OT: compensation (WAS Re: Looping venue help)

[Daryl Shawn <highhorse@mhorse.com>]

ah..I detect a storm brewing...do I seed the clouds...?

I respect the well-established school of thought behind valuing work 
monetarily. It can be nice to get money after a show, but it simply 
doesn't matter to me. I've had a telecommuting day job for seven years 
that pays enough and is extremely flexible, allowing me to do things 
like this tour while still making some cash by logging on late at night. 
My perspective is, that's what I do for money. Music, I do for itself 
and whether I gain or lose money in the process is irrelevant. I don't 
need a second job and if I did, I'd find something where payment was 
guaranteed and had a direct relation to the time I put into it, which 
sure as hell isn't the case in any sort of art.

Certainly part of the argument against playing for free runs that it 
devalues the market for everyone else who may NEED to be paid. Maybe so, 
but the commercial music industry and lack of government arts funding 
deserve much more blame for their lack of support, and further, anyone 
who needs to be paid for their music has to know that they're going out 
on a highly arbitrary limb in relation to their survival. Even more so 
if they're playing unusual stuff.

I know for a fact that these coffeeshops that somehow survive charging 
$1.75 for their brown water don't have the cash to front for my unknown 
ass to sit in a corner and do what I love. I'd rather be playing than 
anything else, so I provide them some atmosphere and get a world of 
enjoyment in return, $20 or no $20.

As a side note, every experimental/arts venue I've played at or talked 
to so far has, actually, made a point of charging a cover and then 
giving the bulk (if not all) the door to the musicians.

Daryl Shawn
www.swanwelder.com
www.chinapaintingmusic.com
> Never play for free.