From ynottnaro@yahoo.com Mon Oct 28 13:08:44 2002
Subject:Re: OT return on investment

Well, this is a sore topic to be sure: artists vs
jobbers. The way you just referred to them as
"artists" seems the same way they would refer to you
as a "jobber."

Frankly, I'm in it for the art. I've turned down a
few opportunities to join a corporate/wedding band,
including one with a phenomenal starting salary of
$40k annually. And the perk was that I would NEVER
have to move equipment as long as I had equipment that
could stay in the band's truck for the crew to deal
with. Only problem is I could never do any other gig
that would conflict, much less take a vacation that
would happen on a Thur/Fri/Sat/Sun. But the thought
of not being able to play what I wanted at ALL, much
less perform original music, or god forbid, just be
limited to being the aural wallpaper for an event
really couldn't be assuaged by the money. Hell, I am
employable.

But that doesn't mean I relish going out for beer
money to play. That WONT happen....er, not often
anyway. The other night I played with an artist I
totally respect and I earned a measily $20 for playing
in a "prestigious" club with great sound and staging.

But with the regular band I play with, we all support
ourselves with that music, and don't have day jobs.
And the funny thing is that I have found that the more
creative musicians in my area straddle the "jobber"
world as well as the "art" world.

I think the real crux of the issue is the fact that
musucians devalue themselves and figure they HAVE to
take this crap. Open Stage is the worst thing to
happen to live music. WANKERS who have no business on
a stage now are given ample opportunity .... wait,
that isn't fair. Let me try to not be so harsh...

Open stage has ruined the live music business because
club owners faced with dwindling profit margins now
think that people will sit in a club all night and pay
for drinks while watching their buddies from the shop
get up on stage and blow over 12 choruses of Sweet
Home Alabama, or Cocaine. They don't realize that the
music lovers left a long time ago, and the only ones
there are the guys getting up on stage. Not everyone
at open jam is ill-equipped for the task: some are
just guys who face the real world responsibilities of
family and job and just look to blow off a little
steam. But from the owners' perspective: these guys
not only play for free, but they pay for their beer!

If you are serious about music, you need to surround
yourself with people who will allow you to grow and
mature as a player and give you something to feed on
musically as well. And whenever you're talking about
running your own business (this goes for being in a
band as well as any other venture), your partner has
to have a greater goal than punching in and punching
out at the end of the day, because its too much work
not to see some profit. In music, the profit may not
always be money (in fact, more times than not, it
won't be); but the guys who let themselves be taken
advantage of on a regular basis by playing for free
(or as I like to call it, The Endless Burrito And Beer
Tour) or worse yet, for their alcohol aren't really
the kind of musicians you want to be hanging around
anyway.

Hoping I haven't offended anyone....
tony

> The funny thing is, the bands that play for
> practically nothing do not seem to have an issue
> with
> making nothing - they're "artists" (yeah right), and
> somehow the notion of making money does not even
> occur
> to them. It's almost like they wear it as a badge of
> honor.... "If I want to make money, I'd play in a
> Holiday Inn band" is a direct quote from one of
> those
> guys. That attitude has always floored me... they
> certainly would not do their day jobs for free, but
> they'll think nothing of hauling gear, setting up,
> playing for 3-4 hours, tearing down, getting home at
> 4
> a.m.. maybe taking a vacation day if the gig is on
> as
> Thursday... and then have nothing to show for it.
> Amazing.
>
> -Doug
>
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