So for anybody out there who has ever tried then they know how hard it is to find a band and keep a band together. I know countless times where great bands have broken up over petty differences or known many great musicians who search forever to find a band they click with and in many cases it is too late when they do find it.
That is where I am at right now with my music. I am honestly at the point where I do not know where to go next. I keep trying to find musicians to start a good, solid blues/rock band around Des Moines that would be committed to playing a lot of the time. However so far all of the musicians I have asked are either playing with a band or not willing to commit to something. It is really frustrating sometimes.
So I guess today I am giving advice to any musician out there who is reading this. If you have a band and you are good then do everything to stay together. Because even in a larger market it can be tough to find musicians to work with and to get started up again. I am hoping that I can soon find what I am looking for before I go insane.
Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,
JAS
Showing posts with label Musicians Pay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Musicians Pay. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Pay Us What We Deserve!
Hey everybody I hope everyone is as ready for the weekend as I am. Today's blog comes from an interesting discussion I had last night at the Copa Cavana open jam. This will serve as my bitch session for the week and it deals with the pay of musicians.
Now something I have seen through the bands I have played with lately is that payment of the musicians can be very dicey at times. There are many club owners or band leaders who find it fitting to short change a hard working musician. Why is this the case?
Well I think the main thing that can be said is greed. Greed club owners and band leaders want all the money for themselves and they don't give the guys who do a lot of the work a fair shake. Its a shame but its reality. I think a lot of good musicians are left out to dry more times than none.
Now why should musicians get paid what they deserve? Well is it right for a musician to show up to a show that pays the band $600 and he/she only ends up making $50! That in my opinion is ridiculous and I'm sorry to say it has happened to me before. Musicians are paid to not only play but in many cases do a lot of setup and tear down of equipment. That alone should merit a fair piece of the pie.
It honestly pisses a guy off sometimes when he gets short changed on a gig because of someone else's greed. Give everybody a fair cut and you will have a happier band. It may be harder to find those good paying gigs in localized bands now a days but at least express to the bar/club owners that you need to take care of your musicians and then take care of them!
Tell the greedy owners that good music comes at a price. If some sort of deal has to be worked out in order for the band to be adequately taken care of then fine, just make sure it happens. Even though the majority of musicians play for the love of music it is still a profession and you should be paid what you deserve for that profession. Don't make a good musician drive two to three plus hours away just to work his ass off for nothing. It is not right at all.
Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,
JAS
Now something I have seen through the bands I have played with lately is that payment of the musicians can be very dicey at times. There are many club owners or band leaders who find it fitting to short change a hard working musician. Why is this the case?
Well I think the main thing that can be said is greed. Greed club owners and band leaders want all the money for themselves and they don't give the guys who do a lot of the work a fair shake. Its a shame but its reality. I think a lot of good musicians are left out to dry more times than none.
Now why should musicians get paid what they deserve? Well is it right for a musician to show up to a show that pays the band $600 and he/she only ends up making $50! That in my opinion is ridiculous and I'm sorry to say it has happened to me before. Musicians are paid to not only play but in many cases do a lot of setup and tear down of equipment. That alone should merit a fair piece of the pie.
It honestly pisses a guy off sometimes when he gets short changed on a gig because of someone else's greed. Give everybody a fair cut and you will have a happier band. It may be harder to find those good paying gigs in localized bands now a days but at least express to the bar/club owners that you need to take care of your musicians and then take care of them!
Tell the greedy owners that good music comes at a price. If some sort of deal has to be worked out in order for the band to be adequately taken care of then fine, just make sure it happens. Even though the majority of musicians play for the love of music it is still a profession and you should be paid what you deserve for that profession. Don't make a good musician drive two to three plus hours away just to work his ass off for nothing. It is not right at all.
Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,
JAS
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