RE: Getting paid to play

[Hoover Alan <HooverA@tce.com>]

Let me see if I understand:

You can work your tail off, make something of quality, advertise it (i.e.,
play for free for a while), and if people like it they will start paying 
for
it.  If not, they will look for something they do like, and maybe pay for
that.  

The beautiful part is that if you hit on something people like, you can
eventually be rewarded for your efforts, and not be punished for being
successful.  Well, less so now than earlier.  (Maybe not for long,
though....)

If you don't make what they like, you can either try something else, or you
can go on making what YOU like, and maybe they will like it later, or maybe
they won't.  If you keep on making what they don't like, and they keep on
not liking what you make, you can bitch about it all you want, as long as
you don't disturb other people.  You won't get punished for that either.
Or, you can quit making anything.  

Life is not often fair.  Yet, America is beautiful.  I like it here! 

*********************************************************************
'Future Perfect' - art music - visit our website at:
http://home1.gte.net/artmusic/


>I'm glad that you were able to get paid in this manner, but I'm sad to
>report that my experience in Austin is that you won't get paid unless you
>clearly demonstrate a clear financial advantage for the venue
>(coffeehouse, bar, etc).
>  If people don't come to see you, AND spend money at the venue, the
>owner isn't interested in paying you, and is most likely not interested
>in booking you.  "Every night not spent cultivating a Next Big Thing is a
>night wasted" appears to be the guiding principle in most cases.  As
>musicians, we often expect to be paid for our playing.  From an owner's
>standpoint, he doesn't care what you do, as long as it brings in paying
>customers.
>
>Travis Hartnett
>