Well, I have a duo and we mostly play at ethnic parties. I have notice that everytime I take out my Dodge Caravan it costs me a little more to fill up and I have thought about asking for a couple of bucks more when I book a gig. But this is the problem, we mostly play at 2 local social clubs 3 times a year, one local restaurant at time 2-3 a year (when the house music is off) and a few private affairs. Being that we are portuguese and our community is less and less every year the gigs have been less and less and now we most likely have more bands/duos/dj then actual gigs. It would be foolish to ask for more money. Since visa's are closed to european countries, you have very little people coming to the USA from europe and the younger generation doesn't really care about there backgrounds or are more americanized. So that one aspect on how the portuguese music community is making less money and the other big factor is now with all of this (gas, high food prices, many layoffs)people can afford to have parties at restaurants or go to the monthly social club affair. Twenty years ago the local social club would be booked with 500 people, now your lucky if you have 150. Last new years eve our local restuarant would have 120 people for the night, last couple of years it been less and less to the point that it was 60 for 2007/2008. so social clubs are making less and paying less and restuarant are no longer booking music because that can't afford it or the person booking the party can't afford it either. So if we take a gig we eat the gas costs.

[This message has been edited by mc (edited 06-12-2008).]