[Dixielandjazz] Bustin Kaye Wade's Chops

[Steve barbone]

billsharp sharp-b at clearwire.net wrote

>I never saw the articles on "Busting Kaye Wade's Chops"  , but that
>sounds like a fine title for a song - -Who would dare bust another
>musician or trying their damnnest  to promote themselves and their
>music?  The gall of it all !     At least it's not "Chopping Kaye
>Wade's Busts" (for tips)   - - then you could be upset.   Busking can
>be  our way of advertising, similar to placing an add in the yellow
>pages, where people see the advertised product then connect with the
>advertiser - -from my point of view, Kaye was only doing live "yellow
>pages" . . .the very best kind of advertising musicians can do.


With all due respect, if one has not followed the original thread, then a
lot of misconceptions arise.

The thread went like this:

A band was playing a weekly free gig in a restaurant in the Los Angeles
area.

The audience was the same old folks every week that came in for lunch and to
hear the band.

One frequent audience member was quoted as saying something like; "Where
else can you go hand have lunch for $10 and hear such great music?"

My point was why not have the restaurant charge a cover for the music and
pay the band?

There was no mention of "advertising". Nor should there have been because
the same old non-spending old folks came in every week. Advertise to whom?
People who can't or won't spend money? (Would we buy stock in a company that
did that?) That's who Bud is playing for now in upstate NY also, according
to his post.

Yes, there are exceptions to the "don't play free" thesis. One major
exception is that if you truly get other paying gigs from being there, and
you are not screwing up the market for people who make their living playing
music, then by all means do it. Or if you are rehearsing live and not
screwing up the music market, do it.

Some of my highest paying gigs come from relatively low paid restaurant
gigs. BUT those low paid gigs are in "Upscale Venues" where there is a crowd
of people spanning the age groups. Not in places where there is now future
payback. Playing where the "real people" are generates all kinds of
weddings, parties, and other high paying gigs if the band is at all relevant
to the audience.

And actually playing gigs is a hell of a lot better than rehearsing. So by
all means play free, but if in Vermont, play at a ski lodge, or in Buffalo,
at a young people's restaurant, where the action is, etc.

Cheers,
Steve