Country Bumpkin. Salary: $15,000 or less 

Driving back home from tonight's show, you notice you're low on fuel. You pull off the freeway and hit the first gas station after the exit. The full-service attendant comes up to the window, only to scream and fall on his behind. You apologize profusely; you didn't realize how all that makeup must look in the dark.

Small Fish in a Big Pond. Salary: $35,000 

You run down the street, late for rehearsal. Looking the wrong way, you bump into a street performer singing the blues, and your sheet music flies everywhere. The street performer looks at you with a sad grin and tells you, "I was an opera singer too, once."

Touring Artist. Salary: $40,000 

Stepping off the plane, the heat overwhelms you. You ask a local in broken French how to get to the Champs-Élysées. The large gent scowls at you under his ten-gallon hat. You suddenly realize that you're in the wrong Paris.

First Big Role. Salary: $85,000 

As the tech crew runs through its final light and sound rehearsal, you stand at the back of the opera house, marveling at how far you've come. You see the lead walk onstage and almost trip on a pile of electrics. Obviously, you don't want to see them get hurt, but for a moment you were ready to take on the bigger role "for the greater good." After all, the show must go on.

The Lead. Salary: $150,000 

Sales from your debut album allow you to install a pool in your backyard. On the first day, you fall asleep poolside and wake up with a horrible burn. As you soothe your skin with aloe vera, you get an idea: Kool-Aid Man, the opera. Here comes album number two.