[Dixielandjazz] Playing for Beer

[Stephen G Barbone]

Note that Amanda is requesting a string quartet and 3 or 4 sax and brass players to join her( if they pass rehearsal, also for free) on stage for her tour. NO PAY, JUST BEER. Hey Amanda, ask some of those misguided Dixieland musicians who love to play for free.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband

September 12, 2012, NY Times - By Daniel J. Wakin
Rockers Playing for Beer: Fair Play?

The rock musician Amanda Palmer says she is giving a gift to her fans by inviting those who play strings, saxophone and brass to join her on stage during a tour. Joy and beer are the recompense.

But some musicians are enraged, flooding her Web site with angry comments saying that she should pay her backup band. At least one musicians union, Local 76-493 in Seattle, has been sending out Twitter messages denouncing the move and calling for people to post the comments.

@amandapalmer, please pay your musicians who "ACTUALLY, REALLY PLAY THEIR INSTRUMENT!" a fair wage.Hugs don't pay rent. amandapalmer.net/blog/20120821/

- SeattleMusicians (@Local76_493) September 11, 2012

"If there's a need for the musician to be on the stage, then there ought to be compensation for it," said Raymond M. Hair Jr., president of the American Federation of Musicians. "Playing is work and there's a value associated with it, and that value ought to be respected."

Anyway, he added, "What's so great about her show that I want to play for free?"

In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Ms. Palmer rejected the criticism. "If you could see the enthusiasm of these people, the argument would become invalid," she said. "They're all incredibly happy to be here."

She said the players joining her band were there because "they fundamentally believe it's worth their time and energy to show up at this gig." As a working musician, she added, she absolutely believes regular players on a long tour should be paid salaries, as are the three other band members in her Grand Theft Orchestra.

Ms. Palmer also said that she could not afford to pay the extra musicians she requests, a string quartet and three or four sax and brass players. The cost, she said, would be around $35,000 for all the tour dates.

The tour began on Monday in Philadelphia, and the band played Webster Hall in New  York on Tuesday. Some three dozen dates are listed on the Web site. Tuesday was also the release date for Ms. Palmer's new album, "Theater Is Evil," which was paid for by a Kickstarter campaign that raised an enormous sum, $1.2 million.

To some extent, the kerfuffle results from a culture clash between the freewheeling rock 'n' roll scene of club dates and scarce cash and the world of established conservatory-trained musicians long supported by strong union locals with wage scales.

Ms. Palmer has a loyal and vocal fan base, largely because of the close contact she maintains through Twitter, other social media and interactions with audiences at her events. Her torch-singing style has a transgressive quality, and she emphasizes her independence from the recording industry.

On her Web site, under the headline "Wanted: Horn-y and String-y Volunteers for the Grand Theft Orchestra Tour," Ms. Palmer invites musicians to send e-mails expressing their interest in playing at her various dates. They are to come for a short afternoon rehearsal and then show up at the gig.

"We will feed you beer, hug/high-five you up and down (pick your poison), give you merch and thank you mightily for adding to the big noise we are planning to make," the Web invitation reads.

Comments in response mostly ranged from abusive to disappointed. "Beyond unprofessional and just sad," one commenter wrote. Several said they were fans who had lost faith. "Don't take it!" another poster wrote of the offer. Another said, "You're a real jerk."

One suggested that musicians sabotage performances. And another said: "I'm having a house concert at my place. You should bring your tour to my house and play for free. It'll be great exposure for you."

They also referred to the money Ms. Palmer had raised. But in the interview, she stressed that most of it went toward recording expenses and the costs of promotion and touring.

Ms. Palmer said it would not surprise her if some of the critics were the people "screaming online that I shouldn't be begging my fans for crowd-funding," referring to the Kickstarter campaign.

"To me it seems absurd," she said. "If my fans are happy and my audience is happy and the musicians on stage are happy, where's the problem?"