[Dixielandjazz] Typical Musician $ Plight

[Dixiejazzdata]

Note from a Good Jazz  Musician friend today about his gig last night.



NYC to Philly and back - over $40 in tolls!  + gasoline, at $4.00 a gallon


And the gig paid $80? lol

This is no laughing matter any longer it is reality.

I had a lady from New Orleans, call me for a Funeral Service gig  yesterday morning  for a Brass Band  at Sunset tonight which will be at the height of Rush hour traffic, and wants to hold it on Ocean Beach in San Francisco.  

I advised her that firstly we  were sorry to hear of her loss of a loved one,  and that I thought her idea of an Ocean Sunset Service was wonderful and memorable. I advised her that we needed a minimum of six players to be an Authentic Brass Band and that we usually used 8 and only dropped to six for hardship cases and budgetary restraints.   I also explained that it would be a minimum 3 hour situation for the band to be able to travel there through rush hour traffic, pay bridge tolls, find a place to park ( hopefully free)  and meet up and get properly dressed and be  ready to play.   Perform their service for  the 30 minutes they want, and then another hour or better to get back home, unload clean and press the uniforms for the next gig and most would probably have to stop and grab dinner on the fly coming or gong to the gig and eat it in the car.

She said they would only spend 200 to $300.00  for an 8 man band and I told her, sorry but thanks for calling, but, the professional caliber of this bands membership do not work for that kind of money.  We would most also have $4.25 cents a gallon  out for gasoline, and $6.00 for Bridge toll and possibly $8.00 -$10.00 for parking .   And stand/walk thru sand, ocean side in the Cold wet  and maybe foggy wind.

Definitely a thermal underwear kind of gig in the Summertime.

Music buyers often just have no clue:  Also give you a good idea what the pay must be for many New Orleans Musicians too as she said she hired brass bands for that all the time down home.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins