[Dixielandjazz] No wonder live music is in trouble

Mon Nov 26 13:09:24 PST 2007

Every time I walk into the local Guitar Center, I am struck by the amount of 
equipment being sold on a daily basis.  They are wall to wall with hundreds 
of guitars, amps and literally tons of other equipment.  They have a huge 
inventory and probably have to do $500 or more an hour just to keep open 
considering the number of employees and other overhead.

They are selling enough stuff to completely equip a couple of bands a day 
and that's just one store and that's not counting the other stores and the 
i-net sales of musical equipment.

I would bet that all combined that you could equip six or eight bands a day 
easily with all the stuff sold.

I understand that some of the sales might be upgrades or expanding what some 
band already has but the sheer volume of musical equipment being sold must 
make the number of bands around huge and growing every day.

All of these people want to turn a buck now and again and many just want to 
get exposure and are willing to play for anything or I would imagine nothing 
in most cases.

Fortunately for us they all fall into a rather tight bunch being some 
derivative of rock, rap or country.   The point is that even the worst of 
them score occasionally soaking up entertainment dollars.   Free or a round 
of beers is too good to pass up for many potential buyers of music.

You all know my take on playing for cheap or nothing but it's getting to be 
a challenge to play at all.

Everyone cries poverty.  I have found that it's not always true but it's 
true enough to drive down the booking fees.

The reasons are many but we have people climbing all over themselves to play 
for whatever here.

I guess I shouldn't say anything because I undercut the full size bands with 
computerized musicians but it's the only way I know to stay regularly 
employed and make any money.  If it weren't for that I would be playing two 
or three times a month.  As it is I make a lot less playing with full size 
bands and playing with them is almost my hobby now.

I see no end to the problem.  The only thing I can see is adapt or die. 
That involves a whole bunch and requires us to be entertainers more than 
musicians and businessmen more than hobbyists.
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ric Giorgi" <ricgiorgi at sympatico.ca>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 9:51 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] No wonder live music is in trouble

> You know things in the music business are bad when you see bands
> begging for a place to play. <snipped>
>
> <I reply>
> Bad is right. I keep telling others that to play for nothing tells
> people that nothing is the monetary value of the music - if you play
> for little, your music is worth little. Buyers will pay but you have
> to ask because they'll pay as little as they can and your agreement
> determines what the music is worth.
>
> There was a book called "Getting Ahead in the Music Business" urged
> young musicians to just play. Anywhere anytime for no money, just
> get the experience. I though it was bad advice at the time but I
> think those young musicians (now much older) think it's still good
> advice. Argh!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Ric
>
> PS - I'm NOT telling anybody how to do anything and if I had all the
> answers 'the churches would be full and the prisons would be empty'.
>
>
>
> Ric Giorgi
> Rainbow Gardens Music
> 820 Manning Ave
> Toronto ON
> M6G 2W8
>
> 416 531-4506
> rgmusic at sympatico.ca
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
> [mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com] On Behalf Of Steve
> Barbone
> Sent: November 26, 2007 10:23 AM
> To: Ric Giorgi
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] No wonder live music is in trouble
>
> You know things in the music business are bad when you see bands
> begging for
> a place to play. And then advertise working "cheap". Veteran pro
> musicians?
> Shoot, they can't even spell "musician" correctly.
>
> No &#$#@#&#$#^%*& wonder live music is in trouble.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
>
> Below ad seen in San Francisco Bay Area Craig's List.
>
> Blues Trio Available.......cheap
> Reply to: comm-488760018 at craigslist.org
> Date: 2007-11-25, 7:25AM PST
>
> Three veteran, Pro Muicians who all have other bands, but enjoy
> playing
> together, have a "just for fun" Blues Band. This allows us to work
> cheap for
> your Club, Private Party or event. We just need you to give us a
> place to
> play.
>
>
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