Melodious Crunk, in his latest dispatch from the roadside tavern he occasionally finds himself in between gigs, says it's all about the money, honey
Wanted: Chef to come to my house to cook meal for 30 guests. I can’t afford to pay you but this would be great exposure for you to get your culinary skills out into the world. Please send food samples.
The reason most of us working musicians have become working musicians is because we love the instrument. OK, maybe as a kid we weren’t into the lessons, but as we grew, we developed a truce with the instrument, which then grew to a love of the instrument. There’s just something about the way a saxophone feels when it’s around your neck, or the way that piano keys feel to touch. It’s a very personal connection with the instrument. And yes, we love playing it. The very act of creating music from this instrument that was completely silent before you touched it is something that we all enjoy doing. It’s like the relationship a footballer has with a ball, or a snooker player has with a cue. With that equipment nearby, we all realise our sense of purpose and are reminded why we were put on this earth.
We’ll sit down and practise for a few hours a day, every week, every month, for years to develop this skill. The next time you hear a musician in public – any musician! – chances are they’ll have been honing their skills on that instrument over at least a few years to get to that level. But as the player develops, they realise that this can become more than a hobby and becomes a tool with which to earn a living. A few paid gigs can snowball into a lot of paid gigs as the years develop, and the working musician knows he has a price which he can work for. The musician develops his own sense of his personal worth, and there are gigs which he’ll turn down just because the money isn’t good enough for his talent.
Eventually, he’ll settle into a routine of becoming a full-time musician. Whether it’s a keyboard player who works six nights a week playing cocktail piano, a session drummer who maybe does a few jobs a month, or the touring saxophone player who’s on the road endlessly, we all grow to accept that we do a job and we get paid for it. That’s how this business – and any business – works.
So whenever a musician is approached by a business or an individual looking for music for an event, the money question will always come up. I’m sorry, if you can’t afford my fee I’ll work with you to an extent but if you’re really strapped for cash I probably can’t do your gig and maybe you should rethink your budget.
If you’re extremely enthusiastic about your event and tell me it’s a great showcase for my talents but unfortunately there’s no money in it, I’m probably going to say no. Because this demeans musicians who have worked for years, if not tens of years, to get to this level. I have spent years honing my craft, at my own personal expense, and I can’t afford to do your gig for free. I don’t care how much free food or drink there is, if I take on this gig I’m setting a precedent that musicians will work for free. And that’s not right.
There are, of course, exceptions. If [great jazz player A] is on the gig and I can get something from it, I’ll consider it because that’s payment in a different manner – something which will further my career as a musician. A jam session is a good example. Sure, I’ll come down occasionally and jam and see who’s about on the scene, catch up with local musicians, check out the up-and-coming players, but I can’t do it every week for no money. I love what I do, and I will do it for free in the right situations, but that sets a precedent that you will expect musicians to play for free, every week. We just can’t do that.
But to expect us to play for free to showcase our talents to the general public isn’t going to help our careers. And chances are the folks working the bar are getting paid, as are the kitchen staff, and the managers. Maybe they do love making drinks, or creating gourmet meals. But no one would expect them to work for free as this demeans their worth.
So the next time you ask someone to play for free, or you’re asked to play for free, just think for a second. Would the person asking the question do their job for free?
