Viktor Krauss on the Business of Being a Session Bassist (Episode 135)

Make Music Your Business.

Viktor Krauss has been a presence in Nashville since 1992, with nearly 500 album credits as a bassist, composer, songwriter or producer. He has been Lyle Lovett's primary bassist since 1994, and his list runs from Bill Frisell and James Taylor to Sheryl Crow and Robert Plant.

In Episode 135, Viktor and Nomad (who overlapped in Nashville without ever meeting) cover the business side of being a session bassist: why the union card still pays, how to go after the gig you want, knowing your limits, building a home studio, and the side income that kept him steady through the pandemic.

Why the union card still pays you

Viktor moved to Nashville from Champaign, Illinois, at the tail end of the big-budget session era, before limited pressing became the norm. Nomad explained the term for younger players: limited pressing is a union scale for smaller releases, so everybody gets paid less.

Viktor is a strong believer in the American Federation of Musicians. Union scale gives you a number to point to when someone doesn't know what to pay you, so you don't give them sticker shock or underpay yourself. And it keeps paying. Film scores and songs done on a union contract can pay again through the special payments funds, sometimes for years. He still remembers a shampoo commercial that paid every time it aired. Bump a record from limited pressing to master scale, or put a song on a compilation, and you get paid again.

The dues don't always feel great up front. In the long run, it is usually a better deal than it looks. That is the Biz pillar in action: Make Music Your Business. Nashville is Local 257, Los Angeles is Local 47, and every city has its own local.

Know what you do, and say what you don't

Bass forced Viktor into every situation, because almost everybody needs a bass player. He grew up on jazz in Illinois, studied theory and composition, played in rock bands and backed his sister at fiddle competitions. In Nashville the bluegrass players thought he was a jazz guy, and the jazz players thought he was a bluegrass or rock guy. The week of the interview, he was recording with Molly Tuttle with Jerry Douglas producing, then working with Paula Cole, then playing with Mike Stern and Bill Evans.

But he doesn't try to be a chameleon. He thinks of himself as a color people want for certain things. He can't play slap upright, so he points people to the players who can. He doesn't bow well, so for arco you hire Edgar Meyer. His fear is a producer asking for the bow on the last day and forgetting the great week before it.

Nomad told the story of trumpeter Nicholas Payton calling him after hearing him with Kirk Whalum. Nomad can play jazz, but he is not a bebop head, and the first tune was counted off at about 220 bpm.

"If you have a sense that perhaps you're not the right person, don't be afraid to speak up."

Nomad, 18:30

Your reputation stays strong for what they know you do well. That is Objectivity from the ETHOS code, and it is how you protect the career you are building.

How Viktor landed the Lyle Lovett gig

Viktor wanted the Lovett gig years before he got it. He loved Lyle Lovett and His Large Band and Joshua Judges Ruth, saw him on The Tonight Show, and decided this was an artist he wanted to play with. Once in Nashville, he made it known to Lyle's management, through mutual friends, so the call was not out of line. The answer was polite: Lyle has somebody, but stay in touch.

So he did, checking in every once in a while. In 1994, during a lean summer, he called just to see what was going on. Before he finished saying hello, he heard that Lyle might need a bass player. Enough people had heard him in different settings to vouch for him. He was confirmed about two weeks before the tour, watched the outgoing bassist for a week, and was playing the show within a week.

"Nobody doesn't like to hear that they're appreciated, or that somebody would want to work with them. If you do it in a tactful, polite, professional way, people will listen to you."

Viktor Krauss, 23:40

The catch: be able to back it up when the door opens. When someone vouches for you, they put their own reputation on the line. Luck = preparation + opportunity.

Great work from minimal gear

Viktor recently built a separate thousand-square-foot studio behind his 1905 Nashville house: floating floors, drywall on a clip system, a sound consultant, and nine-foot windows from a company that soundproofs homes near airports. It solved the trucks, helicopters and dogs that kept ending up in his recordings.

But the bigger lesson came from before the build. While on tour, he cut two of the keeper bass tracks for James Taylor's American Standard album in a hotel room, with a bass mic, an Apogee preamp and Logic on a laptop, watching out for slamming doors. His advice: know your instrument's sweet spots, blend a mic with the direct pickup for pitch and sustain, and send files without much compression so the producer can shape them. A good preamp and compressor help. Experimenting is the fun part.

Build income that runs in the background

Viktor defines success as being happy in what you are doing while knowing you can take care of yourself and your family. Part of that, for him, is real estate. His dad was an investor, and Viktor owns a couple of rental properties in Nashville, which came in very handy during the pandemic.

His rules: banks are tough on musicians without W-2 income, so expect scrutiny and around 25 percent down on a rental. Make sure it cash flows from day one, with gross rent above your note, taxes and insurance, so a lean month or a vacancy doesn't sink you. Don't overbuy. Find good tenants, and handle repairs yourself if you have the skill. Nomad called it the sustainability play: something that keeps working in the background without daily attention. Diversify or Die.

The takeaway

Protect your income with the union. Chase the artist you want to play for, politely and persistently. Be honest about your weaknesses so your strengths keep the calls coming. And build something that pays you when the phone is quiet. If you are ready to go after your own Lyle Lovett gig, start with the free Get the Gig guide.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

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