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#159140 - 01/31/07 06:31 AM
Re: Moving away from band work...
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Senior Member
Registered: 12/08/02
Posts: 15574
Loc: Forest Hill, MD USA
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Diki, I believe if you polled the forum members who perform for a living you would find that the vast majority have worked with a large number of excellent musicians and performers. And, I'm equally confident that most thoroughly enjoyed performing with them over the years, especially when they performed with a group of responsible individuals. However, as stated earlier, the payscale has not increased appreciably over the past three decades, therefore in order to make a living in the entertainment biz, at least for most of us, solo is the only avenue of choice. Cheers, Gary ------------------ Travlin' Easy
_________________________
PSR-S950, TC Helicon Harmony-M, Digitech VR, Samson Q7, Sennheiser E855, Custom Console, and lots of other silly stuff!
K+E=W (Knowledge Plus Experience = Wisdom.)
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#159142 - 01/31/07 09:14 AM
Re: Moving away from band work...
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Senior Member
Registered: 06/25/99
Posts: 16735
Loc: Benton, LA, USA
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Another viewpoint: A lot of what the rich folks are willing to pay is perceived value--"if it costs a whole lot, it MUST be worth it. After all, our friends used this group, and we certainly have as much money as they do." In reality, wedding receptions usually don't last that long--I know there are exceptions-- and they are more for the family members than for the bride and groom and their contemporaries. In recent years, though, I have taken advantage of this mentality somewhat and raised my prices considerably. I'm certainly not working any LESS because of it! I just remember something. About 10 years ago I was asked to go to Dallas and play for a huge wedding reception. The pay was $1000. plus expenses, including motel. I arrived and there was a huge bandstand with a 12-piece band already set up. They had a smaller one for me. I found out they had hired me to play for an hour before the real" band" started, and then to play during their breaks. Now the REST of the story. Maybe 80 percent of the audience was older people, 50's and up. The band they hired was wonderful, and played a large variety, very professional, BUT they didn't know anything country. Now, this is Dallas, Texas, friends. To a lot of folks there are the two basic kinds of music, Country, and Western. By the end of the evening, the "Band" was taking 30-minute breaks, and I was playing equal time. In addition to my promised pay, I got a $300. tip for all my "extra work". Still probably only a fraction of what they paid the band. Just more of my rambling! DonM
_________________________
DonM
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#159144 - 01/31/07 09:48 AM
Re: Moving away from band work...
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Senior Member
Registered: 01/02/04
Posts: 7302
Loc: Lexington, Ky, USA
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Diki, well articulated, again. Nigel, also good points. One thing I forgot is personal preferences. At my stage in life, I can pretty much do whatever I want, and, luckily, get paid for it. Couldn't do that years ago raising kids. The mix of playing what sells and what a person is comfortable with is pretty tricky, sometimes. When players of equal ability "click", it's a rare, wonderful thing.
However it happens, let's all "keep on keepin' on"!
Regards,
Russ
[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 01-31-2007).]
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