[Dixielandjazz] Playing For Free

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

Hi RUS:

There apparently are a lot of musicians on this very list doing exactly 
that and  a lot of it too

Guys like Steve Barbone and I have been telling the list for several 
years now that you don't have to do that, nor do you have to work 
school assemblies for little or nothing either,  there are funds 
available for  those assemblies and many ways to go get them 
supplemented as well. Contact the P.T.A.  and the Music Parents club at 
the schools, ORGANIZE a concert for them and charge them $10.00 a head 
donation, sell them CDs, T-shirts etc.   Get organized like a real 
business and not just a hobby band and then work at it and be creative 
and you can and will start to see results financially.

   Musicians just seem to be content for the most part to sit back and 
wait for that big Ole Yellow Union Gig bus to drive up to their house 
and fetch em for a good high paid gig with free meals and booze.  The 
problem seems to be with most musicians that they simply don't want to 
WORK and think that because they have this wonderful talent that the 
world will just come to them and throw money at them to make a few 
joyful or mournful noises.    Well sorry folks but not in the Real 
world.

It never worked like that folks and it never will, you have to get off 
your lazy butt and go make those gigs happen and there is a lot more to 
playing a gig than just playing music too, like networking with the 
folks at the event you were hired for and seeking out all the potential 
new gigs that always come from any gig you play if you open your eyes 
and ears and look for them.

Pass out those cards and flyers and calendars about where and when you 
are playing so those folks will join  your fan base and show up at 
other events you play at proving to the folks who might be hiring  you 
that you do have folks that will come out and see you and SPEND money.  
  It all takes money, and if you don't spend money to make money you 
will not make money, period, at least never any significant money.

Cheers

 Rev. Tom -Bob  Wiggins
Same old Sermon, Same Old Audience


-----Original Message-----
From: Russ Guarino <russg at redshift.com>
To: Steve barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
Cc: DJML <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Fri, 15 Jul 2005 22:34:03 -0700
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Playing For Free

    I once had a musician explain that he would rather stay home and 
watch a dark TV
screen than take a low priced gig or a freebie.  But there are 
situations where
a low priced gig or freebie makes sense. A public school student body 
assembly
is an example.

Russ Guarino

Steve barbone wrote:

> Tricky issue.
>
> Sometimes it is just fine to play for free, or for reduced rates. 
IMO, the
> test is: "Does it undercut the existing musical market"?
>
> If no, IMO, then free or cheap is often OK. Some Examples:
>
> 1) For a charity event where everyone has donated their services. 
Barbone
> Street does this a couple of times a year. However, I always pay the 
sidemen
> out of my leader fees earned on previous gigs and donate the band. By
> spending "my" money, I am sure to carefully evaluate the situation.
>
> 2) Where OKOM has never appeared before and a "NEW" gig is created. 
Some
> years back, a well known local OKOM band (not mine) booked a gig into
> Ortliebs Jazz Haus. Ortleibs is a famous Philadelphia venue for 
modern jazz.
> Way back when, Bird, Monk, Dizzy et al all appeared there. NEVER any 
OKOM.
> The leader booked a 7 piece band there for $350. He subsidized the 
sideman
> pay out of his own pocket so that several "stars" would come from NYC 
to
> play in the band. It was a GREAT BAND.
>
> Big hue & cry was raised by some other OKOM bands in the area. Like, 
"man,
> he is cheapening the market for OKOM bands there. Now we'll all have 
to work
> 7 piece gigs for $350."
>
> That was. IMO, specious reasoning. Because OKOM never had appeared 
there.
> The leader CREATED A NEW GIG for OKOM and did not undercut the 
existing
> market for OKOM gigs since there were none there previously. And 
nobody was
> holding a gun to the other bands heads and forcing them to play there.
>
> Playing fees vary widely with venue, event, etc. In a small jazz 
nightclub,
> you can't make a fortune with a 6 or 7 piece band. Simple economics. 
If only
> 50 people come out to hear you, or the venue only seats 100, you have 
to
> work cheap.
>
> The raison d'etre for these cheapos is that you usually book weddings,
> corporate events and other higher paying gigs through club dates. And 
jazz
> nightclub dates are usually the most creative and the most fun.
>
> The NYC OKOM scene is a perfect example of that. The TOP players in 
NYC
> often work for a mere pittance. ($25 to $50) Why? Because that's 
where the
> market is.
>
> You have Dave Ostwald's Gully Low at Birdland playing for the gate. 
When
> damn few fans show up, they play for coolie wages.
>
> But then there's Woody Allen at the Carlyle where the cover and drink 
fees
> are BIG. I suspect that band gets reasonably good money.
>
> Ask the others why they work cheap and they will tell you that they 
do it
> because they have to pay their rent and every $25 helps.
>
> It is a tricky issue. The working pros usually have to take all the 
gigs
> they can get in order to keep up. They're running as fast as they can 
just
> to stay in the same place. Some are lucrative, some are not.
>
> Bottom line? Just don't undercut the market or it will get worse. And 
focus
> on the development of that "New Audience", not giving away the music 
to the
> "Existing Audience".
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
>
>
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> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
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