[Dixielandjazz] RedGorilla Music Fest seeks bands - Austin TX

[Dan Augustine]

DJML--
     What do local musicians think about the RedGorilla festival?
     Here's the response from a highly talented local player who has 
played in 20s-30s jazz-band as well as other bands, and has toured 
around the country as well.

     Dan
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>Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 10:56:00 -0800 (PST)
>Subject: Re: RedGorilla Music Fest seeks bands - Austin TX
>
>Dan,
>
>This kind of crap is becoming the way of the "music" world as of late.
>It irritates me more than I can say. There is nothing but corporate 
>money pushing these types of festivals --- SXSW, Austin City Limits, 
>The North American Folk Alliance and now this!
>I'll be damned if I EVER give someone an application fee to become 
>part of their festival.
>
>This is all so commonplace nowadays -- Google "music festival." 
>You'll find too many music festivals that happen nationwide that are 
>very similar to SXSW, Austin City Limits and/or this Red Gorilla 
>business. As you found out, if you read thru their finer print, 
>you'll discover that there is an application fee. Some of the 
>festivals will pay the artists -- a very small wage --- for 
>performing. Others assume that any and all comers want "the chance" 
>to get noticed or "signed" and won't even offer peanuts.
>Of course, they will pay out ridiculous sums of money to the one or 
>two huge names they will put on the bill that will attract the 
>Lemmings by the score.
>
>--- Austin City Limits Festival --- these corporate sharks offered a 
>friend's band $125 to play at this EXTREMELY well attended festival 
>- bear in mind the cost of the tickets this year. This band is 
>fairly well known around town and has a decent draw. I cannot say 
>whether or not they paid a fee to apply for "the chance" to play at 
>this corporate buy-in.
>$125!!
>If I head over to the Austin Musicians Union website and have a look 
>at their outdated scale wages, that $125 doesn't cover a quarter of 
>that band.
>
>Greed is what is driving these festivals. Greed is what is pushing 
>the esteemed art of music into the ground. Greed is what is blinding 
>us all to the fact that we are being bamboozled by a corporate 
>definition of musical taste -- mass market appeal.
>
>I'm on the losing side of the argument between corporate festivals 
>and professional musicianship. I know it well. I don't care.
>I'll be playing private parties and poorly attended happy hours as 
>long as there are places that enjoy genuine live music and there are 
>folks who desire to hear it.
>The corporate world can have its fill of artists who can't make 
>intelligent business decisions regarding the future of music world 
>economics. They'll make it impossible for me to ever find a very 
>stable income. But, I'll manage as a warrior always manages.
>
>Greed and Ignorance equals these kinds of festivals.

-- 
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**  Dan Augustine  --  Austin, Texas  --  ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu
**  "People with opinions go around bothering one another."
**                 -- The Buddha
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