Since when is it a crime

[Nomad442]

Since when is it a crime to want to get paid to play.  I've invested my time in perfecting my craft.  My money for equipment.  My aching back loading and unloading equipment.  For some reason it seems to be a faux paux nowdays to play and get paid for it.

[timmin]

Since when is it a crime to want to get paid to play.  I've invested my time in perfecting my craft.  My money for equipment.  My aching back loading and unloading equipment.  For some reason it seems to be a faux paux nowdays to play and get paid for it.

I would guess, it has been this way since the person giving you this attitude has been having to play for free.

Or if you are speaking of a club-owner/agent/promoter then that is a no brainer. They make money off of your musical talent. Less for you means more for them.

Personally, I love music so much I would play for free. But I would never tell the guy with the cash that.

[Mark Schlipper]

Personally, I love music so much I would play for free. But I would never tell the guy with the cash that.

BINGO!  :)

this kinda came up in another string (which i dont recall) but the idea was about priorities.  how you can make a living playing drums.  but often this involves creative compromise (often, not always) and often times people unwilling to make creative compromises cant make a living at it.  what happens is that people view it more black and white.  youre getting paid, therefore youve made creative compromises and are simply a shill and not an artist.   but like all things in this world its not really that way.  and as was brought up in a string about being in cover bands a while back, for many people the joy and love of playing music transcends what your actually playing.  playing the greatest hits of the 70's and 80's can be as gratifying as playing original music for a lot of people.   so therefore its not really a creative compromise because you arent giving anything up.  

me? id love to get paid.  id love to make a living with my music.  but for some @$%# reason the only music i enjoy playing seems to be commercially unviable.  so i have a day job.  blarg.  so if you can love what you do AND get paid, more power to ya!

[James Walker]

Personally, I love music so much I would play for free. But I would never tell the guy with the cash that.

Or, to paraphrase Phil Woods, they're not paying me to play - they're paying me to haul my gear there, to set up, to drive to and from the venue...but there's no charge for the playing itself!  ;)

[Carlos Benson]

The worker is worth his wages....but some folks don't get that.  :'( If you're gonna be a pro drummer there be a pretty good reason you're playin for free otherwise eatin's gonna be a hobby along with your drumming.  ;D blessings, carlos

[felix]

I don't play for free...but then again I don't play what I want to all the time either.

I can't afford to play for free right now.

[Louis Russell]

Yeah its fun playing for fun, its just not as much fun when you're only playing for fun.  So to have real fun, its got to be fun playing, but there should be some cash involved, cause playing for fun is double fun when they put some cash in your hand.  Know what I mean Vern? 8)

[Jazzman]

If your good , your watched.  

Don't hang around non serious musicians.  When you do they think your a jerk when you ask to be paid for a real gig with the same guys.  I was in a band where the bass player was not serious about getting paid for his playing. He always was hanging around the girls, lat to get back on stage, drank a lot, etc.

One time a friend of his had a frat party that we were invited to play at.  Our group always got paid, but he wanted to help his friend out and not charge him anything, except all the beer we wanted.  I never drank so that was no incentive to really get down and play.  The problem was he didn't tell any one of the band members until after the last set.  I was really angry to say the least.  I refused to go to any of the gigs that this guy was getting.  He always would try to make a side deal with the person asking for the group to play.

Needless to say I left the group with the guitar player and started our own group that was serious in getting paid for services rendered.

Jazzman 8)

[Big Yummy]

In my experience, it doesn't matter what you're doing.  Someone will tell you it's all wrong, and someone else will tell you it's brilliant.

Just try to remember that the people who have NO opinions about music are the worst.

[Critter29]

I agree with most of the posts already made here. It totally depends on who you're playing with and how they view their profession and what their goals are in music.

It always seems like the hired gun/session guys take music as a profession alot more seriously since they're very conscious about earning a living etc. They seem to elicit more discipline in this area as well as being more versatile than that of the average player, whereas most bands  just do their one thing and often fail to view what they do as a business. There's always going to be a compromise somewhere along the way no matter what road you take. I'm not advocating that one is better than the other, just making an observation based on my experiences.

One thing I wish I would've done earlier in my life is not compromise my own goals in music just for the sake of playing with Band X or whoever. You'll regret it if you do. Focus on your goals, what you want and don't waste time on the naysayers. Good Luck! ;D

[Mister Acrolite]

I've played professionally for over 25 years (God, I'm old). I've often gotten frustrated by the unfairness of the music business, but every time I do, I think back to something my mother said to me years ago when I was whining about some tribulation I'd encountered:

"Nobody asked you to be a musician."

Ouch. She was right. We've chosen to do this thing we love, with the hope that we'll get rewarded for it, either in terms of money or recognition or both. But nobody asked us to do this - our motivation is usually selfish in nature. I don't mean selfish in a bad way, but it IS focused on our personal desires rather than some sense of duty or obligation to society. I mean, we need doctors, firemen, etc.  But do we need more drummers?

In western cultures particularly, what we do falls under the category of entertainment, and for the most part our society does not view art or entertainment as a necessity. Therefore, nobody's losing sleep wondering if artists are getting paid enough - Napster is proof of that!

It's a drag how clubs, managers, agents, bandleaders, etc often take advantage of the fact that they don't HAVE to compensate you generously - they know most musicians are borderline desperate to play. That makes it a tough market for us.

When I lived in LA, my worst competition was drummers that would work for free - and there were plenty of them. In one single day, I had 2 different bandleaders call me and tell me they were switching drummers, replacing me with guys that would rehearse and perform for free. How do you compete with that? At the time, you had to PAY THE CLUB for the opportunity to play in any of the major clubs on the Strip - so there's another circle of hell for you to think about. Gotta love LA...

The bottom line is - the thing we do is treated by consumers as a luxury, not a necessity. And if they can get it cheap or even for free, they'll take it. If you love it enough, you'll grit your teeth and deal with it, and maybe get a lucky break and actually make some money. Me - I finally did the haircut-and-a-real-job thing, because I got tired of living in poverty. The nice thing is that now I can pick and choose my gigs, because I don't depend on them to feed my kid. Back when I played full time, I had to take EVERY gig that came along, regardless how crappy. I don't miss those days!

[Drumlooney]

I only play for free as a favor to other musicians, knowing that they will be called upon one day to return the favor, but if a person is going to make money from my playing, then I expect to get paid as well.

[LT500man]

I have a little different approach to this thought. I have been in professional bands that were paid well. I felt that when I was getting paid alot of money to play it wasn't as fun to play because it then "Became a Job" instead of something I do for fun. You know the "Professional thing". I have decided that if I get into another band It will hafta be exactly what I am looking for and thats not a Job but a hobby. I allready have a good job.
     If I get into a band and we all decide to play somewhere we can decide if we would only do it for money, or if it would be a "good time" just playin for fun. I want to have alot of fun Drumming.. also to just play what We want to play when we want to play it.. maybe its because I have been there and done that all before that I feel this way.
      It has alot to do with your bandmates your playing with if it is fun or not.  As a matter of fact I think that has more to do with it than anything! But thats just my opinion.

[sidereal]

This is developing into a thread about the business of drumming. Sorry if I'm adding to the tangent.

But it brings to mind a truth that is revealing itself to me: Commercial music makes up the vast majority of the money that is available to musicians. Commercial music simply doesn't need any more drummers. It doesn't even need any more good drummers. It already has too many. Commercial music is becoming more and more sterile in performances. Little personality is necessary. You're there to supply a groove and there are probably a hundred thousand people in the world who can do it.

In other words, as has been said, supply far outreaches demand. If you can find money playing (I've been lucky enough to get by) that's great. But you're going to be playing commercial music.

If, on the other hand, you're doing it strictly for love, you can do whatever you want. You can experiement, you can play what you want, and you don't have to worry about the paycheck.

I've now forgotten what my point was. :) ... I think the last few points about the rigors of being a pro got me going. And it's a frustration I have myself. I'm lucky to be playing music I love in many cases ("kinda like" in other cases), but it's never exactly what I want to be doing. I'll begin doing that when I finally throw in the towel and get a day job. Ironic, isn't it?

[Drumlooney]

Hey the playing is for the love of music, I get paid for the rehearsal and the traveling.  lol.

[Ratamatatt]

Well, I don't play the drums for a living.  But, if I could make a living wage at it, I probably would.

Ratamatatt

[MOUSE]

Me and my other three band members are the only ones who can spend a whole night at a pub and come home with $100 bucks in our pockets and had a really good time. 8)