That said, allow me to clarify. There are some bands/musicians who are "hobbyists". They're cool with going out and lugging a few hundred pounds of gear around and making noise for free...it gives them something to do, I guess. I'm not one of them. I can play my guitar anywhere for free and not have to lug spare guitars, amps, a PA system, etc. around to do it.
Times have changed and not necessarily for the better. It used to be that if a venue booked bands, they understood that the risk was theirs. The band showed up, did their job and hopefully the audience was there, enjoyed their show and all were happy. Bands were an enticement for patrons to come out. The trick was, if your band was unknown or didn't draw, you didn't work. (note: I say "work" because it IS work)
Nowadays, the venues that still have bands now put the risk onto the performers. Hell, some venues expect the performer to supply the door man as well! Sure, the venue is looking out for the performer's interest by doing so...because they obviously can't hire someone trustworthy to handle money. (yes...that's sarcasm) While many of these venues now supply a PA system (some better than others), I know that some of these venues expect the performers to pay the sound tech! Now wait just a minute...that's crap. Patron #1 hasn't even walked through the door yet and the performer is already $75 or so in the hole. Does this sound right to you?
So, these venues have jumped on the old showcase band wagon. Rather than find 1 or 2 GOOD bands, they'll book 3-4 (sometimes 5 or 6!) acts for one night. These acts usually don't have enough material to play an entire night but due to the recent societal trend of everyone feeling "entitled", these acts feel they deserve to play.
No, these acts deserve to turn the hell around, go home and learn another 20-30 songs. If you can't do the whole night, stay home.
I'm not saying that these bands aren't good. Some are and some have the potential to be great bands...they simply can't do the whole night. Now why is that a problem? Sometime acts cancel or just don't show for whatever reason. I remember a night when a friend's band found themselves in this exact situation. These guys, who are a good band, only had a set's worth of material. The other 2 bands on the bill didn't show and these guys had to play their only 10 songs over and over and over. Needless to say, the crowd left.
The venues are in business to make money by selling a product (booze). They may have a sideline in providing entertainment...but that's just to sell more product. It used to be that a good club would build a reputation for providing good, quality entertainment and you usually knew that if an act was performing at a certain venue, regardless of whether or not you'd heard of them, they were going to be good. Nowadays, its a crap shoot.
I rarely perform anymore. My band can play the whole night; no problem. We're better than average if for no reason other than we've been doing it forever. But I refuse to play for free, or worse, pay to play. Many venues locally have tried that particular ruse for years...it never lasts long. I've been blessed with a healthy music career. I've played in numerous countries for crowds up to 60,000. I've made a lot of money doing it (and blown most of it! LOL). Now, due to aging, health & legal problems, I'm stuck performing locally (or not). I don't want to play the game anymore. Its just not fun. Sure, I'll do a show once in a while if it sounds like fun...getting to share the bill with some old friends or an act I admire...but for the most part, its a drag anymore.
I'm not putting the venues down for protecting their interests. They're in business to make money. That said, a performer who has spent years honing their craft and spent a good deal of money on gear also has interests to protect. They should be afforded the ability to make some kind of return on their investment provided they have the talent to do so.
Alas, ours has become a society of instant gratification. Why learn to play guitar, bass or drums when you can just play Guitar Hero? Why do the work of putting together a band and establishing yourselves when you can try out for American Idol? Why go see a band when you can go on YouTube and see a plethora of bands from the comfort of your home? The problem is, one day...sooner than you may think...the bands will stop playing. When they do, all we'll be left with is old recordings and videos and worse, whatever dreck the corporate music world decides to throw at us.
Yes, I miss the old days. I miss the days of knowing which venues had the best jukebox selection. I miss knowing that if a band was playing at "this or that venue" that they must be pretty good. Sure, its easier, for now, to find entertainment...but how good is most of it and at what cost? Easier is not always better.
If you enjoy music, go out & support it! Pay the measly cover charge instead of balking at it. If you can't afford to spend those few extra bucks, stay home. If you enjoy a band, ask if they have a CD and buy it! Don't beg for a free copy. It costs REAL MONEY to produce even a low budget CD. (FYI: studio time is usually $50+ per hour. Factor at least 2 hours per song for recording & mixing multiplied by the number of tracks per CD. That's for a low budget CD. Higher quality will require more time. Google CD packaging prices...then you'll get some idea of how much that CD you're trying to get for free is worth.)
To my fellow musicians: Keep on playing! I plan to return to the stage at some point...but I don't plan to do it for free. Support each other! If you have a night off and a friend's band is playing, go see them! Let's recreate some semblance of a local music scene again! If you know some kid who is interested in music, help them out! Show them a few chords, teach them a riff, show them that playing for real is infinitely more exciting than the video game version!
Hope to see y'all soon!
BOP!
You and I came up the same way, Mike, you couldn't call yourself a real band until you could play three or four sets, 10 to 2. You cut your teeth playing covers as a teenager, learned what audiences liked, and by the time you were old enough to play the bars you were a seasoned musician.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame the bar owners; they have never been particularly enlightened about music, and simply want to sell as much alcohol as possible. The Dogs were popular because we made people jump around and act crazy, therefore they got thirsty, therefore they drank a lot (and acted crazier). It was kind of like a nuclear reaction once you got it started.
Now that the scene is basically hobby bands playing for their friends, bar owners just think that if they book five bands and the bands have 25 friends each, they'll have a good night.
I've started to realize as I've gotten older that the many barriers and obstacles we faced coming up made us stronger musicians. It was hard to get gigs, hard to get into a recording studio, hard to entertain fickle crowds, hard to get exposure. Call me a cranky old man, but most of today's bands suck because they've had it too easy.
That's the way it is, daddy-o!
Your pal,
Tom
Tom, spot on my man, spot on!
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