[Dixielandjazz] Free Music/ Truly upsetting

[Gary Lawrence Murphy]

there's another side to this argument that often goes unnoticed, but
it came up in the Facebook group for saxophone players where it caused
quite a row, so I figure why not bring it up here:

what *do* people buy.

the doctors and lawyers of these 'jazz societies' are just out having
a lark, it's their party, I don't go to your party and insist you
should have a barista making the coffee or a pro bartender, so what's
the big deal?  it's their event, leave 'em be, they aren't taking
anyone's job, there is no job there being taken, unless you agree that
you should have a butler bring your breakfast and a maid to fold your
sheets etc etc etc etc etc.  Recall that the Amish are the way they
are because they *refuse* to obsolesce anyone's job.

but what *do* people buy?  They buy a lot of stuff, there's no
shortage of money.  They bought truckloads off Lou Reed, god rest his
tortured soul, but then, didn't they also destroy him in the process?
Does Lady Gaga really have a life outside her fame and glory, or is
that what the public has bought, the right to puppet her.  Miley Cyrus
too, and omg I can't believe I've just added to that poor girl's
provocative squats at fame, speaking of Zappa ...

Henry Ford said to Bucky Fuller, "You can make money, or you can make
sense, the two are mutually exclusive."

but there is money out there, just stand outside the Walmart and watch
it walk in and walk out with stuff.  Check the shows that are sold
out, there are bands everwhere who know how to pack a pub, even with
hefty cover charges, there are, as that FB list evidenced, a great
many big bands who have no problems putting bums in seats for a fee.
So what's the gripe?

Dare I suggest that if you play only a music that *you* like, you may
end up with only yourself for an audience? ;)  No, I won't go there,
I'll just hint at it. If you are a plumber and you never build the
bathrooms clients asked for, do you stay in business?  If you are a
doctor and only treat ailments patients don't have, do you keep your
license?  And what if you're really not a very good doctor, not very
attentive, not really inspiring with your presence, not commanding of
respect by your mere deportment?

But wait, I'll toss out another dangerous thought: what if you *are* a
doctor, some kind of doctor, a sound and vibration doctor, the one
trained to craft the tones that have the maximal effect on the
audience, a shamanistic sort of voodoo you do so well kind of doctor ,
do you still stay unemployed?  Yes you can shred on Charlie Parker,
but maybe you live in Grand Ol' Opry country?  Technical Skill for a
doctor *includes* diagnosis just as much as deft fingers for the
surgery ;)

So why beat yourself up over Rotary Club dinners or Santa Village gigs
where nobody's really there to see you anyway?  Makes more sense to me
to *apply* your craft and do the due dilligence to find out, "What
*will* they buy?" and if you guess wrong, change, if indeed selling is
what's important to, or for you.  Maybe what they really want is just
a notch over from what you want to do, close enough you can bend into
that, get their attention and *then* take them where you want to go!

And don't blame the doctors, or the kids, or the hackers who've still
got price tags on their horns.  If you want to blame someone, blame
us, the musicians who sold that lie that said recordings were music
and so could be used to replace us.  Back in 1908 there was live music
everywhere because there wasn't any canned music, there were bands at
the factory, bands at the grocery store, most musicians only got one
day off a week and one hour off on the other days (this is why the
Toronto Symphony had only the dinner hour to practice) because people
do want music.  John Philip Sousa tried to warn you about "Those
infernal machines" but did we listen?  No, we thought we could get
rich, instead of playing for our daily supper, we'd just cut a disk
and reap the profits off the machines playing for our supper, the same
dreary repeat, over and over and over and over and over and over and
over and ... we did it to ourselves.  And now our machines have
learned from their masters and taken our jobs and they rake it in,
autotuned hip beat wallpaper sounds are absolutely everywhere, every
last one of them was once a living breathing human being with
something to add to the air.  Don't blame the amateurs, we did this
ourselves, all on our own.

And the solution, in my ranting fanaticism, is to re-educate the
public, to press on bringing *living* music everywhere I can to
demonstrate that no, no a thousand times no, your ipod
beans-in-your-ears is most emphatically NOT music, it is only the
shadow of sound caught in a photograph, and while the CD costs $20
recall that the artist who's shadow it contains only reaps $1 from
that, if they are lucky, and that other $19, the reapers of that are
the ones who want to keep this deal going.

ok, that's my fanatic rant ;)

Now lets get back to making some music and causing some real change!
Honey, where *is* my super suit!

On 10/28/13, Dixiejazzdata <dixiejazzdata at aol.com> wrote:
> Unfortunately Many of those Doctors, Dentist,  Lawyers, Engineers, and other
> highly paid professionals are often the ones playing for free on their days
> off for fun, and to relax as they like to call it and unwind.  Too bad they
> don't hire professional working musicians to play in their waiting rooms, or
> Kids Weddings, Bar b Ques, and sordid other parities and gala affairs,
> instead of getting their comrades who also play  on their days off to
> perform for free.   Will they ever stop it, no not a chance and they are the
> ones who get the most agitated when this subject comes up on this list.
> Some of them have also been the founders of Traditional Jazz Societies under
> the guise of "Preserving Jazz"
>
>
>  As stated by Kermit the Frog, "It ain't easy being Green" or being a
> Musician earning enough Green to survive either.
>
> Tom Wiggins,
>
>
> Who can count the number of times I have worked for Free in my 40 year
> career on one hand and have fingers left over.
> And most free engagements that a band does for free  and "Exposure"  only
> get them more Free gigs and Exposure to others looking for Free music as
> long as they do it for free.  Everybody has a Cause, to raise money for!!
> Mine is to raise money to pay Professional Working musicians.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kaye Wade <kayewade at sbcglobal.net>
> To: B.B. Buffington <dixiejazzdata at aol.com>
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Mon, Oct 28, 2013 12:37 pm
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Free Music/ Truly upsetting
>
>
> I'm pretty sick of the free music thing too.
>
> Because I used to work a lot in the movies, peopel don't seem to think you
> need
> to keep making a living, but I work about 3 days a year now- $2,600.00 &
> then
> minus the 47 Percent tax - does not pay the bills. I still need to work &
> even
> tho we get residuals- they are down to 2 cents - 0 and so forth-
>
> And then think - your wealthy(?)
>
> I am wealthly in health, thank goodness, I still have to pay the bills &
> eat.
> But the point is still- Ask your Plumber or Dr to work for fee- ask your
> Painter
> ( you can paint yourself- so just sit down & play music if it's that easy.)
>
>
> -----
> Kaye Wade
> Stuntwoman-Actress, Honorary Member of Stuntmens Assoc, Vocalist,
> Reflexologist & Accupressurist, "Thimbles" The Clown,The Reel Cowboys.org,
> Sardos in Burbank,  Jazzn' Banjos, InternationalWashboards.com(videos),
> http://www.KayeWade.com
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