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jorge wrote:PCSTAG, maybe you are seeing the music business through Texas colored glasses, but in lots of other places, at least in the US, what we are seeing is very different. Many outstanding musicians who play better than the big timers are no longer able to make a full time living playing music locally. Many working people can no longer afford to go out to clubs and concerts or buy stacks of CDs or purchase lots of download music. Lower salaries, higher cost of living, rapidly increasing tuition and less financial aid for our kids in college, more unemployment and underemployment, increasing medical costs, and other factors all conspire to reduce expendible income for many middle class people who would otherwise support music. Many events are now hiring DJs rather than live musicians (this has been going on for years but is getting worse). Many kids who could become talented musicians are not choosing to study music because they see how hard it is out here to make a living once you have gone through the years of disciplined work to learn to play. Many music groups that rehearsed regularly years ago can no longer have regular rehearsals because the gigs pay so little their members need to be out doing other things to survive and can't make time for rehearsals. The quality of the music suffers.
Sure the bands from the 70s and 80s have already been optimized for marketability, what you are calling the test of time. But fewer and fewer people have money to spend on concerts, so the opportunities for young talent to make it big are shrinking even further.
BNB, sure professional musicians are trying to adapt, but the music business pie is shrinking and many professional musicians are adapting by no longer being professional musicians. Creative ways to get more people to pay musicians to play great music are truly needed. What are people trying that seems to work?
Sorry to be so pessimistic, maybe it is just my NYC perspective. What are others in other geographic areas seeing?

You're right Jorge, things economically here in texas are much better than other parts of the country, still we're not immune, I work as a HS Assistant Principal, and both my kids are teenagers , so I turn down a lot of gigs I used to take, but still I would always pick up extra gigs in the summer, not so many this summer kind of slow. but cost of living in Houston, the fourth largest city int eh US is relatively inexpensive, and yeah, we'e not a hot spot like Miami , NY SF, LA, Chicago so if you're solid and reliable you're going to have work. But even so, you can get a house gig at a patio restaurant, make 125-150 fri and sat., do church on sunday for 200, pick a couple of gigs throughout the week and then teach some private lessons, you can do OK, Even when I was teaching I used to gig 4 nights a week steady, 6-9 on WEd. 7-11 or 8-12 thurs, through sat., restaurants, patios, just a trio, easy money. Lots of gigs lie that here in town.

this is coming from Forbes leedy, not Gross, this is hte profit the bands actually made. Big money, not everybody is bruce Sprinsteen though, but playing live is where the cash is at now, not record sales. Remeber the bigest grossing concert badn for years was the greatful dead, old hippies, young hippies, sell out everywhere, always on the road. My grandpa was a vaudeville musician, ended up in LA playing 6 days a week with AL Lyons at the orpheum theatre in LA, matinees, afternoon, evening and late shows. My dad still grew up broke!

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Here in the Tampa Bay area the biggest gripe is that club owners will hire whom ever gives them the low ball,( THey don't care if the music is good or bad) so you have this guys who have a day job and will go and do a gig for $ 50 / 4 hours. It used to be $150 a man. Then there is the DJs and why do they get called ? because most of the bands aren't tight, the members show up late, dressed like $hit, and under the influence of some drug. And if you are lucky you may go on tour and make $300 for a 2 hour show, but when you get back you have to wait some months to get a call again, while the local gigs got taken while you were away and the money slips away.
Peace
Olsongo

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Damn, sad to hear what its like round your parts, I guess we truly are the lucky country. Gigs are plentyful, musicians are united.
I've just had 2 extremely busy weeks of gigs, started with 2 gigs over 3 days, for a festival up north, tour bus (9 hour drive with stops along the way), accomodation, all meals etc all paid for, plus $500 each per gig (1 x 1 hour set) with an 8 piece Cuban Son group. The night we returned performed with another Salsa band (9 piece) at a local salsa club, got paid $180 each (3 x 30 min sets), the next day performed with new 13 piece Afro Cuban Timba/Fusion group 'Sydney's Afro Cuban Elite' at a major latin festival here over 3 days, 1 x 1 hour set, we got $200 each, and were joined by Cuban legends currently touring Felix Baloy (ex singer Reve, Afro Cuban All Stars etc), Sixto Llorente 'El Indio' (former singer Manolito y Su Trabuco), Antonio Leal Rodriguez (former Afro-Cuban All Stars & Benny More), Ankel Rodriguez (Son de Baloy, head teacher for piano in Havana's ENA) Polo Tamayo (former member Buena Vista Social Club & Ritmo Oriental & Reve lead flautist)

This weekend passed, we had all expenses paid trip, flights to a southern state and got put up in 4 star hotel, with all transport connections organised also, competing in a nation wide Latin band competition, total 16 bands competing for the finals, we secured first place in our division (pro) and are straight through to the finals next month (just before I leave for Cuba again) we got $250 each for the performance, won $1000 prize for first place qualification and go through to the grand final competing for $10,000 cash, 2012 nation wide tour and a trip to Cuba for one of the band members.
I'll post up a promo vid of the competition when I get home from work, youtube is blocked from our work computers.

Other than that, have been gigging solidly pretty much every Fri & Sat night round the local latin clubs, on average we get paid min $150-200 per gig, 3 set average.

I hope things get better for you guys, such a shame to see things head the way they are for you.

That's it! I'm emigrating to Australia!

Bring your SOS's and I will be your best friend!

Sounds great. So are you ready to leave your day job yet?

Yep Resigning in 3 weeks cause Im off to Cuba for 6 months.
Resigned from my last job this time last year cause I was headed to Cuba for 2 months.

If it wasnt for that though, Id still stick with my day job, due to my lifestyle and bills etc I pay, I prefer to keep a day job which keeps me earning very well.
Out of my group of friends and circle of musicians, I am one of only 2 who have day jobs, everyone else is a full time musician. Band gigs avail from Tuesday through Sunday varying from Latin to Funk to RnB, Jazz, plus heaps of DJ/Club gigs available which pay $200 and hour and usually book you for 2 hour minimums.

I also teach during the week after hours and do ocasional weekend clinics via the LP distributor.

Did music full time for 15 yrs, only the last 6 or 7 years have been doing a day gig on and off.

ABAKUA wrote:Bring your SOS's and I will be your best friend!

Done!

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Promo vid from the comp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJLvZxkKguE

Man! What a great promo vid! What was your regular job? I might be in Havana in Jan., Feb., or March. How can I get ahold of you? Buck

buckoh wrote:Man! What a great promo vid! What was your regular job? I might be in Havana in Jan., Feb., or March. How can I get ahold of you? Buck

Yeah man, I think its great also The girl featured in the vid is my good friend Evelyn from Colombia, she is also lead vocalist in a few local Salsa/Timba bands here.
My day job is sales manager & the like. Work for a year, minimal going out/spending, gig heaps, take off to Cuba at the end of every year
I'll have a new cell no. once Im there, but you can find internet at most the hotels, just hit me up on here, I'll be checking my internet every so often over there. I'll be staying pretty central so will be easy to meet up.