So how much money do you make?’ I swear you could hear the whole of Oxfordshire gasp at the question.

Anyone who was listening in to BBC Radio Oxford last Sunday morning will have heard Will Gomperzt – with his signature cardigans, wild hair and penetrating eyes that made me think of Doc from Back To The Future – grilling me about how much I earn as a musician.

It was a hot topic for the next few days as people volunteered their thoughts on the show.

Some listeners took offence on my behalf, feeling that Will’s questions were too personal.

After all, we’re British, we don’t ask each other how much we earn, do we? Most people think it’s rude to ask that taboo question in a one-to-one situation let alone in front of the 20,000 people purported to be listening.

“You should have asked him how much he earned!” they said “Or told him to sod off and mind his own business!” Suddenly finding myself under a spotlight that wasn’t quite the limelight I had planned on that morning, I wriggled and squirmed, wishing that we could change the subject to sparkly gig dresses, songwriting inspiration or even the bare-bottomed dancer anecdote that I’m saving for my next column.

Keys-man Colin was microphone-less on this occasion and couldn’t offer much help.

But I can hardly blame the BBC DJ, since as you know from my last column, there is a pervading belief that being a musician isn’t a proper job and that any artist who hasn’t yet made it to international super-stardom doesn’t make any money. So, when one happens upon someone who actually sings for their living it is often quite a talking point.

Will, gifted in steering a juicy conversation in exactly the direction he wants it to go, was really just asking what everyone always wants to know – how do I do it?

Honestly, I don’t see why it should be different for a musician than any other self-employed entrepreneur.

You have a nicely honed service/product for hire and/or sale, and you market it accordingly. I think the problem is that many musicians don’t see themselves as successful entrepreneurs but rather poor artists who suffer for their cause.

I don’t adhere to that. I come from a long line of self-employed business owners who’ve learned to generate an income from their creativity, and with a few years experience in the corporate world I feel primed to grow my own business. Yay!

Of course, there are venue owners that want to take advantage, who will pay all their staff properly but neglect to pay their entertainers because ‘their job is fun!’. It doesn’t really matter what the industry is, there are always people looking to get something for nothing.

The trick is to value yourself first, look for the win-wins and be prepared to walk away if you can’t find one.

So did you think I was going to answer that question?

Not a chance!