Klarinet Archive - Posting 000611.txt from 1996/04

From: Nate Burk <nathan@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Amateur players and paying gigs -- a little mean here ;)
Date: Sun, 21 Apr 1996 23:01:10 -0400

>When an amateur gets
>> paid to pay, they are taking work away from a professional player that
>> would like to work for a living as a musician. . If you want to get
paid for
> playing, join the
>> musicians union and compete against professional - if you get the job fine,
>> congrat! But at least don't undercut someone for "fun" money.

Do you mean to tell me non-union, non-professional players are less
important than pros?

In my not-so-humble opinion, if I'm good enough to get a gig, then it
shouldn't make a difference whether I'm pro or not; union or not; "fun
money" or not. People would hire me to play good music, and if I can play
it, then I don't see why a union member should have any "priority" over me.

The professionals are the ones who choose to make a living by playing, a
choice I have a lot of respect for. But in making that decision, they must
accept any and all competition, including amateurs. Competition is a fact of
life, and if I beat a pro out of a part, I shouldn't feel responsible for
their income. If I get a paying gig, I can use the money for whatever I want
-- whether it's to go to the movies or to put food on my table. It's my
money, and it's nobody's business what I do with it.

At the risk of sounding cheesey, this is America, "the land of opportunity"
-- not "the land of opportunity provided you're a union member." It's called
"fair employment" -- not "fair employment, except for non-union musicians."
I'm sorry to sound like such an asshole here, but I don't want to join the
union just for a couple of gigs. I don't think I should be penalized for that!

I'm not as educated about the musicians union as I should be to make
comments like this, but I think the union has screwed over musicians instead
of helping them in many situations. Fewer and fewer jobs are out there for
musicians because they're too hard to hire. Proof of that is the fact that
so many parts have gone to synthesizers. If I produced musicals, why would I
pay hundreds of dollars for percussionists if I could invest the same amount
of money in canned drums that I can use over and over again? [Please feel
free to set me straight here, since I really don't know what I'm talking about.]

Once again, I'm sorry this such a nasty posting. Amateurs getting payed
playing opportunities w/o union "credentials" is something I feel very
strongly about and something I think is important for people to consider; no
offense to anyone in particular is intended.

--Nate

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