Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

Hey, beautifully talented people.

I haven't lived in Massachusetts for very long. One thing I've noticed is that - being from New York where everything is right in your face - it's not so easy to find venues for my specific style where I am currently.

I made a living in NYC for over 15 years just playing music. I've taken a bit of a break, and moved, and have been having a hell of a time just finding places that are down with having a solo musician come in to do a couple hours of entertaining. Would any of you wonderful folks be willing to share some of your favorite spots to gig? It would mean the world to me. Maybe we could even book some stuff together. That always been fun in the past.

This place won't help you with that. Suggest you join some of the (many) Massachusetts musician facebook groups. Are you doing solo acoustic guitar-type shows? Just be aware there are a ton of players in the greater Boston area, so its tough to get gigs when you're new, and the pay scale can really suck.

I'm totally doing guitar and vocal stuff. I made a living at it in New York. I don't think the pay scale can suck any worse than there. There usually isn't any unless you know how to work the bar or the tip bucket. But I do thank you for the Facebook advice. I've joined a couple of groups but haven't really gotten to utilize them to their full potential. I'll do that.

Playing for tips-only in the low end of the scale around here - but don't expect a living wage that way in Massachusetts, where tips usually are pretty sucky.
'Guaranteed' pay can be as low as $25 an hour or for a 45 minute 'feature'. Established soloists (most often need to work through a booking agency who handle certain venues) can get $150 to $200 a night.