Hmm... Maybe if your name is "Taylor Swift" (and you get away with charging 5x or 6x the going rate because you're the "anti-Miley" and your tweenie fans' mommies feel good about being fleeced in this fashion, but consider one Barry Manilow. I played pickup basketball at the gym with his long-time tour manager about 15 years ago, and he …
Hmm... Maybe if your name is "Taylor Swift" (and you get away with charging 5x or 6x the going rate because you're the "anti-Miley" and your tweenie fans' mommies feel good about being fleeced in this fashion, but consider one Barry Manilow. I played pickup basketball at the gym with his long-time tour manager about 15 years ago, and he said the only profit was in merch, due to the high costs of touring. On a more niche level, Paul Winter's merch table lady said that only the tote bags sold well. At a local level for a yeoman cat like myself, I carry the door and must pay out of my pocket if there's no profitable till. Add to that the long list of cats waiting to get in the door (the defunct 55 Bar [yeah, Mike Stern...] had a skeleton doll who was "still waiting for a gig"). Smalls in NYC? $100 bucks, maybe once every 3 months if you're lucky; rent is $3000 a month there unless you want to live with multiple heads. I blame Jazz college and quote Phil Woods: "too much education, not enough Jazz." He bemoaned 13,000 grads per year in 1977 as oversupply; 10x worse now that there's a Jazz college on every corner since older cats like myself like to eat. Here is the REALITY - and you proved it yourself: "this supports that." Self-benefactor. Just like the Classical cats who went to law or med school. Like you, I have a profitable non-music career (law). It costs money to be a musician these days! I just spent $$$ on my first Grammy campaign. If all goes well and I get a nom, maybe I can get some touring gigs that I'm currently shut out of since even though Dizzy said I "play my ass off" (and I'm much better now), I'm unknown with no laurels. That *might* even overcome the current youth / sex bias against us 66 year olds. I will say this about Spotify, etc. for proletariats: it costs money, but it's great exposure (and you know what exposure can do to you...). I will also say that, according to an unnamed constantly working and touring drummer, sideman wages are down and not keeping up with inflation. The stars take the loot.
Hmm... Maybe if your name is "Taylor Swift" (and you get away with charging 5x or 6x the going rate because you're the "anti-Miley" and your tweenie fans' mommies feel good about being fleeced in this fashion, but consider one Barry Manilow. I played pickup basketball at the gym with his long-time tour manager about 15 years ago, and he said the only profit was in merch, due to the high costs of touring. On a more niche level, Paul Winter's merch table lady said that only the tote bags sold well. At a local level for a yeoman cat like myself, I carry the door and must pay out of my pocket if there's no profitable till. Add to that the long list of cats waiting to get in the door (the defunct 55 Bar [yeah, Mike Stern...] had a skeleton doll who was "still waiting for a gig"). Smalls in NYC? $100 bucks, maybe once every 3 months if you're lucky; rent is $3000 a month there unless you want to live with multiple heads. I blame Jazz college and quote Phil Woods: "too much education, not enough Jazz." He bemoaned 13,000 grads per year in 1977 as oversupply; 10x worse now that there's a Jazz college on every corner since older cats like myself like to eat. Here is the REALITY - and you proved it yourself: "this supports that." Self-benefactor. Just like the Classical cats who went to law or med school. Like you, I have a profitable non-music career (law). It costs money to be a musician these days! I just spent $$$ on my first Grammy campaign. If all goes well and I get a nom, maybe I can get some touring gigs that I'm currently shut out of since even though Dizzy said I "play my ass off" (and I'm much better now), I'm unknown with no laurels. That *might* even overcome the current youth / sex bias against us 66 year olds. I will say this about Spotify, etc. for proletariats: it costs money, but it's great exposure (and you know what exposure can do to you...). I will also say that, according to an unnamed constantly working and touring drummer, sideman wages are down and not keeping up with inflation. The stars take the loot.
so true what you say.. i'm 68 and have been slogging in the trenches for a long time.. you summed it up well.. thanks..
I think Ted's view on the subject is a bit Panglossian.