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Isn't that what I said. Plenty also don't create an audience because it isn't what the audience wanted.
Nevertheless, if your chops are up in those towns you can make money but, again you have to have the skills.
There's this newfangled thing called the interwebs, I have the whole world as my scene.Nevertheless, if your chops are up in those towns you can make money but, again you have to have the skills.
You my friend have a finite local scene, on the west island
Nobody said that people don’t have a right to want more than what they have. They don’t have a right to get it, however. Want all you like.I think that this thread is a great oppourtunity for working players to further discuss the some of the complex causes of low pay and possible solutions to the challenge of earning more pay for gigs. I think it should be plainly said that @two fingers is neither alone or wrong in his frustration and in his desire to make more money for his time playing gigs. I share these exact same sentiments about my part time work as a musician. It's every persons right to try and improve their earnings for plying their trade as they see fit. I mean, there's entire financial sectors on this continent devoted to sucking borrowers and consumers dry of their last penny and everyone just shrugs and says, "that's capitalism bud, deal with it". Why shouldn't we have the same right as musicians to atleast explore ways to boost our pay and profits, and not just accept our poopy lot?
That said, there's only two questions to explore so far as I see it.
1) What are all of the reasons and combined circumstances that account for the current and historic standards of pay for local gigging musicians in North America and how do they combine to keep the price of musical labour low?
2) Assuming that we can identify the entire set of circumstances both internal and external that contribute to our shared experience in this matter, what can be done by individuals or groups on a local level to change or counteract these circumstances that would achieve the desired result of atleast marginally increasing , (ideally significantly increasing), the average pay for local gigging bass players across North America?
The reason I say across North America, is because there's no way that players from Alaska to Newfoundland to Los Angeles to Florida complain about making the exact same money across multiple decades and economies, and there isn't something interesting going on with our trade....
Oh I dig, you got to make art that folks want. Just because it's "art" doesn't mean it's good. Just like my Free Bird maybe better or worse than the next bands
And that's a thing also. Good place to get your "art" out there so you can be about the business of getting Free Bird together when you play out at the local pub and are entertaining me. Just dress nice and have the chords to the bridge rightThere's this newfangled thing called the interwebs, I have the whole world as my scene.
Still don't have the chops though..........
Absolutely, but don't go complaining if no one will pay you more than $100 to play it for them at the local bar.
Exactly!
Plus, back in my day new and different would make a big imprint on the public and would be long lasting. Now there's a glut of new and different, its common place and not unique. If it doesn't grab you in the first few seconds it's throw on the trash hep of lost entertainment
To be specific, what I essentially said is that everyone has a right to try and improve their earnings in music as they see fit. I'm not so much talking about wanting vs. getting, of course those two things are very different. What I'm saying is that in order for the wanting to turn into getting, there needs to be exploration of the topic and understanding followed by action. I'm suggesting the based on the idea that there are similarities to our experiences as working musicians across a wide variety of markets, it might be possible for us to actually make use of this forum as a tool to identify new ways for us as individuals or groups to capitalize on our skills and differentiate ourselves from the mass of mediocre competitors in order to actually earn more income in this field. There's a huge variety of topics we can discuss along these lines in regards to the economic, social, and personal factors that influence how much money we can charge to play music at a bar. TalkBass is probably the closest thing us bass players will ever get to an association. Those who are interested, might as well use it as a way figure out how to do better in the industry. That's all I'm saying.
This is what the big band fans said at the birth of rock n roll.
Time for some executive time nowUm...... I have not been angry once in this thread. I roll my eyes when I see/hear awful sounding and awful looking bands being paid to perform. But I don't get angry. I haven't been angry.
You won't let it go and I'm not even angry at you.
In fact, I established many posts ago that I am not trying to get famous. I am not trying to make a living playing music. I get paid what I am willing to play for currently. I am playing all I want.
It is about my music scene. It went from great to awful. And now one is more likely to catch a horrible band in a club around here than one is to catch a good band.
I don't understand why this is so hard to get your head around. It's SAD when your music scene is made up of mostly terrible bands that will play for peanuts. It's just sad to witness the downfall of a music scene that was once pretty good.
Sure, the club owners are just as much the blame for hiring them. Heck, even the friends of the horrible bands are to "blame". They go support the awful bands which sells beer.
I fully understand every single aspect of what is going on. Self indulgence of the bands. Friends supporting friends. Beer sales. Yada yada yada.
You need not explain one single aspect of it to me.
None of that changes the fact that many of the bands suck and they play for peanuts.
Are we on the same page yet? I mean, I'm trying here.
You think words like "awful" and "horrible" and "hack" are mean. I also get that. But I don't do participation trophies. You don't get to be called amazing just because you showed up. If you look like a bunch of carpenters on their lunch break on stage and play watered down versions of tired songs, your band sucks. End of story. Sure, you have the "right" to be there. Sure, you may sell some beer. Sure, the club may make a few bucks. Nothing changes about the band sucking.
And I personally think that drags the whole market with it. All of the people who are NOT friends of bands start to think they ALL suck. That's one more reason (on a long list of reasons) to stay home.
I am not going to change my mind about it. There's nothing to "win" here. If there's a contest, I'm not in it. If there's a debate, have it with yourself. I am simply stating how I feel about it. You don't have to agree.
Whew!!!! I'm tired. I hope this clears us up. I'm through with this for the night. Somebody ring the bell. I'm tapping out.
Somebody put the dead horse in the fridge and lock up. We'll go back to beating it in the morning.
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At the same time, the ruckus hard driving dance sound of the big bands was the precursor to the rock band, some rock bands were bad but, most were good in the beginning.
It isn’t just about the Woohoo Girls. These overplayed songs often are chosen simply for the band’s convenience, they are low hanging fruit.
However if you are always served hamburger how would you know if you like steak?
