RE: Re: Resident gig downtown Austin needed for Tuesday nights! (lala (The Real World)
Reply to: comm-673082300@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-05-08, 2:18PM CDT
What the guy said made total sense. He's not speaking from an artistic musician's perspective, he's looking at it from a venue owner/manager's point of view. You're comparing apples to oranges man, two totally different approaches to music that can actually be congruent with someone who is self-aware and knows how to manage himself accordingly. If you're not interested in cover gigs that's fine but don't bag on someone who has a grasp on what actually happens in the world and uses that knowledge to gain experience.
The guy's outlook is not what's pathetic; it's your inability to grasp reality. It's called the lowest common denominator. If you want to sell records, beers, etc. to those who can be easily placated and have money then you've got to incorporate something that everybody understands. Now if you don't care about that then you won't care about getting yourself on a commercial stage tainted by the trappings of our capitalist fast food society as you mentioned in your post.
I'm not advocating where things are I'm just saying you've got to realize your value to those from whom you seek employment. You're not going to hire pay a maid to come watch TV at your house are you? If so I charge $30/hr with a 3 hour minimum.
Please stop all the pissing and moaning and make something happen for yourself.
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In your world, then, this list should be called "Austin Craigslist > Beer Sellers".
A typical post in your world's view of this list would go a li'l sup'um like this:
"Hey, I'm a 25 y.o. guitar player, mainly interested in selling beer in blues clubs, although I'm not opposed to trying to sell beer in other venues. Looking for a drummer, a bassist, and a lead guitarist to form a tight group of beer sellers. Of course, I plan to rehearse the group at least once a week, perhaps twice a week, until we have a set list long enough to start selling out..."
This is what you're saying, right? "Looking for bass playing Lone Star and Shiner seller." "Heineken seller with drum kit available...", and so on.
Dude: your pathetically defeatist attitude is what makes it tough for everybody to work for fair wages in this industry. Basically, you're saying that a musician's "worth" (your words) is based on the amount of beer he sells. Bullshit!
Sure, there are plenty of club owners that know which way the wind blows; they're more than happy to get free labor in an effort to sell more beer. But, if you're a musician - I assume that you consider yourself to be one - you're cutting your own throat by encouraging your musical brothers and sisters that the end game is to sell beer for some shithead club owner.
Set your price, my friend, and insist that buyers pay it, or take your gear and walk on. If everybody in town, the region, the state, the nation were doing this, guess what, everybody would be earning fair wages for their effort.
Too many downers like yourself make this great idea simply unattainable.
When I go on a commercial stage, I'm selling my ability to make music, not my ability to sell longnecks. Sorry.
- Location: The Real World
- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 673082300