On CNN.com Tough times for musicians mean silent nights- By Karin Caifa
If your a performer would love your comments, is the economy effecting your gigs this season?
This article covers a difficult subject but one that's ultimately felt by our brethren that are entertainers and arts organizations. While the media has a tendency to cover the big name actors, musicians and entertainers. There are many of us that have made a living by being artist, usually it's a combination of performing independent gigs, running shows, teaching and administration of arts organizations.
As the economy slows these pick up gigs and attendance will slow. I talked to a Corporate musician that said while hes still getting gigs hes seeing a decline of the use of walk around or atmosphere entertainers. One of my other associates said that he has a noticeable decline in gigs this Holiday Season.
We in California already had a culling of the arts organizations a few years ago due to California's budget cuts. We saw the same thing happen. A decline in the number of classes being offered. Staffing cut down to a bear minimum. A lot of people getting out of the Non-profit world and moving back into the private sector and even physically relocating to another state to go where there was still a budget.
As a performer I believe that you have to be able to be flexible in your performances and rates. There will be fewer opportunities to perform at your standard rate so you may want to try contacting the people that have booked you in the past and figure out if there is a negotiable deal. You may also consider keeping your chops up by creating your own performances. A coffee shop or club venue that can help keep your brand out there.
There will be a lot of hit or miss out there which means that you need to play LONG BALL. It's a game of attrition not the lottery. Which was also mentioned in this article...
I think the hardest are the kids that will not be attending some of these arts programs for one reason or the other. The bummer about it is that with less discretionary income "practice" or honing a skill would be great use of time.
My advice is to be as professional as possible without being pretentious. It's easy to get into that mode when your not being paid what you think your worth but realize that most likely so are your patrons. As this economy adjusts to less credit and more cash so will our entertainment values. It's time to pay your dues again and be willing to put in those extra shows to make ends meet and/or make a name for yourself.
The reality is that it's times like these when you can build a solid foundation of work and fans because while everyone else was whining you were doing the work.
As this pertains to the Album Project. Our whole goal was to take Derek Stroh to the next level by giving him a physical product, the album "Stand" by doing so it opens up his financial opportunities to get placement it TV, Fim, commercials and grow his online following. Turning that fan base into a more traditional tour or record deal will follow naturally the larger his fanbase / database becomes.
HELP US TAKE THIS INCREDIBLY TALENTED YOUNG MAN TO THE TOP...JOIN THE EMAIL LIST AND WELL LET YOU KNOW THE RELEASE DATE.
-David Kamatoy
is co-producer along with Tony Woodroffe (Noyz Boyz Productions) of the
Derek Stroh "Stand" Album project. They are extremely excited to take
this project to next level with it's release in 2009.
