General Music Chat

Hello Friends. I have some available gigs for various dates in the near future. If you are passing through the midwest and have free time between your major shows, you can stop in Chicago for extra exposure and chance to sell merc.

Abbey Pub Green Room 08/08/12 - 1 slots available

Stage Bar 08/18/12 - 3 slots available

Abbey Pub Green Room 08/22/12 - 2 slots available

Abbey Pub Green Room 08/29/12 - 2 slots available

Red Line Tap 08/24/12 - 3 slots available

Phyllis Musical Inn 08/09/12 - 2 slots available

Gallery Cabaret 08/31/12 - 1 slot available

Exit Nightclub 09/05/12

These are all from various promoters that email me. Don't really know if they are all paid situations but I can ask for you. I will probably have my band perform at the EXIT date.

Oh. sorry that I forgot to add All original music only. Most of these inner city bars have a policy against covering published music.

That's plumb neighborly of you.

That's plumb neighborly of you.

lol do the same for me when we travel to the big state!

That's plumb neighborly of you.

lol do the same for me when we travel to the big state!

DFW, Houston, Austin and other larger cities in Texas would eat your music up bro.

I'm afraid you would have to learn lap steel and how to say yee haw pardner to get a gig around here.

It's tough being a rocker in East Texas . . . especially a God-rocker like me.

Jerry

I may have to rethink my feelings about Chicago. That many rooms that insist on original? Damn!

Pretty cool.

Talbot

Jerry

I may have to rethink my feelings about Chicago. That many rooms that insist on original? Damn!

Pretty cool.

Talbot

. Ditto on steroids. Kansas City is about amenable to originals as Israel is to Al Quaida....

Jerry

I may have to rethink my feelings about Chicago. That many rooms that insist on original? Damn!

Pretty cool.

Talbot

Ditto on steroids. Kansas City is about amenable to originals as Israel is to Al Quaida....

Yes. This is the same situation in NYC and LA. The inner city venues that feature cover bands pay royalty dues. They in turn have scheduled "cover band" nights that feature tribute bands. The Tribute bands do very well! for example, I have a friend guitarist that plays in a Led Zep tribute band where he had to sign a contract to be exclusive only to that band and salaried = $35,000 a year. I am sure you can find articles about why bigger city venues have to buy royalty licenses to labels/ascap/bmi. So bout 90% of the smaller music venues feature Original Bands.

Suburban bars are mostly cover bands.

Jerry

I may have to rethink my feelings about Chicago. That many rooms that insist on original? Damn!

Pretty cool.

Talbot

Ditto on steroids. Kansas City is about amenable to originals as Israel is to Al Quaida....

Yes. This is the same situation in NYC and LA. The inner city venues that feature cover bands pay royalty dues. They in turn have scheduled "cover band" nights that feature tribute bands. The Tribute bands do very well! for example, I have a friend guitarist that plays in a Led Zep tribute band where he had to sign a contract to be exclusive only to that band and salaried = $35,000 a year. I am sure you can find articles about why bigger city venues have to buy royalty licenses to labels/ascap/bmi. So bout 90% of the smaller music venues feature Original Bands.

Suburban bars are mostly cover bands.

That's very interesting.

Here's a parallel we can all relate to:
Songs & Girls

I see a girl across the room,...I don't know her, but i know her type.
I hear a song in the room. I don't know the song, but I know the type.

It suggests that if you can keep a 'familiar' beat going, then it's easy to present 'original' material in such venues...and there really is no need to do covers. Same with the girls... If you can keep the familiar beat going , things will get more familiar when she takes you home..

If your music is good, people will dig it.

We'd love to swap shows with you Jerry, maybe this fall. Chitown is only 4-5 hours from here. Probably set up a Friday-Saturday and make a weekend out of it. Mmmm, Chicago pizza.

I love the original music JSantos.

I know her PD

Oh. sorry that I forgot to add All original music only. Most of these inner city bars have a policy against covering published music.

That means they are refusing to pay the BMI/ASCAP license fees so that artists get their royalties. If your 'original' music is registered with any of these places, they still need to pay the fees.

Most of the places we play are original only, but we still throw in a cover or two, who's going to stop us?

Most of the places we play are original only, but we still throw in a cover or two, who's going to stop us?

I remember when an ASCAP rep came in to a bar in Beaumont TX, listened to half a set from the band, and asked to see the club's license. The owner of the bar didn't have one and kicked the ASCAP guy out of the bar. The next day the police shut it down.

My band was hired as house band of that bar because we were the only band in town that could do 4 sets of original music. It took them months to get their licensing straightened out.


If you're playing a bar and the ASCAP rep hears you playing cover tunes, that club will get a large fine and could be shut down.