Geez

OMG, I just wrote a response to yet another whining musician’s facebook rant about bars not paying enough, and mentioned that if you’re not a “pro” willing to improve your ENTERTAINMENT VALUE, then *that* may have something to do with why you get paid crap.

Having been a professional performer for over 20 years, I can tell you that 90% of your audience at the average club is paying ZERO attention unless you do something to GRAB their attention. Too much dead air, not inviting the crowd into your world, and playing what you like instead of what your audience is into is part of what’s killing live music in this city and many others.

That and “performers” who don’t get that emotion is the difference between an OK show and a great one. (And FYI – laughing at yourself when you &$^% up onstage will get the crowd on your side way faster than just about anything.)

I have to disagree to a certain extent, Wp. If you own a bar and you’re trying to save money, and you have the choice of a $500 band or a $50 duo, which would you pick to maximize profit? (Assuming you have no idea how either one sounds).

And if either of those options sucks ass and drives people out of the bar, you’d make the assumption that all live music isn’t worth spending money on, OR you’d go with the $50 duo.

I go see live acts whenever I’m not playing – I might learn something! More often than not, I get to learn (again) what NOT to do because I see acts who:

– don’t engage the audience
– haves 5 minutes of dead air between songs
– take twice as long on breaks as they do onstage
– play music that’s clearly all about showing the world how awesomely talented they are (aka warbling in 3 octaves or wanking guitar solos) instead of stuff the audience would like to hear
– treat the bar staff like shit (aka yelling over the mike “can I get a drink right now”)
– refuse to even speak to people in the establishment who aren’t there with the musician
– walk out on bar tab because they”don’t get paid enough”
– play the same songs they’ve played at the same venues for the last year without learning a single new tune
– play nothing but slow sappy three-chord ballads

I could go on. But I won’t. I think you get the gist.

Lazy performers make for annoyed audiences. Annoyed audiences don’t go to see local live acts, which means bars think live acts don’t make money, which means bars don’t book live acts in an attempt to SAVE money.

Which means more competition for live acts with less venues to play. Which means the best available (who want more money for their experience) have a harder time booking because bar owners want to book acts who cost less money. Which means we get more of the acts that fit into the list of things mentioned above. GAK!