[Dixielandjazz] Artist Demographics.

[Stephen G Barbone]

On Jun 12, 2008, at 3:38 PM, Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis  
wrote:

> snip -There are 140,000 singers/musicians in the USA according to  
> census
> statistics.
>
> yeah and they are all in St. Louis working for drinks..............
>
> Speaking of that I got a call from a friend who was called by a  
> local Big band.  They are working a gig in Indianapolis (248  
> miles).  The pay is $125. Now let's see how that works out.  The  
> drive is about 4 hours one way and the gig is three hours.  That  
> comes to 11 hours and maybe they will want to eat along the way.  So  
> that puts us up to about 12 hours then there is setup.  Roughly  
> dividing that it comes to $10 an hour.  Never mind the $100 or so in  
> gas money.  Let's hope they car pool.
>
> Holy Cow, what are musicians thinking?  My advice - Get a life!!!   
> No wonder they are out beating the bushes to find subs for this  
> gig.  The leader of this band is a retired Doctor.  I just can't  
> believe that he would ask people to take this kind of work but then  
> there are politicians that don't know how much a loaf of bread costs  
> either.  The sad thing is that this band is pretty good and  
> shouldn't have to go hat in hand begging for scraps.
>
> My friend didn't take the gig.  I am breathlessly waiting for my call.
> Larry

I hear you Larry.

I just booked a gig 246 miles from home, a distance we rarely travel.  
It is a High Society Wedding in Southampton, Long Island on the  
Atlantic Ocean this fall. I won't tell you what we are getting because  
it would blow your mind, but I will tell you about the travel  
expenses. We will take 2 vehicles.

They are $300 per vehicle, plus $60 for tolls.

1st Class Hotel Rooms on the Ocean (singles) No round trip the same  
night for us.

$75 per man meal allowance for the trip. Plus dinner and drinks at the  
reception at the band table which will be in the midst of the other  
guests..

In other words, what we make at the gig, we NET. Plus, I expect  a  
substantial tip which has happened historically with these type gigs.

This is one of those gigs where we will be treated as guests because I  
shmooze our clients, treating them as equals. (Been doing that ever  
since Henry Ford 2nd sat in and sang "Up The Lazy Liver" with me at a  
party my band was playing 50 years ago)  The bride and groom are in  
their early 30s and currently working in the Philadelphia area, but  
she is from a Long Island family.

Music will be Condon Style Dixieland. Plus some Small Band Swing

Gig came about because of an 80th Birthday Party we did at a large  
home in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. (Old Money) Once  
the old folks, who enjoyed it immensely, left at 10 PM, the younger  
set danced their shoes off, past midnight in a large room cleared for  
dancing, to the music you can hear on our myspace page. And you can  
bet we played loudly. Prospective bride loved it, hence the wedding  
booking.

There are lots of these type gigs for us in our area and I suspect the  
same is true in every large city in the USA.  We seek them out, find  
them, and seem to be moving in social circles that are totally ignored  
by most OKOM bands.

"Musicians" who play for little or nothing deserve their pittance.  
IMO, OKOM bands that cannot find a young audience for this music are  
neither looking hard enough, nor in the right places.

It all starts with realizing that jazz musicians are creatures of  
wonderment to the rich and anonymous. They seek you out and once you  
become a part of their "art" world, you get all sorts of gigs, and  
royal treatment, because of who they think YOU are.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

www.barbonestreet.com
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband