[Dixielandjazz] Playing on the streets

Sun Apr 9 12:31:29 PDT 2006

Mr. Wiggins has not been a member of the Union in years, so hasn't a clue what membership is now
like. It's true that in earlier years the Locals were managed by many officers that abused their offices, and James Patrillo was no angel either.

Times are much different now, at least here in Atlanta. Mall jobs can be played through the MPF as long as the venue is open to the public and it's not a political event. The sponsor, or "Mall" in this case pays 40% and the Union the balance of scale. For the last six years we have sponsored "sessions" at our recently renovated Hall for members and non-members alike to help
them keep up their chops, enlarge their circle of musical friends and simply have fun playing jazz.

Our local also sponsors a scholarship fund of $5000.00 annually for seniors going on to music schools, and we have been involved in the Katrina relief fund buy helping our Gulf musicians with re-locating costs and instrument replacement. 

We offer seminars that include marketing techniques plus have a website both locally and nationally where Union members can post a digital press kit, with streaming audio, allowing world wide access to potential buyers.

Mr. Wiggins means well, but his long ago experiences with the Musician Union simply does not represent what is actually happening today. I can honestly say that most locals have similar programs in their jurisdictions. The last Union Rep. we had making the rounds was in 1978. 

Regards,

Dave Hanson
Vice President
Atlanta Federation of Musicians
Local 148-462
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: tcashwigg at aol.com 
  To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com 
  Sent: Sunday, April 09, 2006 2:26 PM
  Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Playing on the streets

  That's not what I said at all Bert:

  What I said was, that if the Union had done this kind of marketing and 
  promotion for its members years ago many of it's members would still be 
  working today and or know how to go get a gig in the first place.   
  When was the last time you had a UNION REP do anything for you that 
  made you any money ?   Just who are they Representing  you to?   They 
  lost 90% of their influence decades ago in most markets.   I can recall 
  watching the Union shut down music in clubs as fast as musicians could 
  get one opened, and then watched for years as the Local in San 
  Francisco had a 96% unemployment rate of it's membership.

  Did it stop live music, no but it shifted the market far from anything 
  close to union representation, and much of it for the better for really 
  GOOD acts who demanded and made far more than Union Scale anyway as 
  they made a name and reputation for themselves as Better Bands and 
  professional entertainers and musicians.     Entertainers make a good 
  living in this business, and  many musicians simply starve to death 
  sitting around wishing they could be paid what Entertainers make and 
  yes even mediocre Entertainers at that.

  The Local here used to send us out to "AUDITION" for gigs  for Free 
  usually to non union clubs in the hopes that we would score a gig there 
  and pay them work dues on it and allow them to say they created another 
  UNION GIG.

  I clearly stated that you should negotiate with the Mall manager to try 
  and get a Paid gig first, but if that does not work at first do not be 
  afraid to take a shot at promoting yourself and playing there and 
  selling Cds and showing them that indeed it is a good idea for 
  everybody's business.    In fact if an act did that a couple of times 
  and proved they were good and would attract business to the mall, the 
  act could then ask for a reasonable fee for coming back and if the Mall 
  did not agree they could go to a competing Mall and start it again.    
  If any band does not have a following or any name value at all then 
  they are not going to  be able to prove to anybody that they are worth 
  much.

  Having some talent and being able to play an instrument does not 
  entitle anybody to make a living with it.   You would think that most 
  musos who have been sitting around waiting for that to happen for the 
  past forty odd years would have figured it out by now.   Competition is 
  tough boys and girls, you gotta go promote yourself shamelessly and 
  expose your self to audiences in large enough numbers to create more 
  interest in your band which should be a BUSINESS.    An individual 
  musician on the other hand who is not a business person or running a 
  band as a Business is technically on the same par as a guy walking into 
  McDonalds looking for gig as a Burger Flipper.   Or a Waitress looking 
  for a job in a Bar.   Ya gotta decide if you are going to be a Business 
  or a hired hand.

  There are still 365 days in a year and every day that you don't have a 
  gig is a day you have no income as a musician, therefore what I am 
  advocating is that on those days that you don't have a solid gig, get 
  off you butts and go make one if you really want one.

  Cheers,

  Tom Wiggins

  -----Original Message-----
  From: clarberth73 <clarberth73 at sympatico.ca>
  To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
  Sent: Sun, 9 Apr 2006 10:19:43 -0400
  Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Playing on the streets

      > afraid of the flak from the Union can simply respectfully request 
  that
  > the Union Get you a Better GIG and Pay you. The Union should be doing
  >  the same thing, and would be stronger and a lot more useful if they
  >had
  > thought of these things many years ago to actually HELP their
  > membership GET & KEEP jobs.

  Let me see if I've got this straight. You're saying that I go to the 
  mall
  folks and tell them I'll play for free and then when a union rep shows 
  up I
  tell him/her to respectfully go to the mall people (or better venues) 
  and
  tell them the union can get them the same band (that's willing to play 
  for
  free) at cost to them? But it's the union's fault?

  Please do explain.

  Bert

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