[Dixielandjazz] Music and Money

[Steve barbone]

Bob Loomis <miltloomis at yahoo.com> wrote (polite snip)

> One thing I seem to notice even at the lowly level at which our band has
> played and plays (The best gigs we get are weddings and birthday parties, and
> they are few and far between)is that musicians today (except for those who are
> stars in the Big Bucks Music Industry) are viewed pretty much as little better
> than gypsies, ne'er-do-wells, hired help, and less important even than waiters
> and waitresses. Plus live music is no longer a part of the normal fabric of
> day-to-day life . . .Of course there are exceptions, but they usually don't
> pay real well. IMHO part of the reason for that is that many people don't know
> or care how much work goes into making music even rudimentarily well. They
> perceive musicians as people who do nothing but have fun, as people who never
> work. . . And of course the people who hire musicians are another whole topic.
> Many of them don't give a rat's ass for music, they just want to increase
> their business and they think maybe music will help do that.

You said it Bob. We try and counter all those negative assumptions by those
who hire us and their customers.

On the professional side, there is money to be made in music. As you say,
Weddings are a great example of such gigs. In our area, most pay between
$2400 and $5000 for a 6 piece jazz band

And, in every city there are professional "party" bands that play "on the
outside" as we would say in the business. Not club dates, but private
events, parties etc. They may not amount to a lot of gigs, but they pay very
well paid. In Philly, typical 6 piece party bands get from $5000 to $10,000
at large events and $2500 to $5000 at smaller events. Plus New Year's Eve
Gigs which pay anywhere from $2800 to $5600 for a 6 piece band.

Barbone Street, either as a band, or musicians within the band make some of
these gigs every year. They are what pays the bills and enables us to do the
lesser paying club dates/park gigs/festivals etc.

Also, the money enables us get more and more independent of the total idiots
who would have us enter the kitchen door, or think we do it for fun. (after
all, it is called "playing", they opine)

We are always mindful that the venue must make money in order to hire us and
we try and make sure that happens so we get hired back. And when that
happens, we get more and more "respect" as competent musicians who must be
paid and treated well in order to perform.

Bottom line is that we now only perform for people we like, when we want to
and don't put up with rudeness from venue owners/managers. I tout the band
these days as "The Most Sought After Jazz/Hot Dance/Swing Band in the
Delaware Valley". And because we are viewed as just that, we don't get near
as much BS from the Philistines these days as we did 15 years ago when
starting out. 

And that's as it should be because a lot of practice, pain and suffering
(along with musical intelligence) goes into becoming a competent jazz
musician and/or band leader -marketer. Many fail along the way.

Cheers,
Steve