A Musician's Take On a Tough Economy

[westen44]

Although this is a drummer, it could apply to a bassist, a guitarist, anybody.  Pretty good article. 

http://billmoyers.com/2014/06/19/a-musicians-take-on-a-tough-economy-%E2%80%98i-see-the-gap-between-the-haves-and-have-nots%E2%80%99/

[Rob]

Good article!

[westen44]

Good article!

I suppose what caught my eye the most was the description of how the audience's reaction can vary from one place to the next.  It reminds me of a story I read in a book about Cream in which they were jeered at one venue and cheered at another, all in the same day. This was, of course, in their early days.  Needless to say, as time went on they were only cheered. 

[gearHed289]

I can relate to all that. Nice interview. I lasted about 3 months in a corporate/wedding band a couple years ago. Extremely unrewarding, and the WAITING around was unbearable.

I liked what he said about the shrinking middle class among musicians. The record industry is so dead now, all you have is the few cherry-picked acts that the execs decide will get the financial support and shoved down people's throats. Artist development is a thing of the past.

“The dream of all jazz artists is to have enough time to think about their work and play and to develop.” Not just jazz artists, but ANY artist. Kind of tough when you have to go to a day job every day to pay the bills.

[Dave W]

...
“The dream of all jazz artists is to have enough time to think about their work and play and to develop.” Not just jazz artists, but ANY artist. Kind of tough when you have to go to a day job every day to pay the bills.

This is true, but the idea of people getting paid to play music never existed during most of human history. And the window of time when more than a few bands could make a full time living was pretty narrow.

[westen44]

This is true, but the idea of people getting paid to play music never existed during most of human history. And the window of time when more than a few bands could make a full time living was pretty narrow.

I have a friend who has always been the consummate musician.  Early on, it was his observation that the unpredictability of medical problems and medical bills were the greatest problems to be faced in matters such as these.  He had too many friends who did make a living playing full-time, but could at any time face serious financial problems due to unexpected high medical bills.  I guess he saw this happen too many times and decided he never wanted to put himself in that situation. 

[gearHed289]

This is true, but the idea of people getting paid to play music never existed during most of human history. And the window of time when more than a few bands could make a full time living was pretty narrow.

You're right. It just stinks that artists are so taken for granted for the services they provide. The joy and escapism we bring to people. The memories tied to certain songs. It's like "Oh, you LIKE what you do? Why should you get paid for it?" 

[westen44]

You're right. It just stinks that artists are so taken for granted for the services they provide. The joy and escapism we bring to people. The memories tied to certain songs. It's like "Oh, you LIKE what you do? Why should you get paid for it?" 

Believe it or not, I've heard people say the same thing about teachers:  that they should work for free, and do what they do out of the goodness of their heart.  In the meantime, I suppose they can get their money from money trees in their backyards. 

[Psycho Bass Guy]

This country has bred the most odd culture of entitlement, where the arts are not only not appreciated, they are expected to be provided for free with many other intellectual pursuits being treated the same. Without going into my tinfoil hat rant, it's fairly obvious that "the powers that be" want consumer drones who don't get themselves too stirred up and start thinking about notions like freedom, equality, or life beyond shit sold on television. 

[Dave W]

All this is true. Artists are taken for granted, there is a culture of entitlement. By the same token, artists shouldn't get to demand that they be appreciated or rewarded the way they want to be. Being rewarded financially is great when it happens, but there's no way to force the public to do that.

[gweimer]

There was a time when live music was a big part of people's social lives.  People went out and socialized, and wanted to be entertained.  There was work for bands.  There was money to be made, especially if you were willing to travel.  I cut my teeth doing road work - approximately 2 1/2 years of playing 20-28 nights/month without stopping.  The sets may have been the same, but every night was different.  What sold you in a club on a 5 day stint was the variety and difference in each night.  You still had to be good every night, but you had to be vibrant, as well.
In the late '70s, early '80s, playing for the door was the gamble and proof that the club's cash registers were ringing.  Everyone benefitted.  Now, it's merely a reason not to pay for entertainment, and you get what you pay for....nothing.  It's the fault of so many bands for the current state of the business, not just the economy or clubs.  If you can't engage your audience - STAY HOME.

[Rob]

  If you can't engage your audience - STAY HOME.

That's why it's called entertainment.   
But remember that it wasn't many decades ago that musicians and actors were treated like carnival workers in Nordstron.
Hoppywood moved the needle a little for acting but big bucks for music came with the advent of sharing the gate at stadium shows in the early 70's.

[Dave W]

Our generation is older and doesn't go out as much as before.

Younger generations have more entertainment options than ours, more people want to participate as artists with fewer people to support them.

[gearHed289]

Our generation is older and doesn't go out as much as before.

Younger generations have more entertainment options than ours, more people want to participate as artists with fewer people to support them.

Bingo!