[Dixielandjazz] playing on the streets

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

Indeed Larry:

It should always be a legitimate justification for an advantage of some 
kind for the Band, that being said, just taking a low paying or no 
paying gig is not justified usually because it will only lead to other 
low paid gigs from the association with a low p-aid crowd who will pass 
on the payment level to the band to all who ask and when you try to get 
more from one of the people who attended they will indeed talk to the 
host/hostess who will blab the real price they paid you and you will 
either get an offer for the same thing or no gig at all.   These kind 
of situations must be negotiated and handled very carefully or they can 
backfire on you quickly.   The same scenario goes for playing Benefit 
concerts and events,  do not get pegged into that circuit as just a 
band that will play for Free for any and all Benefits.   They will 
indeed pass your name around and if you do one for Free they will all 
want you to play for free.   All have to be negotiated very carefully.

I investigated a few Katrina Benefit shows that had been offered to my 
band for no money yet lots of money was being raised and the venues 
were not even giving a contribution or discount to the well meaning 
organizers,  I passed on them and yet had a couple of my sidemen tell 
me that they were playing them for another Band leader for free after 
they played a well paid gig for me that same day.   Go figure.   One of 
them even told me he was dong two free gigs that day for the same 
bandleader, both of them had been turned down by me because they were 
not suitable professional Benefits to really aid the Katrina victims, 
both were to go to the general funding coffers of the Red Cross with 
what ever was left after the restaurant and bar took their profits out 
of the event.  The only folks not getting paid were the musicians.  No 
Television coverage, no radio, no newspaper write up, or publicity for 
the band at all.  Just Free music for the party goers and restaurant 
who certainly could have afforded to pay the band from what they made.  
  Too many musicians simply fall for the old It's Benefit and we are a 
non profit organization game.



Cheers,

Tom Wiggins

-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis <larrys.bands at charter.net>
To: jim at kashprod.com; dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Sent: Sat, 8 Apr 2006 17:14:16 -0500
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] playing on the streets

    It wasn't me but playing for little or nothing is usually a poor 
idea for musicians. However, after having said that, sometimes it might 
make good business sense. A couple of reasons why you might consider 
low paid gigs --- to tighten up a group or break in new players. To 
bring prospective clients to hear you. As a paid rehearsal. 
 
  Let me point out that these should be your ideas and not what someone 
else wants you to do. All of us have heard the pitch "you will get 
great exposure" as a reason why you should play for someone for free. 
You should decide if the effort is in your best interest and is in line 
with your business plan and direction. It might just be a cool place to 
take photos of the band in action or it could be a trade with a church 
or organization to use their facilities as a rehearsal hall. But 
whatever the reason it should fit a business plan to justify the 
expenditure of time and effort. 
 
 Larry Walton 
 St. Louis 
 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Kashishian" <jim at kashprod.com> 
 To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com> 
 Sent: Saturday, April 08, 2006 3:57 PM 
 Subject: FW: [Dixielandjazz] playing on the streets 
 
  > >Along the same line, perhaps we need to form OKOM BUSKING CLUBS for 
> >people 
 > to meet, pick a locale to go play at, then go do it!] 
 > 
 > Didn't poor Kaye Wade get her chops busted awhile back on DJML for 
  > supposedly playing a lunch gig for tips? Now, someone else is 
proposing > it 
 > as a GOOD idea? 
 > 
 > What's the deal? 
 > 
 > Jim 
 > 
 > 
 > 
 > 
 > 
 > _______________________________________________ 
 > Dixielandjazz mailing list 
 > Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com 
 > http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz 
 >  
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