[Dixielandjazz] Playing on the trains and/or streets

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

Hi All;

Yes Steve is correct, I was going to respond further to this last night 
but it got late and I had to go before I got back to his earlier post.  
By the way all of my posts are not coming in in a timely manner from 
the DJML for some reason, I often get replies to other posts in my in 
box before I ever see the original post. :))

The real successful Street performers and bands who play there are 
usually very good Entertainers and musicians who have the ability to 
read an audience well and play appropriate tunes that will turn them on 
and make them stop in their tracks and listen to a GOOD I repeat a GOOD 
tight HOt Band no matter what kind of music they are playing.   If they 
Swing they will get a  receptive crowd, if they do not swing they will 
get no crowd and no respect or even the courtesy of an audience 
stopping to listen to them much less buy and CDs.

If at first you don't succeed try it again,  better yet go out and 
watch carefully how successful bands and players do it, if your band 
sounds like a bunch of old guys playing dated old charts your not gong 
to get much response.  Get out there kick some musical butt, smile and 
act like you are having more fun than having sex, you will get the 
crowd and maybe some sex too. :))

Be sure to ask you wife if you can have it first however :))

And no I am certainly not suggesting that everyone go out and Play free 
gigs,  just tried to point out that you need to go market your band and 
make gigs happen, sometimes some excellent gigs can be manufactured off 
of a Free one,  I rarely do one that does not have great Television 
coverage which would cost me more than my performance fees just  for 
the TV time if indeed I could by it for promotion.  Feature articles in 
Newspapers are also a good reason to manufacture a situation, just be 
savvy enough to get your message out to the public via these mediums 
and turn the gig into a money making situation for the future by 
booking good gigs at double or triple your regular fee to make up for 
the free one.  It really is not that hard to do if you get out of the 
Union Scale fee quote and do not be afraid to ask for REAL money.   
Nobody knows what union scale is anyway except for the Union and the 
guys who think that is all they are worth for a gig.

That is like saying that a Rolls Royce should be sold for the same as a 
Volkswagen Bug.   A really good marketer can sell a Volkswagen BUG for 
the costs of a ROLLS ROYCE,  ESPECIALLY IF HE PUTS ONE OF THOSE COOL 
LITTLE ROLLS ROYCE GRILLS ON THE BUG.   Now guys go negotiate your gigs 
like you used to negotiate for sexual favors form young women, you win 
some and you lose some, but usually nobody slaps you anymore. :))


Cheers,

Tom Wiggins


-----Original Message-----
From: Steve barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To: DJML <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Sun, 09 Apr 2006 16:52:59 -0400
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Playing on the trains and/or streets

   No question about it. A street wise, or train wise musician can make
$100,000 a year.

But then, so can a street wise, or train wise pan handler. In fact, more
that a few beggars do just that. I was in the Army with a professional 
pan
handler in the early 1950s. He claimed to be making $40,000 back then.

And I talked with a Philadelphia street musician 2 years ago. Philly in
Summer, Miami in winter. Said he cleared $75,000 net.

BUT . . . these guys are professionals at what they do. The average 
beggar
or musician on the streets or in trains is not. It's a different mind 
set,
which is perhaps why some of us give the music away and some make money.

Cheers,
Steve


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