[Dixielandjazz] Busking was Where are the young people?

[Larry Walton Entertainment]

Terrific = The idiots don't have a clue.  They would be better off setting 
up elsewhere and not waste their time with that nonsense.

I will have to say that most of the musicians here don't go in for the cut 
throat stuff.  If I know someone is playing a venue I won't go near it 
especially if it's a friend.  The musician pool here tends to know each 
other and burning bridges is really counterproductive.

The guys that are doing this won't last.  Being nice to them is a waste of 
time too.  Are these young guys?  It sounds like it.  I suspect that they 
are not very experienced.  They would be much better off moving to another 
corner or even another street.

Even if you gave them the corner they would imagine that you are getting 
more than them and follow you to the next corner.

I think it's professional courtesy to stay away from the other band in their 
booking, performance or job creation.

We have a guy here that is exceptionally cut throat when it comes to gigs. 
He will do just about anything for a gig and he will try to book gigs away 
from you. Luckily his bands are terrible.

The other tactic is cutting the price.  That doesn't mean that everyone 
needs to charge the same.  I know that there are a lot of cheaper performers 
than I am but some will shave a few dollars off and try to get them to 
cancel you and hire them.  As far as I know I have never lost a job because 
of that.

The other tactic is handing out business cards on your job or the sideman 
finds the person that hired you and starts kibitzing with them after the 
gig.  When I see that I immediately stop what I'm doing and join the 
conversation.  I've had a couple of customers tell me that a sideman did 
that.  It also tells the sideman that I'm watching him.

Fortunately most of the leaders have some business ethics and won't do those 
things.  I send out advertising to a lot of venues and if they call me 
because of my advertising I will book the gig.  I don't consider that going 
behind someone's back.

Good Luck and play loud.
Larry
StL
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Misrad HaJazz" <jazzmin at actcom.net.il>
To: "Larry Walton Entertainment" <larrys.bands at charter.net>; "DJML" 
<Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, October 24, 2011 4:03 PM
Subject: Re: Busking was Where are the young people?


> Hi Larry,
>
> I have not had a mafia problem while busking in Israel, or in Santa 
> Monica, but I have had problems with other performers coming along and 
> deciding that they wanted the spot where I was playing. Either they start 
> nudnicking or yelling at me while I'm playing, or they would start playing 
> right next to or opposite me, claiming I was in "their" spot. I would tell 
> them that the street is public, and it goes by first come, first served, 
> but they usually don't agree.
>
> There is usually not a policeman around to mediate. I havea learned the 
> hard way that being nice in such circumstances doesn't pay. You quickly 
> get pushed from place to place until you're off the street completely. So 
> I stay and play as loud as I can, figuring that I might make less, or 
> nothing, but I am going to make darn sure they don't benefit from bullying 
> me. It's very unpleasant, but I find it minimizes the bullying, since 
> those guys learn that they don't get rid of me so easily, and it's not 
> worth their while to fight. Sometimes the pedestrians will figure out 
> what's going on, and show support by giving me money. I've even had a 
> crowd close in around me to shut out the other player and give me a sort 
> of sheltered venue to work in.
>
> The yellers are easier. I got pretty good at ignoring them and going on 
> playing as if they're not there. They run out of gas before long and go 
> away.
>
> The street does have its challenges, but overall it's been worth the 
> effort and time to establish myself out there.
>
> Elazar
>
> Elazar Brandt
> Doctor Jazz Dixieland Band
> Jerusalem, Israel
> www.doctorjazz.co.il
> (02) 679-2537
> (050) 723-3914
>
>
> On 10/24/2011 10:02 AM, Larry Walton Entertainment wrote:
>> I worked at School for the Blind and when I first started there were some 
>> Mafia like people that "helped" the blind beggars.  They set them up with 
>> locations like in front of a bank and then for a cut of the money would 
>> give them exclusive right to the corner.  I remember the parents of two 
>> of my students getting in a fight over a bank corner.  That was about 
>> 1965.  The anti busking/beggar laws stopped it.
>>
>> There are similar people in New Orleans that get the little kids to tap 
>> dance for the crowds then the kids have to split with their "agent".  I 
>> have seen this so I know it happens.  I saw one of these guys almost 
>> strangle a little kid for his money.  I had seen the same guy about five 
>> or six years before tap dancing for the crowds.  I knew it was him 
>> because he had a very distinct look - almost deformed and he spoke Creole 
>> French.  That's the down side of busking and working the streets.
>>
>> I heard that in New Orleans this happened all the time to the street 
>> performers.  Someone was always there for their cut.  I don't know how 
>> true generally that is but in the case of the kid tap dancers it is 
>> absolutely true - I saw it.
>>
>> Nice to hear from you again Elazar.
>> Larry
>> St.L
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Misrad HaJazz" 
>> <jazzmin at actcom.net.il>
>> To: "Larry Walton Entertainment" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
>> Cc: "1-DIXIELAND JAZZ POST" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>> Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2011 2:39 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Where are the young people?
>>
>>
>>> Shalom Larry,
>>>
>>> Yes, that's most unfortunate when cities ban street performers. They 
>>> throw out the baby with the bathwater. I used to busk in Santa Monica, 
>>> CA, on their pedestrian mall. There were lots of performers, and it was 
>>> sometimes hard to find a spot between the others without stepping on one 
>>> another. It lent a festive atmosphere to the place that was part of its 
>>> charm and attraction. But of course some of the merchants complained and 
>>> pulled some strings with the city. They held hearings about licensing 
>>> the performers. I went to one, and you could see it was a done deal ... 
>>> they give you a "fair" hearing, and then they do what they were already 
>>> going to do anyway. In the end, the license restrictions were so narrow 
>>> that most of us wouldn't qualify, even if we were willing to pay the 
>>> annual fee (there's always an annual fee when the government gets 
>>> involved, isn't there). So they killed it. Last time I was back you had 
>>> only semi-pro over-amplified bands with tons of equipment, giving more 
>>> of a rock concert feel than street performing.
>>>
>>> I saw on our municipal website only lasts week that Jerusalem is looking 
>>> to "register" street performers. They don't say what that means yet, but 
>>> since I've been playing out there for 15 years, I "own" part of the 
>>> street, so I figured I'd better register and see what happens. They know 
>>> me, and my band is regularly hired by the city now, but paid gigs on the 
>>> street are not "street performing". They talk about auditions and 
>>> assigning places and times. That would kill it for me, because I have a 
>>> life and cannot commit to particular times for busking. They don't say 
>>> whether non-registered performers would be prohibited, or maybe they 
>>> only intend to give preference to the registered ones.
>>>
>>> I routinely bring my students out to the street to give them a chance to 
>>> learn to perform for an audience without scaring the pants off them by 
>>> putting them on a stage. The music made by the students is rough and not 
>>> professional level, but it is also part of the charm of busking. Other 
>>> musicians and students do it to practice, and/or to put a little change 
>>> in their pockets. We put a hat out because the hat is a gauge of how 
>>> well we're playing, or at least of how well we're entertaining. When 
>>> people start asking us how much we charge to play for a party, we figure 
>>> we're reaching the threshold of becoming musicians.
>>>
>>> By the way, here it is illegal for tourists and foreign students to 
>>> work, which includes busking. They can lose their visas. But it is 
>>> rarely enforced unless there is some other complaint that triggers it. 
>>> Some of the passers through are quite talented, and bring a nice variety 
>>> to the scene.
>>>
>>> Of course, we have our beggars here too. Jerusalem is known for it, and 
>>> because of Judaism's emphasis on charity, it is almost encouraged. No 
>>> doubt people see the money in our hats and try to get in on the action, 
>>> so we see some beggars who can't play trying to act like they're 
>>> busking. There used to be one old guy who sat sleeping in a chair on the 
>>> street all day, holding a mandolin with no strings. Anyway, in 
>>> Jerusalem, the begging is not considered a problem. But one can 
>>> understand that it can be a problem in other cultures where it is less 
>>> acceptable. One can only hope that the powers that be could tell the 
>>> difference between legitimate performers and panhandlers or con artists. 
>>> One could also wish they'd make as much effort to get rid of pickpockets 
>>> as they do musicians!
>>>
>>> Blessings,
>>>
>>> Elazar
>>>
>>> Elazar Brandt
>>> Doctor Jazz Dixieland Band
>>> Jerusalem, Israel
>>> www.doctorjazz.co.il
>>> (02) 679-2537
>>> (050) 723-3914
>>>
>>>
>>> On 10/23/2011 7:23 AM, Larry Walton Entertainment wrote:
>>>> I have no doubt that you draw great crowds but I think there is a 
>>>> fundamental difference in people there and here.  Today the band was 
>>>> excellent but the reaction of the young people was HO HUM.
>>>>
>>>> When I was in Frankfort Germany there were two guys dressed up as 
>>>> Indians with full head dress and costume.  They drew large crowds. 
>>>> Their music was good and they were fun to watch.  Near them there was a 
>>>> black guy from who knows where.  He was dressed in African type cloths 
>>>> and had a bunch of drums that the crowd was gleefully playing.  The 
>>>> crowd was having a great time banging on those drums.   Both of the 
>>>> street performers were selling CD's and getting tips.
>>>>
>>>> Those same guys doing the same things here in St. Louis would be 
>>>> arrested. There are anti busking laws here.  Doing what you do there 
>>>> would also get you arrested.  The only way you can perform as you 
>>>> describe is with permission of a business who may have hired you or if 
>>>> it's a festival of some kind but then they don't usually allow bands or 
>>>> performers to open a case for tips like they do in New Orleans and 
>>>> other places.
>>>>
>>>> Years ago St. Louis had a real problem with gangs of Gypsies, pan 
>>>> handlers, beggars, blind people and with other handicaps begging on the 
>>>> streets.  Some had instruments and played.  That's why they passed the 
>>>> anti busking laws. I only know of one municipality that tolerates 
>>>> street musicians but again it's more or less with permission of the 
>>>> merchants. There are more than 155 municipalities in St. Louis county 
>>>> none of which particularly want musicians or others hanging around 
>>>> uninvited.
>>>>
>>>> I think that's unfortunate that the cities have taken such a stand but 
>>>> St. Louis is an odd entertainment city.
>>>>
>>>> Another thing is that young people here are saturated with music and 
>>>> entertainment.  You would think that the novelty of people playing real 
>>>> instruments would draw a crowd.
>>>>
>>>> I think it's wonderful to draw crowds of young people I just think it's 
>>>> more difficult here.  They do watch at street fests when they happen 
>>>> but at those there is so many other things happening that it's 
>>>> fleeting. I could see that if there were no other attractions around, 
>>>> the young people would have been more attentive.
>>>>
>>>> I still maintain that young people here will not pay for OKOM on any 
>>>> meaningful scale and only pay cursory attention to bands playing OKOM. 
>>>> It's still the 50+ people who support bands and OKOM.  The mayor of the 
>>>> city we played for today was about 60-65 years old.  He's the one who 
>>>> hired us.  It may be true that the audience is aging out and we need to 
>>>> do something but I'm aging out too along with everyone that played 
>>>> today. The leader is 80 and I'm not so young either.
>>>>
>>>> Even so I think it's worth trying and some young adults do enjoy OKOM. 
>>>> I have noticed that they do like to bring their kids up to see the 
>>>> instruments.
>>>> Larry
>>>> St.L
>>>
>>
>>