This one beggars belief. I walked into one of my local pubs earlier tonight, very picturesque views over countryside, on a canalside location, with a huge garden. Despite this idyllic setting, business in the bar and restaurant has not been as good as other years due to both the economic downturn here in the UK and also the poor weather so far this spring / summer.

So I notice a big sign up on the noticeboard. 'Singers, musicians, inc duos and bands, leave your details behind the bar for performance slot at a weekend music festival in the gardens here at the end of June. Great I thought, I know the landlord (currently away on holiday and leaving his manager in charge) and am currently rehearsing a few numbers with my girl singer for a comeback to live performance. 

So when I talk to the manager, and ask her how the fees are going to work with such a possible large number of acts over a weekend, she informs me that each performer will get a free meal and a couple of free drinks. When I point out that the cost to the pub is barely going to be a tenner each performer, yet is likely to fill the pub and grounds and, no doubt, the landlords coffers over an entire weekend, she genuinely thought I was being a mischief maker and couldn't see the glaring and obvious naivety and greed in the arrangements at the expense of the artist. I pointed out that, at the very least, there ought to be an association to a charitable event, with collections raised for a good and needy cause, and that possibly only then, could the efforts of individual artists potentially be justified by the altruistic act of performing for charity, and not simply lining the pocket of the landlord at their expense.  

Still the penny didn't drop. It never ceases to amaze me how people never question the need to pay top dollar for any other trade or service that requires training and skill, and yet still undermines musicians in this way. I immediately pulled out my support, and I really hope other local artists do the same. There is a lot more I could say but I have still come home fuming from this one, and just wanted to vent my spleen here on the forum.

At least they didn't ask you to pay to play there.

My free drinks would be full bottles of Macallan 25's or similar...

Skills and talent are effectively being rendered worthless. There's no discerning audience outside of a minority. People won't pay for something when they can't hear the difference between that and junk.

It is one of those things we often talk w/ my wife, one of our big pet peeves. It hits her particularly hard because a lot of people assume she is lip synching (when it's quite obvious that it's all live), don't recognize that it's her voice throughout all the acts, etc.

The crowd isn't equipped to even make the difference. 

"Hey Mister, how come your voice doesn't warble when you sing?  Meebee if you took lessons?"

Everybody in Dallas sez there are plenty of places to play - as long as you don't want to get paid.  True everywhere, I guess.

@

Raging discussion over on Keyboard forum open letter from club owner

That letter is spot on.

I've never been behind the bar, only behind the board or up on stage, yet I've always known that what that letter states is 100% spot on.

I've made a lot of bar tenders a lot of money. My first stage experiences were as a child with a "house" band that knew all about this stuff. I guess that's why I don't find the club owners perspective offensive.


I don't disagree with Gary the OP either.

I think it's simple. I always tell the up and coming bands that complain about money "if you choose to play some music that people like then the club owners will want to pay you to play their place... that's how it works".


best regards,
mike

I remember back in the early to late 1970's being in a band that did a combination of originals and covers...we did pretty well by the pub owners back then...simply by doing the covers that the crowd seemed to love...we did more of them...they paid more...worked for us'uns...

Seems like this IS happening everywhere. 

There's a very small number of people who actually know what real talent is and even less that can spot it when they see and/or hear it.

Unfortunately, the number of people who actually care about any talent whatsoever, is even smaller. 

Most now mistake popularity for talent.

If they like it, then they think it's good, [even though it doesn't actually have to be] - and they'll almost always insist that that person or band is 'very talented'.

And yet the majority of 'todays big name acts' have little to no talent at all, but have instead been groomed to be marketable, like robots & puppies.

And yet the rest of us sit at home, refusing to 'play for beer' after entering the business some 25-30 years ago. 

I had one lady offer to pass around a hat for me! This was after I had been hired at what I understood to be a paying gig at my asking rate!

I like what Shaggy said: "If it were up to talent, real actual talent, most of us wouldn't be here. 

I also like that he included himself in that fray.

Here is the situation in Dubai. I was talking to the singer of one of the local cover bands. She has a great voice, good stage presence and really engages an audience, this time was the first time I heard her sing Skyfall and it was superb. The rest of the band is very good too.  Anyway she was lamenting that, as Filipinos, finding a gig in the more upmarket establishments was very difficult. There is a perception with bar management that “white” bands are “more cool”. It’s a sad situation because these guys could blow away all but one of the cover bands I have seen here recently.

Another band are also from the Philippines, they have a contract with and hotel and play 7 nights a week in a very sleazy bar. They get one month off a year during Ramadan when live music is not allowed. I doubt they get paid a lot but will have food and accommodation provided and obviously make enough to send back home. They play classic rock covers, Floyd, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Bob Marley, Kansas and a zillion others, all with great flare and bring in the punters, so much so the place is often uncomfortably crowded.

Yet in so many places “two guys and a laptop” playing mediocre covers to backing tracks seem to get far more respect and I bet they get paid a lot more too.
It’s an ugly thing, racism