheer: I am still unreasonably optimistic that after the U.S. elections, the entire global economy may take an upswing and start down the path towards real recovery.
I see flute making (of Irish flutes) as a largely a labor of love.
The flutesmyths I know are talented people who could
make a lot more money a lot more easily as engineers
or whatever. But they live on the intersection of craftsmanship
and art, that makes it worth it to them.
So I think the answer to the question ‘How much
should a flutemaker earn?’ is the same as the
answer to the same question for artists.
That’s a hard one Terry. I guess the answer is whatever you can. I don’t mean to be flippant, but there’s so much more to making a living at something than technical skill. One has to market the result, keep up supply of parts and materials, be sure the products are meeting a current need (see clock makers and shoe repair mentioned earlier.) And maybe above all, keep having fun doing it.
A fellow working by himself such as yourself needs to have all these abilities. But sadly can’t sum just the paychecks of a purchasing agent, manufacturing foreman and VP of marketing.
At least nobody has (yet) devised a way to just type:
It must be a real balancing act Terry…that is,giving the customer a fair and competitave price for their Flute against the makers need to pay himself a fair price for his labours…
Compare the Flutemaker to a Tradesman who charges on an hourly basis for his services..For example,car repair workshops in my part of the world charge about $75 + an hour for their time…Imagine a Flutemaker charging their customers an hourly rate for their Flute.. ..No one could afford a Flute at all…
I remember back to my days of playing electric guitar in pub rock/garage barage bands when we did gigs for $100 or so…for the whole band !!..average that out over time spent travelling there,setting up,playing,pulling down and then going home…I reckon sometimes I would have earnt a whole $3.25 an hour…
The mindset of some folks..Publicans,Customers, is that “Well.they’re doing what they love,so they dont really want that much money” ..
So…whatever you get for your beautiful Flutes Terry,its not enough…
I think you and all Irish flutemakers should earn as much as possible, as much as the market will allow. Perhaps you can form a cartel with all the other flutemakers and decide that prices should be X like OPEC, limit supply and availability…
Truth is Irish Trad music and Irish flutes are a fringe market with limited potential and probably the more makers, the smaller the piece of pie for everyone with limited demand. Even the band instrument makers are facing, probably, a declining market since kids can just get GarageBand and have all instruments and the ability to make tunes at their fingertips. What about the electric guitar market…?
Adam Smith pretty much had it right. The oil companies are entitled to make as much profit as they can based on supply and demand (eventually, their supply will run out, so make hay while the sun shines). Flute makers should also make as much as they can. Perhaps investing in marketing that lauds your flutes and trashes the competition, a la Oracle’s samuri slash and burn style of marketing, could increase your profits, but at what cost…
