[Dixielandjazz] Fwd: Sacramento club musician Lament

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

This was in response to a post looking for musicians to play for Free 
coffee and exposure:

Some will enjoy others will not:   I keep telling everyone we have to 
educate the entertainment buyers, but not too many folks listen, or at 
least seem to be listening.


Cheers,

Tom Wiggins

      RE: Play for coffee



  Yes it's true, most business owners in this town want something for 
nothing, and this phenomenon is cyclical. In breaking this cycle, I 
think it sould begin with the players and performers staying out of 
places that refuse to meet a standard, yet what should that standard 
be? Gone are the days of cabaret cards and union dues.

   Seasoned players should agree on a wage and bands that feel they're 
worth it should take no less than they feel they're worth (maybe $25-40 
per head per hour; union wages the last time I checked are $33/hr). 
Bands that "take what they can get" are willing to be whores and this 
sets the tone for the clubs and businesses that want music to feel like 
they can exploit folks ( sad because some businesses probably don't 
even realize what they're doing). If businesses dont want to pay for 
their entertainment, then let them settle for the kids just starting 
out who just want the experience where they are as players, and not in 
it for the $$.

   If businesses want quality music they'll eventually have to pay for 
it when enough of us are willing to keep out of places that have a 
reputation of "burnsville". I've been working in town for quite awhile 
and have never accepted a gig paying less that $25. per hour. On 
occassion, I might do a favor and play three hours for $50 or 60 for 
the eve, but I ask $100. min most of the time for these sort of casuals 
and there's no problem getting it, and quite often it's more.

   Bands that are hungry enough to book themselves for a 30-45 min set 
at places like the Distillery and expect to get more than $50 FOR THE 
ENTIRE BAND are delusional. If you're that band, realize the experience 
is worth it and you should be just having fun. Bands like Hip Service 
who play regularly @ Harlow's have paid their dues and give the owners 
a product they can count on and bring in a bunch of $$ by the end of 
the night. I'd be safe to say each player in that band makes something 
worth their time.

   Anyhow stick to your guns on every level and everything will be OK. 
Let yourself be tramped on, you'll and up bitter and your axe 
collecting dust.