Embracing change

You live and you learn. I use to say I would never charge a fee, and I would only play for tips because I could not stick my hand out to a venue owner that was paying so much out of pocket to make live music available in Second Life. But I have come to understand there are two different kinds of venue owners.

The type I won’t charge a fee, and the kind I will charge a fee.

I won’t charge a fee to any venue that is “Music oriented”. They have a business model that relies completely on donations from the audience. They spend a lot of money every month because they enjoy and support live music, and I find it an honor to try and help them defray the cost of operation. People that frequent these types of venues also enjoy and support live music. They tip very generously according to their means.

The type of venue I’ll charge a token fee to, is the Strip club/Disco/Mall sort of set up that treats Live music as just another monkey in the zoo. The musician is as meaningless as the DJ, Splooder, Theme event, Escorts ads, and store rental spaces. I don’t really have an issue with their business model so this token fee issue is not a moral stance. It’s okay to try and make money. But that is all they are interested in doing, and if I’m going to be part of the commercial apparatus I should be compensated as such. People that go to Strip club/Disco/Malls are in most cases, not terribly interested in live music and tend to tip very poorly. Of course I can view playing such establishments as a challenge and or missionary work, bringing live music to the unwashed masses. But at the end of the day, I’ll be lucky to see 400 L$, and I could have booked a music oriented venue and made a good deal more.

But it’s not only about the money, not by a long shot.

I’m here to get my music in front of as many people possible. I’m trying to establish what I do which in itself is quite a challenge. I only play a few covers per set, and those are not popular songs in the conventional meaning of the term. The vast majority of my set is songs I write. I view myself as a songwriter primarily, and finding the people that appreciate that is as they say “Job one”. Building my group membership. Seeing people that come to every show they can is what I’m shooting for. Every show is different and there will always be new things to hear, as well as some of my more established songs. This is not as easy as it sounds and I would like each show to bear as much fruit as possible.

Yes, I might and actually have made some new fans in a Strip club/Disco/Mall situation. But I’ve made far more fans and money in places that really support live music. I’ll be a monkey in your zoo for a fee, and I don’t think that is unreasonable.

I’ve recently canceled my first show ever over the matter of a fee. The woman booking the show assured me she ran a “Music oriented venue” and upon checking it out, I found dance poles, Escort ads, Contest boards, and commercial rental properties. I contacted her and reminded her I only play for “tips only” in music-oriented venues, and asked for a token fee of 1,500 L$. She had a problem with this amount which works out to around 5$ American. Oddly enough, the contests pay out for a group of more then four is 2,000 L$. I seem to draw more then four people at my shows. Maybe she is not as good a business woman as she thinks she is.