[Dixielandjazz] playing for charity

Fri Feb 9 11:12:16 PST 2007

I play with the Scottish Rite Brass here.  There are about 15 members who 
are professional musicians.  Our by-laws definitely state that we can not 
play for free when anyone performing in any manner is paid.  The SRB brings 
a group ranging from 6-10 musicians for dances or other events.  This 
happens usually at Christmas and one other dance.  The guys are asked to 
play one time during the year, most often in the afternoon, for free or show 
up to a meeting one time to retain membership.  This usually isn't a big 
deal and we try to steer activities to non week end nights or afternoons.

We have a party in September that has a paid vocal group coming in.  For 
that dance we are paying the musicians for that affair.  If they wish to 
rebate their money then they can.

Even our Charity will sneak in things on us.  As secretary of the group I 
had to inform our Charity that we sponsor that if they paid musicians or 
groups to perform that we could not perform for them.  The gig in question 
was a vocal group that was being paid.  We had leaned on a couple of 
musicians to help us out with the fundraiser.  The situation was that some 
were getting paid and others were not.  Our charity people got quite huffy 
over it.  We haven't been asked back since.

Playing for charity as long as it is limited is OK but it's a never ending 
problem.   Musicians have to be very careful what they volunteer for.  The 
result is less money and fewer gigs.   Tom is right, they are paid and they 
pay the bar tenders and other people to put on their events but they want us 
to play for free.

Another thing.  I took Elizar and his friend out to a local jazz club.  The 
trio was very professional and the crowd had a great time.  When the evening 
was over there was $5 in their tip jar, to which I contributed but that's a 
shame.  Every couple in there should have at least dropped in a $5 bill.  I 
think the band put the fiver in the tip jar as bait.  (we got there early 
and it was there) If a musician could get $25 or $30 in tips a night it 
might make playing a lot more attractive but people here just don't tip 
bands unless the guy is blind then they do OK.  I have two blind friends who 
get anywhere from $25 to $100 a night in tips depending on the gig.   I 
wouldn't mind taking a little less from the owner if I knew the guys were 
going to get and extra $25 or $30 in tips.
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "J. D. Bryce" <brycejo at comcast.net>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>; <tcashwigg at aol.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2007 6:03 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] playing for charity

> Back in New Jersey in thew 1970s, the Buffalo Disaster Jazz Band as well 
> as
> other well regarded local bands used to play a yearly benefit for St.
> Clare's Hospital in Denville. Then we found out that they were bringing in
> musicians and bands from New York City at premium rates to play the Gala
> Dance that they threw at the end of the fund raising activities.
>
> The local union (237) told them that locals wouldn't play their benefits
> anymore unless they started using loacal ensembles for the paid dance. 
> They
> refused and we stopped playing the freebies.
>
> No good deed goes unrewarded.
>
> Jack Bryce
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <tcashwigg at aol.com>
> To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2007 6:14 PM
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] playing for charity
>
>
>> Once you play for free you establish your worth in the eyes of the
>> buyer and it will Never go upwards form there.
>>
>> Tell them what you charge and that is what you will do the gig for and
>> if the folks in the band want to donate it back to the charities WORTHY
>> CAUSE ( usually cause they don't want to pay you  because that would
>> take away from the money needed to PAY THEM.)
>>
>> They are perfectly free to do so, Charity should be a two way street.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Tom
>>
>>
>>    Romans Said "....I said sure and
>> quoted them my price. I was met with  stunned silence and then "Well,
>> aren't you going to play for free? After  all, it's for charity....."
>>
>> Man, ain't that the truth!  I used to be a sideman in a group  that did
>> the
>> same freebe year after year for  a society fundraiser. They treated us
>> like
>> crap & wouldn't even  feed us sandwiches (the wait staff and stage crew
>> were fed
>>
>> the same baron of  beef as the guests). I kept asking our leader when
>> we were
>> going to get one of  their real gigs from them; he couldn't answer me.
>> I had
>> nothing to lose, so I  approached the boss of the committee regarding a
>> booking
>> us at their annual  black tie gala, he said they only hire PROFESSIONAL
>> groups for that event! go  figure Last I heard, the same group was
>> still doing
>> that
>> freebe.
>>
>> Tom Loeb
>> California
>>
>>
>>
>>
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