Klarinet Archive - Posting 000739.txt from 1996/04

From: "Joie Canada , Jcanada713@-----.COM>
Subj: amateur gigs
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 1996 13:49:34 -0400

There are many paid opportunities for non-union musicians from charity and
community service organizations who cannot afford to fund-raise and pay union
scale. They offer a chance for musicians who live by their day jobs to be
compensated at least a little for the expenses they incur for music and
transportation. The musicians get a gig, maybe fifty dollars for expenses
and a chance to be part of fund-raising for a good cause. If the charity had
to pay three or four hundred dollars for union musicians they would go for
canned music every time and once again, the guys who get the recording
contracts are the only ones who benefit (and most likely, the "performance"
doesn't pay ASCAP fees either) The audiences get more and more used to
hearing PA systems rather than players, and more and more used to the idea
that the only standard is the perfect studio blended and re-mixed and
multi-tracked sound instead of the spontaneous sound of live performance. I
am inclined to agree that for-profit paid performances ought to be the
province of professional players but considering how much I spend on my
"hobby" and how much my day job doesn't pay I am only too glad for a few
bucks playing for an Older Americans' Center dance or an alternative school
fund-raiser or the Farmer's Market street dance.

There's a difference between playing to support a person or a family and
playing to support a hobby--otherwise we could hardly have community bands
and orchestras and other sometimes "semi-pro" groups which accept money for
music and expenses but which pay only travel expenses (if that!) to players.
Most communities can't support adequate youth activities
programs--sometimes even law enforcement is strapped--they aren't going to
pay for "frills" like a band for the Fourth of July if they have to pay
everyone in the band professional rates. Many things in life are not nice
and this is one of them--there are more good players than there are good
payers! Most people will never be able to make a living without a day job,
union or no union, but the union does help ensure better pay and working
conditions for those taking the risky path of professionalism.

Joie