There is no difficulty in making an unremunerated career as a musician. You can be out playing every night of the week for nothing. However, as the Musicians Union says. "This is work, not play". As you may imagine, I write this on the back of another cancellation by someone interested enough to provisionally book.
In doing so they prevent one taking any other gigs on that date but then of course never gets back to confirm, hums and haws, tries to beat you down in price and generally fucks you around shamelessly as if you are a worthless piece of shite.
When someone complains to your face that "thon's an affa price for musicians.." You can tell that not only are they a cheapskate, they are probably too stupid to actually appreciate music. If they did have the sensitivity and emotional facility to actually enjoy music, they wouldn't make such a crass comment to a musician.
It seems that there is an expectation these days that musicians will play for nothing AND give their music away for nothing over the internet. Of course playing for nothing will give you "exposure".
It will certainly expose you as an amateur. As someone who is willing to value their talents and skill at less than zero. I say less than zero because, if you are playing for nothing, you are actually out of pocket.
Why is this? Because it costs you money to get to the job. It costs you money for gear. It costs you money for instruments. It cost you hours, days, months and years of your life getting to the stage where you are simply good enough to get on stage and have an audience enjoy and appreciate what you do.
Its petrol, union dues, gaffa tape, strings, reeds, If you want to make a decent recording to sell (or give away) that costs money. Everything costs money. Now why on earth do people expect musicians to shoulder that cost themselves?
No-one else is expected to practise their profession for nothing. Only musicians. Some friends of mine did a band for a Students Union do at a really good price because they strung a line about how poor the students were. They got to the gig to find out that the Students Association as well as having a ceilidh band on had also hired a lighting rig that cost them the guts of twenty thousand quid.
Included in the ticket price for the students (not the band) was a slap up five course meal. Now the students were footing the bill for this. They were ripping the piss out of the band that's for sure.
We used to have a nice wee earner for the blues band on a Thursday night in a local venue. Not a huge earner but money coming not money going out. We didn't have to haul anything other than a backline. That all changed when the owner realised he could get six student bands for fifty quid. that's not fifty quid each, but fifty quid for them ALL.
How is this done? Some wee student muso runs a "club" night. The venue gives him fifty quid on the premise that he brings in loadsae pished students. So he gets six student bands and all their pals. The bands get fuck all but their mates come along to hear them play and all have at least ONE pint.
They all get the promised "exposure". In reality they're being used. And they don't give a shit. And a real working band loses another strand of its income. The notion of music as something one would pay for takes a knock as well.
If you are playing for nothing, generally you won't feel overly motivated to put on a good show. After all, whether you're good or entertaining or worth listening to or not, you won't be getting any more money. In fact you won't be making any money at all.
In fact when you come down enough off of the adrenaline rush of performing (ho ho) then you'll realise on sober reflection that music is simply an expensive hobby for you.
You'll have had the expense in money and time involved in even the most basic command of an instrument. No wonder you will be giving it up as soon as you start needing to repay those student loans.
As the Musician's Union puts it. Music is work, not play.
In doing so they prevent one taking any other gigs on that date but then of course never gets back to confirm, hums and haws, tries to beat you down in price and generally fucks you around shamelessly as if you are a worthless piece of shite.
When someone complains to your face that "thon's an affa price for musicians.." You can tell that not only are they a cheapskate, they are probably too stupid to actually appreciate music. If they did have the sensitivity and emotional facility to actually enjoy music, they wouldn't make such a crass comment to a musician.
It seems that there is an expectation these days that musicians will play for nothing AND give their music away for nothing over the internet. Of course playing for nothing will give you "exposure".
It will certainly expose you as an amateur. As someone who is willing to value their talents and skill at less than zero. I say less than zero because, if you are playing for nothing, you are actually out of pocket.
Why is this? Because it costs you money to get to the job. It costs you money for gear. It costs you money for instruments. It cost you hours, days, months and years of your life getting to the stage where you are simply good enough to get on stage and have an audience enjoy and appreciate what you do.
Its petrol, union dues, gaffa tape, strings, reeds, If you want to make a decent recording to sell (or give away) that costs money. Everything costs money. Now why on earth do people expect musicians to shoulder that cost themselves?
No-one else is expected to practise their profession for nothing. Only musicians. Some friends of mine did a band for a Students Union do at a really good price because they strung a line about how poor the students were. They got to the gig to find out that the Students Association as well as having a ceilidh band on had also hired a lighting rig that cost them the guts of twenty thousand quid.
Included in the ticket price for the students (not the band) was a slap up five course meal. Now the students were footing the bill for this. They were ripping the piss out of the band that's for sure.
We used to have a nice wee earner for the blues band on a Thursday night in a local venue. Not a huge earner but money coming not money going out. We didn't have to haul anything other than a backline. That all changed when the owner realised he could get six student bands for fifty quid. that's not fifty quid each, but fifty quid for them ALL.
How is this done? Some wee student muso runs a "club" night. The venue gives him fifty quid on the premise that he brings in loadsae pished students. So he gets six student bands and all their pals. The bands get fuck all but their mates come along to hear them play and all have at least ONE pint.
They all get the promised "exposure". In reality they're being used. And they don't give a shit. And a real working band loses another strand of its income. The notion of music as something one would pay for takes a knock as well.
If you are playing for nothing, generally you won't feel overly motivated to put on a good show. After all, whether you're good or entertaining or worth listening to or not, you won't be getting any more money. In fact you won't be making any money at all.
In fact when you come down enough off of the adrenaline rush of performing (ho ho) then you'll realise on sober reflection that music is simply an expensive hobby for you.
You'll have had the expense in money and time involved in even the most basic command of an instrument. No wonder you will be giving it up as soon as you start needing to repay those student loans.
As the Musician's Union puts it. Music is work, not play.
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