Julian Grabmayer

“As a musician, you’re not creditworthy”

Julian Grabmayer

(Bild: Julian Grabmayer )

Julian Grabmayer started his career on the road. With his own band, the songwriter has hit the ground running with a new album and tour. The Styrian also writes hits for other artists. But he is entering the new year with mixed feelings.

With the song "Bis die Wölt untergeht", Julian Grabmayer bid a socially critical farewell to the old year, before looking ahead to 2025. The second album is almost finished and will be released in April under the title "Die Welt steht nimmer lang". A fine bridge between entertainment and message, songs ranging from melancholy to light-footed.

"I'm not afraid of the future, even if hardly anything gets better. There are only a few exceptions where I don't have to worry about it," says the critical spirit with razor-sharp, ironic lyrics, referring to his personal progress as a musician. His previous record company, which also financed his debut album, has withdrawn from Austria. So have promoters from the concert business, who can no longer afford live musicians. Musicians need live performances like a morsel of bread, because only the "big players" can make a living from CD sales or streaming.

In addition, the ignorance of domestic radio stations, "who prefer to play international artists and thus deliver millions in royalties abroad", plagues the musician, who knows from painful experience that only a few professionals can make a living from music. "As a cover musician it's still possible to a certain extent, but with your own songs it's getting more difficult".

It's becoming increasingly difficult to make a living from music
"Try getting a loan as a musician. The banker will bluntly tell you that a bricklayer is better off, because you can also factor in the black money into your credit rating," says Grabmayer. A musician's payslip is more like a ticket - 1, 2, X, failed. "I wish that the patriotism revealed in the last elections would also be reflected in this ratio on the radio stations." The road-tested dialect musician was supported by Ö3 during the first few meters. The first singles "Graz Ost Ausfahrt" and "Hoch in mein' Himmel" have become catchy tunes with a sing-along guarantee. "I even adapted my next songs for Ö3, but unfortunately they didn't play them. If they don't want to play me, the world won't collapse".

Julian Grabmayer

(Bild: Julian Grabmayer )

From street musician to hit supplier
The full-time musician could not live off the royalties from his music alone, even though the songwriter also delivers for other artists. "I wrote the song 'All in' for the Fäaschtbänkler, which became a huge hit for the popular band with 30 million streams." At home in his own recording studio in Reichendorf, he also produces for voXXclub and the young folk musician Sebastian Ludwig. Every genre is just right for the songwriter. The HTL graduate also plays in the supporting program of fellow dialect musicians Chris Steger, Edmund and Stanzel-Barden Oimera, who inspires the authentic Austropoper for the Bavarian Alpine region.

This year, the band will embark on their first tour of their own between Dornbirn and Eisenstadt with their second album. The 2025 schedule seems to be full to bursting, because "I wouldn't be able to find a suitable date for getting married this year," smiles the 27-year-old, who prefers to look for a suitable manager to support the "maverick" in his career anyway. "I have a very good feeling about my work as a musician, but for the rest of the world, we'll see. I'm happy to be surprised."