[Dixielandjazz] European Band not playing in America / AmericanBands not playing in America

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

Larry Is absolutely correct folks:

Those Lads have learned the fine art of "taking it to the people"  and 
do not even seek Paid gigs, and therefore are not taking any work away 
 from any USA or European musicians.   They play Farmer's Markets Flea 
Markets, Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Barbara, 
Long  Beach,  and any other Tourist Attraction they can find.   
Community and City sponsored events etc.   They normally show up about 
noon and play 45 minute sets until about 6:00 p.m. or so selling 
merchandise to a new crowd every set.

I had two of these groups work with me for five years in California and 
they both played about 200 days a year  ( note I said Days)  not clubs. 
   I did their tax returns for years and they sold between $190,000.00 & 
$225,000.00 a year worth of Cassettes and CDs.   Then they moved on to 
Colorado, and Florida and brought tow more groups from Peru to replace 
them in California,  they do the same all over Europe as well.

Yes if Dixieland Bands would do the same they would not only sell a ton 
of product, but they would also get wedding gigs, and private parties 
etc. that paid well too.   It's the best Advertising and promotion you 
can get, and you can get local papers to write stories about you with 
photos, and local Cable Tv folks to shoot video and air it on local 
stations, not to mention the occasional exposure you can get form a 
major Television station.

What does it cost you for all that FREE Promotion and Publicity ??   
About as much time as you spend or at least should spend for a 
rehearsal day, :))   Just do it in front of an audience and let them 
contribute to your well being.   If nobody ever sees or hears you but 
the little circle you play for things will never get any better or 
bigger for your act.   But for some acts that is what they actually 
want.   To each their own method of poisoning :))


Cheers,

Tom Wiggins


-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis <larrys.bands at charter.net>
To: Steve barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>; 
dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Sent: Fri, 7 Apr 2006 13:41:19 -0500
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] European Band not playing in America / 
AmericanBands not playing in America

    Post script: Occasionally we are inundated by Indians from South 
America and their drums and flutes. They sell lots of CD's standing in 
the middle of malls and other places. Most have a pretty good act and 
seem to do well but then again their standards might not be as high. 
 
  Last summer I was in Frankfort and saw several groups performing on 
the street and doing pretty well selling CD's but again they had a 
pretty good act and were worth the price of a CD. (15 Euro). I would 
think that a Dixie group with a stack of CD's would do very well even 
without a club Gig. I'm sure that it's not all that simple but looked 
do able and would certainly make a couple of weeks vacation in Europe a 
lot cheaper for a band so inclined. 
 
 Larry Walton 
 St. Louis. 
  ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve barbone" 
<barbonestreet at earthlink.net> 
 To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com> 
 Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 1:48 PM 
  Subject: [Dixielandjazz] European Band not playing in America / 
AmericanBands not playing in America 
 
 > "Judy Eames" <jude at judyeames.co.uk> wrote (polite snip) 
 > 
 >> Steve Barbone asked why a European band wasn't playing in America. 
 > 
  > Actually, that's not what I asked. I asked why an American Band, 
made up > of 
  > New Orleans musicians was successfully touring Europe and NOT 
touring in 
  > their own home country, given all of the OKOM Festivals we have over 
here 
  > and the declared wish of many Americans to help New Orleans 
musicians. 
 > 
 > I suspect they do not tour here because: 
 > 
 > 1) They were not asked to do so. or 
 > 
 > 2) They get better pay in Europe. or 
 > 
  > 3) We Americans pay a lot of lip service to helping New Orleans 
musicians 
  > but the idea of actually hiring them to play seems somehow not to 
have 
 > occurred to many of the music mavens in the US of A. 
 > 
  > Other than that, I sympathize with the travel problems of Europeans 
and 
  > others trying to enter and play some gigs here. But as others have 
said, 
  > there are many ways to get it done. Last month, for example, New 
York City 
 > had a large contingent of Italian Jazz Musicians gigging there. etc. 
 > 
 > Cheers, 
 > Steve 
 > 
 > 
 > 
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 > Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com 
 > http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz 
 >  
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