How is the economy impacting you musically speaking, gigs, gear etc...

57pbass · #1 06-02-2008, 04:20 PM

I live in metro NYC and the rents are sky high for the club owners, I'm pretty certain its all relative around the country...
add the gas prices to this equation and its spells trouble...

many friends choose to stay close to home and drive only when necessary...and have passed on recent shows..

I am very selective when taking a show..not that anybody is banging my door down to hire me..but when I do get a call to play driving distance has become a factor..

NJL · #2 06-02-2008, 04:21 PM

yeah it makes me want to play in a blues band!!!! seriously

Baryonyx · #3 06-02-2008, 04:22 PM

I've sold off all the basses I didn't use before they depreciated too much and I lost too much cash on them. I'm also out of buying any new gear until things improve. I've got a good setup now, and I can't afford anything I want instead of need.

bassrique · #4 06-02-2008, 04:22 PM

I'm putting off my USACG project.

ksandvik · #5 06-02-2008, 04:24 PM

I've seen/heard that many band members are hesitant to drive long distances to gigs (and possible practice), as the gas prices will make it close to a no-deal concerning earning the little they get from gigs.

--Kent

lambro · #6 06-02-2008, 04:35 PM

I'm an active trader and trading mentor. The volatility has given excellent opportunities on an intraday and swing basis over the last year.

The Spoos, Gold futs, and assorted oil stocks are my primary focus.

If you were short the DOW or the S&P futs today, just one contract would have netted you ~ $1K gain

Most musicians make lousy traders though, need to be creative at the wrong times and assertion of ego always lead to demise in the markets. It also takes some concentrated sustained work to learn & develop trading systems and to manage negative emotions under fire.

Anyone interested in more, let me know

LumpyGravy · #7 06-02-2008, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksandvik

I've seen/heard that many band members are hesitant to drive long distances to gigs (and possible practice), as the gas prices will make it close to a no-deal concerning earning the little they get from gigs.

--Kent

I know the feeling. 60miles one way to practice. Our gig last friday was over 80 one way. My earnings covered gas, and a case of beer the next day, oh, also some snacks. That's it.

roadkill2309 · #8 06-02-2008, 04:41 PM

Hell, I've been scoping out the TB classifieds and eBay like never before. The current situation is great for the Canadian dollar. Where your recession *is* hitting me is in that many of the pubs are cutting their music budgets because we're seeing less US tourists.

I taxi to and from gigs, so I haven't seen *much* of an effect yet from the gas price hikes, but since our fiddler has to fly 4400km for each gig, I can't really complain.

There's also no guarantee that we can stay downturn-free for much longer up here. At that point, the fact that I'm a freelance writer by day is going to suck. A lot. Ergo, My eBay-ing is gonna have to slow down a lot pretty soon.

stflbn · #9 06-02-2008, 04:46 PM

I'm not gassing for any basses from Ishibashi anymore due to the exchange rate. :-)

Jay Terrien · #10 06-02-2008, 04:49 PM

+1. I have to factor driving time in all of my music decisions here in Los Angeles. I paid .99c a gallon in high school in the early 90's!! Wasn't that when Reagan was President and every Phil Collins video featured some type of political puppetry? LOL. Awesome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksandvik

I've seen/heard that many band members are hesitant to drive long distances to gigs (and possible practice), as the gas prices will make it close to a no-deal concerning earning the little they get from gigs.

--Kent

Visirale · #11 06-02-2008, 05:01 PM

Blah, it's a natural economic cycle. I'm not noticing too much of a difference in what I do. I got a decent paying job for the summer and I'm revamping my rig and probably a bass or two. The area around me is being developed like crazy. You'd never guess that there was a "recession" or anything going on. New stores and restaurants are being opened up by the handful.

I will add that I'm staying completely sober while at home this summer. That's saving a bunch of money already, haha. Nice change from college, too.

magickbass · #12 06-02-2008, 05:12 PM

My job pays the bills and I usually have some extra money left over but the price of gas does hurt. We all deal in our own way.
I have cut out other non-necessities. I canceled my newspaper subscription, magazine subscriptions, had my telephone cut back to nothing but the basic phone line, I don't go the firing range anymore, etc. Bass has become the only 'extra' I have now. It may come down to turning off the internet someday also, but I will fight that until the last.
I have an interview at the post office the 18th of June so things may REALLY start getting better for me money wise.

57pbass · #13 06-02-2008, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Visirale

Blah, it's a natural economic cycle.

$4.00 per gallon of gas..

do you really think its going to cycle back to under $3.00 ?

vinxbass · #14 06-02-2008, 06:07 PM

It's the gas that's making a dent in my pay. I live 40 miles out of town and, though most of my gigs are in the Sac., CA region for me it's alot of driving which adds up to alot of gas. It's beginning to really suck.

mongo2 · #15 06-02-2008, 06:11 PM

I've started limiting my travel for gigs. I've refused a few that were too far.

Visirale · #16 06-02-2008, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 57pbass

$4.00 per gallon of gas..

do you really think its going to cycle back to under $3.00 ?

Keep in mind that currency inflates with the gas prices.

1973 had a similar oil "crisis" to what we have now.

It'll calm down once they crack and let us drill more in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico...

**T. B. Player** · #17 06-02-2008, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Visirale

Keep in mind that currency inflates with the gas prices.

1973 had a similar oil "crisis" to what we have now.

It'll calm down once they crack and let us drill more in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico...

Dude!!

Can you send that graph to me...THAT'S AWESOME.

Indeed, it puts everything in perspective. The economy hurts - it always hurts...and everybody tries to make as much $$ as they can. Just remember - windmills can do a great deal to solve our electricity demand...but the evironmentalists will tell you they're eyesores and kill birds. Palm is a renewable resource that can be grown and its oil used for synthetic fuel rather than corn - but it will kill the orangutans. And you know, corn converted to ethanol wouldn't do anything to food prices...if we stopped making beer with it - and wouldn't the bulk of the US who buy Bud and Miller like that!

Want to bring oil prices back down? Stop allowiing them to trade oil futures. Traders only got into that business a couple of years ago - which is why Iraq is producing the most oil it has seen in 5 years, and why oil companies are getting richer. It's not supply and demand...it's that trader guy a couple of posts ago...

...but you know if you stopped that, then major corporations wouldn't be able to fund their pension plans as well as they are right now....

Stay home - record some stuff, and sell it on the Internet.

Z

Visirale · #18 06-02-2008, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T. B. Player

Dude!!

Can you send that graph to me...THAT'S AWESOME.

Indeed, it puts everything in perspective. The economy hurts - it always hurts...and everybody tries to make as much $$ as they can. Just remember - windmills can do a great deal to solve our electricity demand...but the evironmentalists will tell you they're eyesores and kill birds. Palm is a renewable resource that can be grown and its oil used for synthetic fuel rather than corn - but it will kill the orangutans. And you know, corn converted to ethanol wouldn't do anything to food prices...if we stopped making beer with it - and wouldn't the bulk of the US who buy Bud and Miller like that!

Want to bring oil prices back down? Stop allowiing them to trade oil futures. Traders only got into that business a couple of years ago - which is why Iraq is producing the most oil it has seen in 5 years, and why oil companies are getting richer. It's not supply and demand...it's that trader guy a couple of posts ago...

...but you know if you stopped that, then major corporations wouldn't be able to fund their pension plans as well as they are right now....

Stay home - record some stuff, and sell it on the Internet.

Z

Haha, it's a convoluted mess and the environmentalists are getting in the way of everything. I agree that it is important that we look out for the Earth, but I think we need to look out for us too. I understand balancing a delicate ecosystem, I really don't think a few Reindeer in Alaska should keep us from drilling our home country's natural resources. I think PETA would call me a speciest, but whatever, haha.

As for the graph, I just got it from the wikipedia article on the 1973 oil crisis.

shamrock&roll · #19 06-03-2008, 02:55 AM

I'd just be happy if there was public transportation around here.

As for gear, I've gotten quite a few things and I'm selling even more. The hot ticket for me seems to be old broken blackface Fender amps. I'm fixing my second 66 Bassman right now. I bought a bass and sold it before it got to me. Now I have a body and another bass on their way. Whichever one is to my liking stays. The other goes. I can't hoard them like I used to do. It's one acoustic, one electric and one bass unfortunately. I also have a Tele body on the way. I seem to be in a building mode...

bwv1013 · #20 06-03-2008, 03:04 AM

i lost a church gig a couple months back, but thankfully i've since added more students which more than covers the difference.

gas is definitely the biggest gig-killer for me. i literally quit a band for geography reasons, and that was over 4 years ago when it wasn't ridiculous. i'm definitely more picky when it comes to gigs. i want to play more but in a sense i can't afford to...