Taike, I'm saying that there is a market for live music, but it's different now than even a few years before.

In my early years, all jobs were proms, High School sock hops and Fraternity parties. They're all gone now, done mostly by DJ's.

My market rarely calls for an arranger. It's a classical guitar for a dinner, or a piano. B-3 jobs are there for the Jimmy Smith hardliners. Jobs up to 12 pieces are regular occurrences. Philharmonic and Jazz arts council gigs pop up as often as I'd like. Recording is every Sunday (2:30 thru Monday-6:00 PM-straight through).

The point is, you can work IF you are versatile and know lots of styles and material. In a typical month, I do all jobs mentioned here on guitar (classical, jazz, R&B)bass (bass guitar and upright), piano, organ, synths, vocals, percussion, vibes, mandolin...anything with strings or keys on it. I even worked on a Bluegrass album for a friend who has a Grammy recently. Have a lot of instruments...will travel is my motto.


DJ's don't hurt me at all. I don't want or need the kind of jobs they do, and there's plenty of the jobs I get to turn 1/2 of them down. Clients tell me they can't find enough entertainers at the high end. I've worked for some of my big corporate/industrial/government clients for over 40 years. I think, sometimes, I'm hired for sentimental reasons, instead of talent. On these jobs, I really don't have much competition.

On other thing: If the band or venue is solid, I never ask or negotiate price. Things seem to work out on that end. If the pay is light, I tell them next time that the scale is below my normal rate and they generally up the bread.

Russ