money for music?

a bebop a rebop · Post by **a bebop a rebop** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 12:02 pm

I've gotten roundabouts $250 a few times, for playing the fagott in local (and slightly less-local) christmas orchestras. Nothing for any of the sort of stuff I do here.

Dan-O from Five-O · Post by **Dan-O from Five-O** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 5:37 pm

a bebop a rebop wrote:I've gotten roundabouts $250 a few times, for playing the fagott in local (and slightly less-local) christmas orchestras. Nothing for any of the sort of stuff I do here.

Yeah, I haven't made a dime off of my random postings or reviews either.

a bebop a rebop · Post by **a bebop a rebop** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 7:09 pm

We can't all be professional cover artists, Dan-O.

Denyer · Post by **Denyer** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 7:13 pm

I used to make $1000 a night playing the skin flute.

Märk · Post by **Märk** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 7:25 pm

'fagott' is probably the worst instrument name ever.

Dan-O from Five-O · Post by **Dan-O from Five-O** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 11:33 pm

a bebop a rebop wrote:We can't all be professional cover artists, Dan-O.

Ziiinnnggg! You got me man.

Hey I gotta go check my IRA account balances and see how my portfolios are doing. You all can keep up this scintillating talk about doing free gigs though because it's fascinating stuff.

Oh before I go do that, I was looking for that Indie Musicians medical plan, but I wasn't able to come up with much. Maybe you could help me out. I was looking for something to kind of supplement what I already have through the Working and Paid Musicians Plan.

Lyricburglar · Post by **Lyricburglar** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:49 am

Denyer wrote:I used to make $1000 a night playing the skin flute.

Virtuosity on the pink oboe is equally rewarding

WeaselSlayer · Post by **WeaselSlayer** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:48 am

Music is more important than your wallet, than anything. You might as well put your all into it or nothing at all. Vincent Van Gogh was broke all his life, his shit's in museums all around the world now. If you're going to flash your cash and spit shit, there's no doubt in my mind that you just don't the fuck get it. Likewise, bepop, cool your jets son. Music isn't even about cutting others down. Just exist in yourself and let your music talk for you as much as possible.

erik · Post by **erik** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:06 pm

Dan-O from Five-O wrote:Ziiinnnggg!

Defensive much?

boltoph · Post by **boltoph** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:44 pm

Dan-O from Five-O wrote:I was looking for something to kind of supplement what I already have through the Working and Paid Musicians Plan.

heh.

Yeah, anyone who's got the balls to dedicate their life to music will realize that playing good music is a thing of value that deserves to get paid for. The more dedicated to music you are, the more it matters that you are making a living doing it.

Anyone that thinks otherwise either already has a somewhat stable financial situation, or is just not good enough at music to actually deserve to get paid.

Personally, for me, the time I spend with friends, doing music, is usually all the pay I need. I wouldn't play music with people I didn't realy like unless I were getting coin. But the better you get the more you realize, this thing is deserving of the coin.

roymond · Post by **roymond** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:47 pm

Generalizations rule! I guess that's the lesson of this thread.

Dan-O from Five-O · Post by **Dan-O from Five-O** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:05 pm

Alright, this was so bizarre I had to break it into points.

WeaselSlayer wrote:Music is more important than your wallet, than anything.

That's a nice philosophy, but my landlord only accepts cash, not high moral standards about producing "art" for no pay.

WeaselSlayer wrote:You might as well put your all into it or nothing at all. Vincent Van Gogh was broke all his life, his shit's in museums all around the world now.

What's your point here Luke? Have you discovered some heretofore unknown correlation between talent and money whereby the talentless get paid gobs of it while the unimaginably talented don't make squat? For every talented artist that never made a penny whose work is now famous and priceless there are at least a thousand just as penniless artists who'll never receive any recognition at all though they deserve it just as much. If your point is you have to be willing to starve to make it I agree. But I like food, and so does my family. I don't have any delusions about my place in music. My window, if there was one, has long since shut. So now I'm blessed to play with a bunch of really talented guys in similar situations who are really great to be around and that I enjoy making music with. And I do Songfight occasionally to release my creative endeavors. So sue me.

WeaselSlayer wrote: If you're going to flash your cash and spit shit, there's no doubt in my mind that you just don't the fuck get it.

First, the more popular usable phrase is "don't FUCKING get it", not whatever it was you said. Second, I wasn't and didn't flash any cash. I was making a point. The point was that I would rather be a paid "professional cover artist" who earns money that pays for equipment, vacations, or can be used to save for my eventual retirement or whatever the heck I want it to go to rather than be someone who's standing by their principles and not making money for their hard efforts. Making money isn't such a bad thing. Making money playing "cover music" that helps fund my original endeavors is a pretty good thing the way I see it.

erikb wrote:
Dan-O from Five-O wrote:Ziiinnnggg!
Defensive much?

I wasnâ€™t being defensive. He zinged me a good one. I was simply recognizing that fact. What I said afterward was an attempt to zing him back that apparently has upset a few folks or at least got them interested in something that really has no relevance to them that I can see.

FWIW, there was this guy once at a paid gig I did a few years back. He got between me and another guy that were having a discussion that didnâ€™t really have anything to do with him. I guess he thought it was more than what it was, but the truth is it wouldnâ€™t have amounted to dick until this guy got involved. I donâ€™t remember who threw the first punch, but I do remember the guy in the middle got clocked pretty good. Oh, and that me and the other guy walked away laughing about the guy lying on the floor.

jute gyte · Post by **jute gyte** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 5:26 pm

Dan-O from Five-O wrote: I was making a point. The point was that I would rather be a paid "professional cover artist" who earns money that pays for equipment, vacations, or can be used to save for my eventual retirement or whatever the heck I want it to go to rather than be someone who's standing by their principles and not making money for their hard efforts. Making money isn't such a bad thing. Making money playing "cover music" that helps fund my original endeavors is a pretty good thing the way I see it.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but you seem to be saying that, if the two are mutually exclusive, you'd rather make money than stand by your principles. Am I getting this right?

Dan-O from Five-O · Post by **Dan-O from Five-O** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:56 pm

No. I'm saying making money can be a principle as well. Particularly when it benefits people that you love. I'm married, I have 3 children and everything that comes with that. A house, 2 cars, bills and responsibilites to myself and the aforementioned family. It would be completely irresponsible of me to take the high road and say "Honey, I got a gig tonight. I'm not going to make a dime, but this time away from you and the kids will be well spent because I'm on a quest to convince these folks that someday they should pay me for my music. Oh by the way if the phone rings, don't answer it because it's probably one of those nagging bill collectors."

When you're young and unencumbered of the responsibilites I mentioned, I say go for it. And beyond that, the best of luck to you. Man I hope you make it and get everything out of it you're looking for.

But when you're sitting in my shoes you say "Honey, I got a gig this weekend. Sunday night I'll take you guys out to dinner and spend this money that was never figured into our budget in the first place."

And there's principles to be found in that.

fodroy · Post by **fodroy** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 7:22 pm

Dan-O from Five-O wrote:I'm married, I have 3 children

sellout!

Lyricburglar · Post by **Lyricburglar** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 7:32 pm

I've always been inspired by the character in Nick Hornby's "About A Boy" who has never had to work a day in his life because he lives off the royalties of a one-hit-wonder Christmas novelty song his father wrote.

One-hit-wonder-novelty songs - now that's what music's all about

ephedream · Post by **ephedream** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 7:38 pm

erikb wrote:
Dan-O from Five-O wrote:Ziiinnnggg!
Defensive much?

bait much?

Lyricburglar · Post by **Lyricburglar** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 7:39 pm

WeaselSlayer wrote:Music is more important than your wallet, than anything.

Music is about impressing the chicks.

Even when you're old enough to know better and your wallet is probably the only thing left about you that is even remotely impressive - music is still about impressing the chicks*

(*obviously you can insert your own gender/species of choice here)

roymond · Post by **roymond** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 7:56 pm

Caravanray wrote:Music is about impressing the chicks.

Finally, back on topic!

jack · Post by **jack** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 8:10 pm

i fail to see why someone who can make a living playing covers deserves shit for it. that's just plain stupid. repeat this over and over. he is making a living playing music.

we should all be so fucking lucky.

/sourgrapes

stueym · Post by **stueym** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 8:59 pm

jack wrote:i fail to see why someone who can make a living playing covers deserves shit for it. that's just plain stupid. repeat this over and over. he is making a living playing music.

we should all be so fucking lucky.

/sourgrapes

Hear bloody hear!!

WeaselSlayer · Post by **WeaselSlayer** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 9:48 pm

I saw Ian MacKaye speak the other night, and he said something that I just thought was great. He said that Chuck Dukowski, of Black Flag, once said, "I would never want to depend on my music." His meaning was, and Ian agreed with this and I did too, that the moment your music is a means to make money before anything else it loses its purity. It becomes, as Ian put it, "corrupted." Take that however you want. Also, jack, just thought I'd point out that aren't you the one who had the MacKaye quote about rather having 100 people hear your song than 100 dollars? Because I'm onboard with that, too. I've had people hear me, it's fantastic, I haven't made a cent from it. Because that's not where I'm at. I'm a fuckin' college student with a guitar. The way I see it, I might as well do as much as I can for free now.

money for music?

Have you ever been paid for performing music in public?