Imagine what it's like, being a professional composer. How on earth do you make a living? There's no steady income and there's no guarantee that you'll earn anything whatsoever! You can write a Symphony, spend months of work on it and make nothing. Or you can write a short ditty like Happy Birthday to You and become a multi-millionaire. You never know what you'll get as a composer – it's a lottery, and like all good lotteries the jackpot can be enormous! Classical composers earn money in various ways. They can receive commissions and the amount earned will depend upon the length and complexity of the piece and the status of the composer. Money also comes from performance royalties – these include payments for broadcasting, recording and concert performances. If the composer has music published there will be royalties on sales.
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