Are You A Gigging Musician Aged 55+?

Mick Jagger is 69 this year. Will the Stones hit the road once again?

Are aging baby boomers influencing the world of musical performance as they continue to develop their careers and craft well into their sixties and seventies? Do they have special interests and needs that we should identify, understand and cater to?Glenn Campbell, 74 this year

It’s common after seeing a veteran musician perform to hear, “Wow! They’re doing great! How old are they now? Like, seventy?”

For example, Elton John in 2012 is 65, Linda Rondstadt is 66, and Glenn Campbell, retiring publicly after revealing he has Alzheimer’s, is 74. 

Likewise, there are hundreds of thousands more “baby boom musicians” in the same age bracket.

Are you one of them?

I propose that musicians 55+ are critically important to the strength of the live performance business. I believe that many of them are in significant and influencial roles within the busines. From a life of rich and varied musical experiences they have built solid skills, strategies and extensive networks of relationships. Many are already leaders and mentors. Others just keep plugging away and loving it.

We need to understand their needs. The industry will be the better for it.

So, for the purposes of this discussion, please respond to these questions:

1. How has your role in the musical community changed as you’ve gotten older?
2. How has the way you practice your craft been affected by your age?
3. How have factors such as changing health, stamina or outlook affected the way you perform?
4. What would be one thing you need the most at this stage in your career?

If you have a second, share this to get your fellow 55+ musician friends involved in the dicussion.

Glen Brown, publisher, Greater Hamilton Musician Magazine

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Greater Hamilton Musician is a local publication in Hamilton, Ontario dedicated to boosting and serving the needs of all local musicians (including the older ones!)