There are more musicians than there are gigs. This is an undeniable fact. Furthermore, many of these musicians don't rely on music as their income. It's their hobby and they're more interested in doing a gig than they are in getting paid.

As a result, the average fee for a grassroots gig is pitifully low and if a 'professional' musician turns down a gig because the money isn't enough, you can guarantee that there will be 20 other part timers or hobbyists who will happily do that gig instead. Sure, they may not be as good musicians but hey, they're cheaper and the venues will happily give them the gig instead.

Increasingly there are also plenty of other professional musicians who will also take that gig because they're desperate for the work. This means that you can book a whole band of top class jazz musicians for a whole evening for less than the cost of calling a plumber out for a couple of hours. This has been a constant frustration for musicians trying to make a living out of music in most genres and it applies as much to the function band as it does to the jazz quartet.

However, there is a very good reason for this and it comes down to the basic economic principle of supply and demand. I know that we musicians don't like to get involved thinking along these lines after all http://www.officialfootballravensstore.com/WOMENS-RAY-LEWIS-JERSEY.html we're artists but it's exactly because we haven't taken a more business minded approach to our careers that things are the way they are.

The single biggest mistake that 99.9% of musicians make is believing that the prime consideration of who gets a gig has something to do with the quality of the music. The quality of music has almost nothing to do with it; the music is not as important as you think. That's so important I'm going to http://www.officialfootballravensstore.com/WOMENS-JOE-FLACCO-JERSEY.html say it again, in a paragraph on its own, in a really big font:

THE MUSIC IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS YOU THINK

For most jazz gigs at a grassroots level, the quality of the music DOES NOT REALLY MATTER to the venue or the booker. If the gig is a background music gig at a function or in a restaurant, then competence Jonathan Ogden Elite Jersey is all that's required. As long as it sounds like jazz, however bland and derivative it is, that will fulfil the requirements.

Many musicians just can't get their head around this probably because they don't want to believe it. And what really eats away at the soul of the good players is that they're prostituting themselves for the same crap money as the barely competent dilettantes and they're still not getting more gigs. Haloti Ngata Jersey

Similarly, if the booker is attempting to make money from the gig such as a bar hoping for extra custom or a dedicated music venue charging on the door, all they're interested is how many people come to see the band and how much money they will make. They care even less about the quality of the music, it's strictly a business transaction.

If a band turns up and makes a mess of playing 'twinkle twinkle little star' 30 times and they fill the place, they're going to get booked again. If a band turns up and plays the most incredible jazz set ever performed anywhere in the history of the world and they bring 5 people through the door, they won't be getting a repeat booking.

THE MUSIC IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS YOU THINK

Are you depressed yet? It can be a pretty depressing thing to get your head around. As musicians, we care so much about the quality of what we do and place such a premium on the quality of what we want to see on gigs, that we assume the rest of the world shares that discriminating passion. It doesn't.

But before you pack it all in and finally take that shelf stacking job, here's the thing: there are many, many people who do care about the quality of the music and would much rather watch really good players than barely competent ones they're just not the ones who book most of the gigs. These people are your potential fans, the people who are potentially willing to come out and see you perform if you can give them a top quality musical experience.

The problem is that you don't get to see them most of the time because they don't go to venues that put on crap gigs with basically competent musicians. Whilst they may be more likely than the average guest to appreciate the fact that you're blowing up a very, very quiet storm on 'Autumn Leaves' at that wedding, that's not going to be enough to make them come over, get your card and attend every background music gig you do to hear more of the same.

When musicians are trying to build careers and make money from what they do, the biggest mistake they make is that they focus on making some good music and then try and sell it to a venue based on the quality of that music. In the past, that was the only choice that you had. If you didn't have a gig, nobody would ever get to hear you play.

For modern musicians, the internet gives us an unprecedented opportunity to go straight to those potential fans and put the music in front of them. For this audience, the quality of the music is important and you can differentiate yourself with the quality of the performance.

If you're interested in playing better paid, more musically satisfying gigs, I'm utterly convinced Haloti Ngata Ravens Jersey that the worst thing you can do is make that killer demo CD and start sending it to venues trying to get booked. The time and money would be much better spent making that killer demo and putting it in front of people who would be interested in coming to see you play that music live.

If you can build a fanbase in this way then it's a no brainer for any venue to book you. It doesn't even have to be a huge fanbase. If you can go to a local music bar, say, and guarantee you can bring fifty people to your gig, most places will bite your hand off. Let's face it, the barely competent guys playing for peanuts in the corner aren't bringing ANYBODY in.

This is that basic supply and demand principle in action. Most gigs pay bad money because there are many many people who can provide the minimum level of competence to fill the requirements of the basic jazz background gig. In other words, there is too much supply and not enough demand.

However, if you can put your innovative, high quality music in front of people who want to hear it, you can build a fanbase. Having a fanbase basically means that you have created a demand for your music. When people love what you do and they can't get it anywhere else then the demand is greater than the supply because there's only you able to make that music.

Furthermore, basic economics dictates that when demand is high, prices are high; when demand is low, then so are prices. At the moment you may be getting paid peanuts for playing 'Misty' in restaurants but that's because there's no real demand and there are forty other musicians in town who could do the same for each available gig of that kind. This is why the money is so dreadful because the supply is greater than the demand. Demand is low and so is the price.

This is also why Herbie Hancock doesn't play in cocktail bars for tips because he doesn't have to! He can provide something unique that people do want to hear and are prepared to pay significant amounts of money to do so. This means he can probably command a slightly better fee than your average jazz musician! There is a big demand for his music and only he can supply it. Demand exceeds supply so the price is high.

The mistake that 99.9% of grassroots musicians make is trying to sell the quality of their music to venues that don't see the quality of the music as a significant factor in deciding who to book.

Don't make the same Jonathan Ogden Ravens Jersey mistake yourself.

Absolutely!!! It is one of the great and terrible truths that people open bars, restaurants, venues in general, to MAKE MONEY. They only book bands (of any hue), to aid in that process. However much the musician may rail against the 'man', and capitalism in general that's the way of the world if you want to eat, live indoors etc. Give the punters something different from the next guy, something worth watching, and you MIGHT break into the big time and make enough money to pay the rent. Remembering of course, that the Big Time, for us jazz musicians, is usually everybody else's minimum wage.

Really great post. I shared this on fb amonst my jazz friends. I think if anything in the end it's just a good marketing reminder. If you want your music to be heard, no matter how great it is, you have to think beyond the music and ask yourself what the venue is really looking for. There's also an element that a lot of jazz musicians forget today, and that's playing a show that's accessible to the audience. There are a lot of jazz musicians out there today, but not many PERFORMERS. What I mean is, people are great musicians, but they don't put any time into creating an audience friendly show. If people are going to play in public, then they should consider the fact that they want people to be there and they want people to ENJOY it. That goes beyond simply creating great music. You have to create a great atmosphere, vibe, story, excitement, etc. Whatever is going to please those people who are out there listening to you play! And you don't necessarily have to sacrifice anything musical to do this. You just have to sacrifice a little time and in some cases, ego!

I am not a musso, wish I was but have left it to late. I enjoy all good music be it Graham Roger with his great bush ballads, Davidson Brothers with thier blue grass or Ewen and others we have in Brisbane with some of the best jazz you will ever want to hear. One of the many features we like and go to these performers is the atmosphere they all give you can see that they like us are obviously enjoying performing for us much as we are listening to them. As well all are prepared to stop for a quick few words making one feel that they really appreciate you being there. Keep up the great work we love you all.

Article resonates loud, clear and true. Money talk, people through the door (buying drinks, eating food) is the primary function of any typical venue. What I love about what you write is that building a good, supportive fan base is crucial. Message to the musicians, love your fans as much as you love and create beautiful music. Fantastic article! Much love Martina.

Interesting comments. the only trouble with the 'amateurisation' of the music scene is nobody wants to rehearse