General Music Chat

If you start with the assumption that musicians are inherently musicians (and I do), what they choose to do with that can stem from all sorts of motivations, including money.

Sigh...

Did you not even read what I wrote? It's like in one ear, out the other... I don't want to insult you, but dang... it's getting hard to get the point across.

I said if money was your PRIMARY reason for doing it, that's the wrong reason.


I understand people want to get paid. I get it. I understand musicians have different motivations for why they play - I AM ONE!

What I'm saying is really, really simple: if MONEY is your FIRST reason for doing something, that's the wrong attitude to have.

I have no problem with someone who says money is the third or fourth most important reason for gigging. Great. We all want to make some money, we all want to be paid what we're worth, we all want to feel our value compensated correctly.

I just have a problem when people put money first.

I've worked with musicians in the past who have that attitude. I did not enjoy it. It sucked the passion and life right out of the band.

I want passion first. If you have passionate people who love what they do - who love the whole process of practicing and rehearsing and being together as a group of people - then the money will come.

gtZip and ColorsFade - proof they don't just grow potatoes in Idaho. And just what the f*ck is so special about Boise anyway?

I have no idea Jimmy. I am guessing Micron and HP and the State Government (which employs quite a few of its own programmers).

I spent two summers doing internships for Spectek/Micron... And I didn't fall in love with the Boise area at all. Not any place I'd care to go back to.

Now, Colorado, on the other hand... there's a kick ass place to live. Northern Idaho is a bit like Colorado - lots of mountains. We have a great way of life out here. If you're a bowhunter and archer (like I am) and you enjoy outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, snowmobiling, ATV's, horses, skiing and water sports, then it's hard to be this particular region.

Life choices...

I said if money was your PRIMARY reason for doing it, that's the wrong reason.

Okay, so I don't fundamentally disagree with this statement. But I wonder about the subtext in some of your prior comments. Maybe it's just that you started by attacking people who were motivated by money and this has colored my interpretation of your subsequent comments.

Maybe.

I said if money was your PRIMARY reason for doing it, that's the wrong reason.

Okay, so I don't fundamentally disagree with this statement. But I wonder about the subtext in some of your prior comments. Maybe it's just that you started by attacking people who were motivated by money and this has colored my interpretation of your subsequent comments.

Maybe.

Probably.

But that's me. And I make no apology for my feelings about money. When it comes to money, I loath people who make that their primary driving force for doing something. I think you have to have passion first. You have to care about what you're doing. The reward of money will come if you're great at what you do and you care about it and have passion.

It's not my intent to attack anyone personally and piss anyone off. It happens, I don't set out with that as a goal when my day starts though.

I aggravated a good friend this morning and I'm reeling from that as well...

You'd need $$$ and a lot of patience with the city counsel to get anything off the ground. In California, you can't even raise a tent highter than your fence line on your own property without first getting a permit which requires an inspection of the location for parking, road width (for emergency vehicles), public water availability, proper lighting, proper handi-cap available facilities, food vending licencing, insurance (as you point out), electrical inspections... and city counsel scrutiny because you might attract unwanted people that might vandalize the community or have a brawl. So much red-tape, you'll opt out to save yourself from an ulcer

I had a mother in-law unit built on my property a few years back and someone was in the city planning department building to get a permit to raise a tent for a wedding and band - denied because the plans he submitted didn't include much of what I stated above.

I see the bars are made for drinking comment, as being the most practically valid point here.
If musicians want a venue with music being the principal attraction. We will have to build our own.
I have no problem with someone having a cold one while they enjoy our show. I'll probably have a cold one with them at the break.
But... the second you procure a liqueur license and begin to sell liqueur.
It's a BAR.
The principal reason of public attraction is no longer music.
Home entertainment is very attractive in a down economy as well.
For a lot of people, a $50 ticket or even a five dollar cover charge on a weekend can be the difference in having gas to get to work on Monday.

I wonder?
How much would it cost for any of us to lease an auditorium with a 500 person capacity in our respective areas, and produce a concert?
Venue lease = ?
Insurance = ?
Tickets (overhead to producer not "door price") = ?
Event Staff = ?
Advertisement = ?
Bands = ?

What else would one have to cover from ticket sales before any profit was realized ??

gtZip and ColorsFade - proof they don't just grow potatoes in Idaho. And just what the f*ck is so special about Boise anyway?

Nothing 'special' about it really. Plenty of people might argue with you about that though.
I prefer Colorado. Denver area.
I came back because its where all of my family is.

But... I know what Lewiston / Clarkston is like.
I think they just finally got electricity in the 90s
And it smells funny

gtZip and ColorsFade - proof they don't just grow potatoes in Idaho. And just what the f*ck is so special about Boise anyway?

Nothing 'special' about it really. Plenty of people might argue with you about that though.
I prefer Colorado. Denver area.
I came back because its where all of my family is.

But... I know what Lewiston / Clarkston is like.
I think they just finally got electricity in the 90s
And it smells funny

Yeah, the damn mill...

I worked in Moscow for a couple of years at the U of I and I had a really talented network admin I worked with. I asked him why he didn't take a better paying job down in Lewiston one time. His answer: "I don't want to live in Stinkytown".

We got into another venue and guess what, we're getting a guarantee. Smart owners. I'll work my butt off getting people to come out and we'll get repeat gigs there in the future. Just need about three more places like this and we can fill our schedule with GUARANTEED PAY. BArs will make a profit and we'll go back like always...

I made $80 for 4 sets.
Meh...
Better than a sharp stick in the eye.

4 piece band
door plus 10% of the bar
5 days to promote it because a member took it upon themself to commit to it for us.

No comments?

No comments?

What's there to say? That's decent for playing for the door. Not great.

A guarantee of $400 would have gotten you $100 per person. No promotion required. And the bar would likely have still been packed.

Still, I don't know where your band is in it's development. I expect to be asking for $300 to start with (and getting it, mostly). That's $75 per person, a little less than you made. But I expect to get to where we are demanding $500-$600 within a year or two.

Thing is...I've done this before, so I know it can be done.

There are rarely guarantees when you play the original circuit. We'll be playing for the door tonight opening for two touring bands. If people come to see them we'll do OK, but then again we don't do this primarily for money. If it covers my gas and drinks I'm good.