[Dixielandjazz] Expenses - Economics - Live Music

[Steve Barbone]

David Dustin postmaster at fountainsquareramblers.org wrote (polite snip)

>I concur with the opinion of many here, like Larry, who contend that musicians
>deserve to be remunerated for their time, and I make sure that most of our gigs
>pay reasonably well.  I am of the opinion that the shifting economics of
>transportation in the USA, in the vast rural areas lacking public
>transportation, is going to change the free music pricing strategies of a
>lot of bands that are just grateful for the gig and dont care how much they
>have to expend to play it.  If you figure the price of gas in the US at
>about $3.50 per gallon, soon to be $6 or $7 a gallon like in Europe (bet
>your axe on it), and a vehicle that gets maybe 18 mpg on average, getting to
>and from a gig within a 60-100 mile radius quickly adds up to a substantial
>investment in transportation alone. Now that sort of distance range is quite
>common for rural bands in North America, and even insignificant for bands in
>the Midwest or on the West Coast.  Either the gigs will have to start paying
>enough to cover a musician's logistical expenses, or the music will just dry
>up and blow away.  I know some larger bands around here that pretty much
>cover New England for not much more money, and sometimes less -- than I can
>get in a 3-county market. I don't know how they can keep all their players
>whole, after expenses, for the meager shares that they can dole out.

Agree 100% with David. My average per gig mileage was 122 miles round trip
last year. To offset the increase in gas costs, I raised prices the last
time gas went over $3 per gallon two years ago. Didn't lower them when gas
came down last year. My gig vehicle gets 18 mpg. Most of the sidemen have
more economical vehicles, but I need to haul the sound gear, and some
sidemen on at least half the gigs and just replaced my Jeep Cherokee with a
Honda Pilot.

Though I gig mostly in the 5 county Philadelphia area, home is in a rural
farming area, Oxford PA, 50 miles from Center City, or 50 miles from
Baltimore. The sidemen too, are spread out all over the area.

We might have lost a few gigs because of higher band prices, but we are
doing OK on the bottom take home line and in our situation, that's what
counts. 

One thing we also notice is that live music, is drying up. There are less
and less total musical gigs out there. Hasn't affected us, but certainly has
affected the general musical work of others. Corporate gigs, which used to
be a mainstay of many a pro and/or agent here, are fast disappearing.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone