Oops, forgot to send an actual reply...
Jeremy wrote:
> 4) Perform your great work live (this is where the money is at the moment)
> 4) Sell merchandise at performances
>
In my experience as a performer (45+ years) I'd say that performance
isn't the money-maker for most struggling artists. The costs of
transportation, gear rental, show management (soundman, lights operator,
roadies) can quickly eat the entire paycheck for a club band. Sales of
everything from keychains to CD/DVDs is where they can make better money
(viz the Kiss story).
It's also worth noting that in my home area (NW Ohio) the pay scale for
club musicians hasn't changed significantly in more than thirty years.
Most venues don't like paying out more than $300 to $350 for a 4-hour
gig, so trios and duets have caught on in a big way around here. In Ye
Olden Daze we played clubs three to five nights per week, and the clubs
typically hired us for two to three weeks at a time. All that
disappeared here in the 1970s when the drinking age was lifted from 18
to 21. Clubs in Ohio wilted like daffodils in the desert, and it was no
longer possible to make a nice living playing the club scene.
Incidentally, if you're not geared up for the road, prepare for some
notable expenses. You may need your own PA system (a not inconsiderable
expense), stage-ready amplifiers, and everything else associated with a
stage show. Of course you'll need a capable vehicle too, or be able to
afford someone to move your stuff. Then there are managers and booking
agents to deal with, and they'll want their share too. Prepping a
band/show is a non-trivial exercise in small-to-medium-scale economics. :)
Best,
dp
_______________________________________________
Linux-audio-user mailing list
Linux-audio-user@email-addr-hidden
http://lists.linuxaudio.org/listinfo/linux-audio-user
Received on Tue Jun 1 16:15:03 2010
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.8 : Tue Jun 01 2010 - 16:15:03 EEST