What I learned on craigslist this week
While I really have no hope for ever organizing musicians in any real sort of way, many people on craigslist apparently believe this is possible. I have been following the "discussion" of musicians who play for free and how this brings down the earning potential of professional musicians, or doesn't. No resolution in sight, but I have learned a lot.
To summarize the discussion (I put it in quotation marks before because it's anonymous and not very civil, so it hardly counts as a discussion, but I don't really like quotation marks, so I'll try to avoid them from now on), someone posted that playing for free reaffirms that music isn't worth paying for and if some people play for free, then how is anyone ever going to make money playing music? Then someone else wrote, "Well, I only play for fun and I have a day job, and worrying about getting paid means you aren't playing for the right reasons." Wow, now the shit storm begins. Some people think that musicians with day jobs drive "real" (sorry) musicians out of work, while others think that people over 35 are bitter and only play in cover bands or play jazz fusion. Some think whiners should move to another city, while others believe we should all get along and decide on pay scales for different gigs. Some people believe it's the audience's fault, and some people think guitar rock is dead never to rise again. Some people actually want to know how much money they should ask for, and some people brag about how much they make. Most posters, except the ones who think we should get along, seem to think that most musicians, club owners, and people aren't very smart, talented, or nice, judging by the names they call them.
A lot of people like to specify their skill level, the number of years they have played music or lived in the bay area, countries they have traveled to, or that they are writing from the real world. These are apparently important rhetorical devices designed to emphasize to the reader just how much validity the writer's opinion has.
So, in order emphasize the valid points I am making here; I am a pretty okay bassist who's been playing for 19 years (23 if you count piano and clarinet), 12 of those professionally. I have lived in the bay area for three and a half years, I have been to lots of countries* on, like, five continents, and I am usually pretty realistic. How do you like them apples!
*in chronological order, more or less: USA, Canada, Mexico, Paraguay, Brazil (Yguazu falls only), Argentina (same as Brazil), Ecuador, Korea (airport only), Thailand, England, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Scotland, and Uganda. Some I even went to twice!
To summarize the discussion (I put it in quotation marks before because it's anonymous and not very civil, so it hardly counts as a discussion, but I don't really like quotation marks, so I'll try to avoid them from now on), someone posted that playing for free reaffirms that music isn't worth paying for and if some people play for free, then how is anyone ever going to make money playing music? Then someone else wrote, "Well, I only play for fun and I have a day job, and worrying about getting paid means you aren't playing for the right reasons." Wow, now the shit storm begins. Some people think that musicians with day jobs drive "real" (sorry) musicians out of work, while others think that people over 35 are bitter and only play in cover bands or play jazz fusion. Some think whiners should move to another city, while others believe we should all get along and decide on pay scales for different gigs. Some people believe it's the audience's fault, and some people think guitar rock is dead never to rise again. Some people actually want to know how much money they should ask for, and some people brag about how much they make. Most posters, except the ones who think we should get along, seem to think that most musicians, club owners, and people aren't very smart, talented, or nice, judging by the names they call them.
A lot of people like to specify their skill level, the number of years they have played music or lived in the bay area, countries they have traveled to, or that they are writing from the real world. These are apparently important rhetorical devices designed to emphasize to the reader just how much validity the writer's opinion has.
So, in order emphasize the valid points I am making here; I am a pretty okay bassist who's been playing for 19 years (23 if you count piano and clarinet), 12 of those professionally. I have lived in the bay area for three and a half years, I have been to lots of countries* on, like, five continents, and I am usually pretty realistic. How do you like them apples!
*in chronological order, more or less: USA, Canada, Mexico, Paraguay, Brazil (Yguazu falls only), Argentina (same as Brazil), Ecuador, Korea (airport only), Thailand, England, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Scotland, and Uganda. Some I even went to twice!
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