I love playing music venues that appreciate music. Music venues that appreciate money over music are money venues. If a music fan is going to listen to music, they will go to a music venue. If they are going to explore their money, they would go to a bank. Music venues, and all places that provide live music, should, in my opinion, pay quality performers for their time and talent, rather than choosing acts that will pay to play (something I’ve vowed long ago to avoid like the black plague).
My mission is simple: increase appreciation of live music in small and mid-sized music venues. Raise (or create) the payment standard, accepting that professional musicians are talented, and bringing something special to the venue.
For those of us that do this performing thing for a living, I am creating a variety of music resources- like a database of gigs that guarantee and a place for discussion on the secrets of getting the good paying gigs, and to divulge on the disasters of the ones that “screw” us in the end. I want other musicians who are working hard on living this out-of-the-box sort of life to have easy access to these resources. I am creating a web world of the things I wish I had right now when booking, promoting, rehearsing and managing my band and my music.
I’d like to be clear and say that I am passionate about music. When I made the decision to be a musician for a living, it became a passion that had to profit. And like all people in the world trying to make ends meet, some ways are easier than others. The gorgeous art venue whose owner LOVES music but cannot pay musicians due to the lack of cover charge is still a viable place for talented performers. Just because a venue doesn’t pay doesn’t mean it is a terrible place. But I do think that there are ways to get those fantastic venues to attract more elite talent, and in turn, provide said talent with the means to continue pursuing his/her passion.
To me, living on gigs is all about thinking outside of the amp (my box) to turn the passion into profit.
