[Dixielandjazz] Playing for free

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/6/2007 6:32:57 PM Eastern Daylight Time, JDut953944 at aol.com writes:

>Does this make me a whore?   No you have not yet elevated to that status :))  Whores Get Paid.

A musical Minch perhaps but not a Whore :    Whores know what they are worth or at least what they are willing to work for and charge accordingly.

Why must musicians be so naive and self destructive to their own once proud profession ?  That's why they call some of us "Professionals"

 But, I love to play my clarinet and I  play on a 
>street corner once a month with a group of musicians, some of  whom have their 
>own bands. 

Whores also love their instruments and play them on the street corners everyday, but they have enough self respect and sense to charge for it.

 We donate our tips to funding young  musicians jazz camps.

So that makes it all right and proper,  you would serve everyone better if you charged for your services and then chose to donate the money to the same camp.


  I was so pleased when I was asked to join in with  them.  It didn't occur to me to 
>think about this being "free."  What  occurred to me was that it was going to 
>be a lot of fun, I love people watching,  dog watching, and whatever else 
>happens to meander by. 

So do I and ten other players in my band and we get Paid very well to play on the street corners and in parades and many other places.   Use a little initiative and go find a sponsor to pay for this music, they are everywhere.

 We were told to  play quietly so as not to scare the 
>horses, pulling the carriages - like in New  Orleans - who also were giving free 
>rides.  What a kick.  We also  played for free last month at a retirement 
>center.  Goodness were we  insulted by one of the older gents who used to play in 
>the big bands!   Nobody but nobody could play like he did!  We go around once in 
>this  life.

Yes we do and THERE IS NO REASON TO GO AROUND BROKE  and playing for Free when you could be making a living doing what you enjoy if you devoted the time and energy needed to it to do it correctly.   There are many TAKERS in this world and many naive Givers who love to be taken over and over again for what they could and should be paid for.  However they are content to feel all warm and fuzzy inside while the TAKER goes away with their money.

  I will play all the music I can, while I can play it!  Yes it's  
>nice to get a nice bunch of cash at the end of a gig.  But the enjoyment I  
>get out of just playing any old where is nice too.  

That's why God invented Rehearsals, and community bands that get sponsored by some organization to allow folks like you to get a thrill of playing for Free.

Unfortunately in todays world there are far more of your kind of musicians out there than there are real Professionals making a living and putting out Quality Music that deserves to be paid for.
> 
>Carol, Clarinet


That's My Not so Humble opinion and I am sticking to it.

Sorry Carol but I have worked far too hard for far to long and paid many great musicians well, to tolerate such nonsense from amateur folks who play a little music on the side to amuse themselves.   

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins