General Music Chat

That would apply to some but I honestly think most
are more vigilant in not getting caught than being honest.

Loopholes
Payoffs
Lobyists
Misinformation
Coverups

This is all common news.

I'm sorry Bob I guess without realizeing it, I hijacked your thread.

That requires ALL performers/musicians to be paid at least the minimum wage for EVERY musical performance. That must include the time it takes to load, transport, perform, load and transport equipment after the performance. A typical four set gig often results in about eight hours of LABOR. I'm tired of IDIOTS who play for anything less than minimum wage. It's not FAIR for those of us who deserve at least minimum wgae for our HARD WORK. In effect the vast majority of gigging musicians are working in a completely unregulated industry. It's high time for that to change...

I don't think that would work. It might have an opposite affect, having less venues support live music.

You're pay is based on your draw and how much booze you sell. If you can do this, then you can ask for more money and get it .. if you can't ...

Does that count for the communion wine too ??

It isn't a question of me not being good enough to get a job. I DO get jobs but they are getting harder and harder to find. Even superior bands and musicians are resorting to play for fewer bucks and sometimes for free. It is not a question of how well anybody plays any more. It's a question of how many IDIOTS are willing to perform for less than minimum wage. It is all a matter of supply and demand. Right now the venue owners have everything stacked in their favor. I used to be able to get gigs (when I was an inferior player than I am today) just about whenever and wherever I wanted for a reasonable wage. Now it's play for the door, no guarantees, play for "exposure", etc. It's a bunch of bullcrap IMO. Nothing will change unless musicians change their begging behavior. This is one of the reasons why I am shifting gears and seeking original only bands that have loftier goals. If I'm going to play for nothing at least I'll do it enjoying the material we cover more, OUR OWN. And hopefully I'll be closer to my goal of recording a legit CD that I have an opportunity to market and make a little more money or the possibilty of making A LOT more money. It's virtually impossible to make a decent wage any more playing covers unless things change. HOPE THINGS CHANGE (Could be the slogan for the next Presidential hopefuls )

Feds would want a cut and tell you what you can and cant play.
Won't sound real Christian of me but ... f**k the feds.

I disagree about the whole idea of regulation Bob. With all the disadvantages that come with the uncertainty of any art, also comes the freedom to negotiate you own wage, or just not do it. The person who stakes their livelihood on it has to be aware of the tremendous risks and be willing to except that there is only the slightest of chances that they will succeed. Regulation will only shrink the venues willing to participate further.

The shrinking of venues is also a warning of the changing marketing trend and will only get worse as DUI laws, the internet and constant phone connection, makes bars less relevant socially than they were in the past. I saw this in another thread, also why people are less likely to applaud. They can get music on a whim right from a commercial artists, what’s so special about it? Nowadays it seems to be actually viewed as obstructive to social interaction, because of sound volume. You can’t talk on a cell phone with a band blaring in the background.

Think about how music was conveyed twenty years ago, where other than a physically purchased album or CD, live playing was the only other option to hear the music we like. There was the random chance of maybe three commercial radio stations, might play a selection that you wanted to hear. Now within thirty seconds we can have the music of our choosing, and eventually have literally hundreds of selections on one personal device.

Some people out here might be thinking you can never replace a good live performance, but customers won’t miss what they never had. Like when a gas station attendant used to check your oil and wash the windshield. It’s gone from the normal expected level of service to the very rare novelty. DJs and Karaoke will replace live bands for audience participation, at a fraction of the cost.

So what you say about original music makes perfect sense to me. If an artist is to be truly recognized today, it’ll have to be for something unique that’s not available off of a iTunes top ten downloaded chart.

Do you want to exercise you FREEDOM OF CHOICE or do you just want to let someone else decide for you.
DO YOU.... Want to settle for the $100 the club is paying OR do you want to lay out $1000 to rent a hall, promote, sell tickets, sell T-Shirts,CDs, promote some more[spend more money to do this], find radio stations that will help, do interviews, promote some more, find and pay an opening act,put up posters ,pay for posters, practice, get rehearsals to show level,promote some more , pay for merchandise [you may not sell right away],buy or rent equipment you are going to need for the show, pay for show insurance in case someone gets hurt because of the band, promote and practice some more,pay for extra help security,roadies,ticket takers, promote ,promote ,promote.

So far so good you as an entrepreneur have only spent @ 10 grand for this one show. You priced tickets @ $10. It is a 500 seat theater. Congratulations... IF YOU SELL OUT YOU BREAK EVEN.

And you want unions and regulations to make the bar owner that is happy to sell 500 bucks of booze on a good night pay you all that money because you deserve it to just go in and play. GET REAL.

I cut that short because I type slow and have been timed out.

On the other hand,,, If that same bar owner that is only selling 500 bucks of booze has a band that comes in and boosts his revenues through hard work and talent, They should be payed more. If the bar owner doesn't recognize that he is suddenly making more.... he is an IDIOT.

At that point in time the band has the right to .....

EXERCISE THEIR OWN FREEDOM OF CHOICE, and go rent a hall.

DARE I GO ON , ABOUT.... wives , sports teams , friends, hookers, utility companies , movies , songs, teachers,kids, politicians, charities, dogs ,cats ,movies , even posting here. Its all about how much you are willing to do and how much you are willing to accept....

FREEDOM OF CHOICE.

Glen said it. Go rent a hall and advertise. You can rent the Elks club, Senior center, or Moose for less than $50 for a night here. There are a lot of buildings, if you look for them, that an owner would gladly rent out for a night as opposed to letting them sit empty. Make posters and buy a little local air time. Check with city planners suggest a street dance for planned local events. Sell yourself.

If you don't want to do that go with the flow. I play music because I enjoy it. I was a musical slut for over 12 years. That killed my love of music for about 30 years. Now I play for the fun of playing. When musicians around here found that I had picked up a guitar again I had 4 offers to play from different bands within the first week. And I still get them even though most know I won't play for any amount. Not boasting just the facts. I created a demand for myself in the previous years that still holds up. The money meant nothing in the long run. Take it from one who has been there. It isn't worth killing your love of performing for a few dollars more. The more you bitch about it, the more dissatisfied you become, the more satisfied you become the less music will be an enjoyable pastime for you.

NO artist ever gets paid what he thinks he is worth. At least not while he is alive. That is simply the nature of the beast.

If you love music, play for the enjoyment and don't bitch that you are getting paid for what you would enjoy doing for free. Weasel your way into the private party circuit. More money there if you have to have it. And more appreciation. As I have said before, I load all my gear and drive 120 miles round trip to play for free with musicians I enjoy. A couple of times a year we have a garage party at the bass players house in the city and invite all the neighbors. Great times and great party's and tons of appreciation. Good music booze and food for anyone in need. I would pay to play there it is that enjoyable.

If you are in it for the money get good enough to create a demand and create those higher paying jobs yourself. Don't sit around waiting for someone else to do the work for you. If you aren't good enough to do that, then give it up if it is such a drag for you.

Musicians around here get $100 a night. Those that work hard at it get a lot more at some venues, but the same at others. That is called "Free enterprize". That used to be the American way.

Good suggestions Slacker. The Farleys have always played for the door, all non-cover bands around here do. But we don't do this for money anyway. We usually ask to play first and if we don't feel like sticking around we'll give our cut to the other bands and leave. As long as we have fun we're good to go.

Good suggestions Slacker. The Farleys have always played for the door, all non-cover bands around here do. But we don't do this for money anyway. We usually ask to play first and if we don't feel like sticking around we'll give our cut to the other bands and leave. As long as we have fun we're good to go.

See? Here is a musician true to his passion.

BULLSPIT!!!!

The reason ppl don't care about local acts anymore is simply because all of the local levels have been flooded with the bland, the uninteresting, the acts that refuse to entertain...you know...the amateurs. This trend has even made it into the national acts, in some cases. In some cases, ppl have become so bored with them that they don't even wanna try out a new act, no natter how good or interesting unless there's a huge amount of hype involved.

Wresting control of the market from them would A) increase our pay by reducing the numbers available to perform, B) make music a special event, again, C) venues would once again start to be built around the idea that music would be played there, thus acoustics would be better, as well, & D) greatly increase the quality of both music AND its performance, returning it to an 'art form.'

This biz has had an open door policy for the amateurs for far too long. They need to learn that, yes, it IS the equivalent of brain surgery, in that we must continually upgrade our material, improve our chops, etc. It's a lifetime commitment that has no place ijn it for the freebies.

When. Not if I get out there again with a band. I'll just be happy to play and enjoy myself to be honest. I get more out of people liking stuff than a 4 or 5 way split for the evening, anything else is a plus.

Besides. We all know its a dogs war out there in muso land, despite some apparent comradeship, everyone wants to be top dog as it were, to some degree anyway, its the nature of the beast no less........
This topic has come up more than once, but I think that if you're good and interesting enough, things will happen for you in any case.

I'm sure there are just as many starving painters out there. Some are good, some not so good. Those who are good, make the sale right?