Not that it’s never been brought up before… but, the debate rages on. I find it interesting that it’s a CNET poll, and that there are people quite passionate on both sides of the issue. Check out this poll:
English: The crossed out copyright symbol with a musical note on the right hand side is the free music symbol, signifying a lack of copyright restrictions on music. It may be used in the abstract, or applied to a sound recording or musical composition. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’m not exactly sure where I fall. Obviously, as a musician… I see value in the songs & the entertainment. It’s great when I have a product to sell. It’s awesome that people would want to pay to purchase noise that I make. To me it’s more of a lifestyle/hobby though. I don’t mind playing just to make gas money, or selling music barely above cost… or even posting it for free. I dig that people enjoy it. But, and this is a big but… If it was my sole means of income, I sure would not be happy giving much away for free. Although, radio and now online streaming are the way to get heard, and… that’s free. You almost need that to advertise yourself, unless you gig non-stop like Metallica in their early days.
Are people like me who don’t mind giving away music devaluing music for everyone? I certainly like free stuff. I also buy CD’s & merchandise from local & smaller touring acts like a madman. I realize I’m not normal in that practice. I see the value in others’ art. It’s important to me to reward their efforts.
The again, I’m a huge fan of freeware, shareware, and open source stuff when it comes to software. What’s the difference?
What’s the new model? Albums are free, shows and T-shirts make you money? Every band releases a documentary & a bunch of live DVD’s? Government sticks its’ nose into streaming and it becomes an ad-heavy payola nightmare?
I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts in the comments.
So, did you read the last post about the Guitalele & Guitar Center’s price match guarantee? The whole thing is pretty awesome, especially if you’re a musician and you actively purchase gear. It’s worth checking out, so click that link.
Once you’ve read that, this will make sense:
Free Stand From Guitar Center! (2)
Free Stand From Guitar Center! (1)
Free Gig Bag From Guitar Center! (2)
Free Gig Bag From Guitar Center! (1)
The gig bag & the stand are a perfect fit! Thanks again to Luke for the excellent customer service, and to YaJagoff for sparking it!
On the Saturday before Christmas, we were headed to a family gathering & gift exchange. On the way, we stopped at Guitar Center in Monroeville so I could pick up a book of Christmas Carols that I had seen at the Guitar Center in Robinson. I didn’t find the same book, but was pleased with two that I did find.
Guitalele GL1 (Photo credit: matsuyuki)
Usually, I’m the one who lollygags in guitar stores, but the wife has taken up the ukulele, and over the past few years she’s the one that lingers near the ever-growing uke section at music stores. In Monroeville’s Guitar Center, the ukes were right by the music books, so we both started looking. Bethany was the first to spot our newest acquisition… The Yamaha GL1 “Guitalele“. We both were fascinated by it, and I played with it a little as she asked “Do you want this as an early Birthday present?”
At first, I said no and went to hang it back up, but flipped over the price tag and saw that it was $99.99. She gave me the “just get it” look, so we both new I just landed an early birthday present. I do enjoy the wife’s ukulele, but the GCEA tuning did always mess with me. Now I can play the ukulele without having to play the ukulele. Although, if tuned “properly” the guitalele should be ADGCEA. Of course, I dropped it to E because I didn’t like pretending it was a guitar with a capo on the 5th fret. Although, I may have to get thicker strings or just suck it up & put it back in the A tuning. They’re sort of like rubber-bands at this point.
Well, that’s just the first part of the story. The second part stems from some interactions on Twitter. I’ll try to post it all here as it happened, thanks to @YaJagoff and Luke from Guitar Center.
Photo: Stopped at Guitar Center today to buy a book of chords for Christmas carols, and Bethany bought me an... tmblr.co/ZexcVyZxAvZi
A simple question. I gave the easy, flippant, and predictable answer. Rock musicians are supposed to rail against the establishment and big business, right? Well, Guitar Center proves to be awesome here…
@YaJagoff hmm... Local shops always beat Guitar Center. Ha ha. Pgh Guitars on South Side is awesome.
Musician’s Friendhad the Guitalele itself for $79.99 (It’s oddly now up to $99.99 on the website — aren’t Musician’s Friend & Guitar Center the same company? From Wikipedia: “Guitar Center’s sister companies/subsidiaries incorporate Music & Arts, Musician’s Friend, GuitarCenter.com, LMI, Giardinelli, Musician.com, Private Reserve Guitars, Woodwind and Brasswind and Harmony Central.” …Interesting.)
I only half-jokingly asked “Any chance I could get a gig bag or stand for free?” I mean, it never hurts to ask, right?
I was met with a response saying I was getting both of them for free! We discussed shipping details & the right size gig bag in a few more email exchanges… but they’re now on the way to me via UPS.
I’ve written to companies before, but I’ve never had any of them seek me out on a social media platform in a conversation that wasn’t even addressed to them. It’s pretty cool that Guitar Center believes in their price guarantee so much that they actively go after any perceived detraction. It’s also cool that they’ll not only go up against brick-and-mortar stores, but online retailers too.
That being said, the “little guys” could argue that they have no way to compete. They can’t buy in quantities & therefore probably not at such a low price… so there’s no way they can pass on such savings. Free enterprise, supply & demand, competition, it’s all very interesting & a continually evolving battle.
At any rate, I win out here… with a free gig bag & stand. So, thanks to Ya Jagoff!!! & Luke for helping to set the whole thing into motion! I’ll post some photos of the gig bag & stand as soon as I have them.
So, does the Guitalele count as a guitar in my “13 Guitars in 2013” goal?
I’ve posted advice for existing and aspiring bands before, and I thought this email from a pro would be useful. It was sparked when I saw his Facebook status the other day: “Great way to start the day: my favorite venue in the country complimented my email skills in contacting them to booking a date. It’s the highest praise I could hope for.”
The status went on to some comments & basically the author said he’d share the knowledge with those who cared to learn. I asked if I could post it in a blog, and here we have it. If you’re in a band on any level, pay heed to the advice below.
As far as background on Bengt, he’s in a band (& been in many), he records bands, he’s booked bands, and he’s generally been in every part of the scene. He knows what he’s talking about.
Action Camp
On to the advice & the guest part of this guest post:
♪♫♩♬♩♫♪
Alright, so here is what we usually send like 99% of the time. There always a bit of customization but this is the basic format:
1. Greeting, name the booker if you know it (usually listed on indieonthemove.com or their website)
2. Band name (with a link to the website), genre, location.
3. Date(s) requested in bold. They love that, it makes it easier read. If you can swing 3-5 dates that’s best, it gives them room. Do them a favor and check the website for those dates first, they appreciate that a ton. Also make sure to follow their booking procedure to the T. A lot of places have a specific way they like to work (Facebook message, Sonicbids, email format, etc). If you do it right it shows you listened so you’re already at the top of the pile.
Also, if another band that’s played there before suggested it, tell them so. It’s like introducing yourself to anyone else and starting with saying you have a mutual friend. It’s a job reference.
4. Links to music, video, press – let them decide if they want to book you. The more you talk about how awesome you are and why you should be booked, the more they think you probably suck and are trying to gloss over it. It’s like handing someone your demo and saying it’s not your best work.
5. If you played there or in the city before tell them. If you know what you drew and stuff be honest, they love that.
6. Offer to help build the bill, and specifically name bands you know or have contacted already.
7. Thanks in advance, Thanks for your time, etc.
8. ALL of your contact info including phone numbers. It shows you are easy to reach and you have your shit together.
One final thing: DON’T say someone famous produced your record, quote random blog reviews, list facebook or twitter numbers, anything like that. No one cares about that if they know what their doing in the working touring circuit. Steve Albini producing your record won’t make 100 people come out in Dayton on a Monday night, and facebook and twitter followers are ostensibly your imaginary friends that only you can see. Plus, even you have 4,000 people odds are only 10 of them are near the venue you are trying to book.
We are Action Camp, an art rock duo from Pittsburgh, PA.
We’re looking to see if you have Friday February 15th or Saturday the 16th available to book in the Revival Room – both look open on your calendar but I wasn’t sure if you would do a full house those nights. Our music is pretty different from what’s going on those nights so I’m not concerned about audience bleed over. This would be our 4th time to Southgate, 7th time in 3 years in the Cininnati/Newport scene. We know plenty of bands so we’d throw a bill together with 2 or 3 locals to help support.
If these are unavailable I’d love to work something out in the future. Southgate was/is by far our favorite venue on tour, I can only assume the new house is great. Sincerely, I (Bengt) booked a venue in Pittsburgh, and based many of my practices on the way SGH was run by Rick and his crew.
Previous dates:
Parlour 10/1/2010 (Gallery Opening, free show, 100+ attending)
Parlour 1/2/2010 (w/ Duppy a Jamba, 97 paid)
Parlour Summer 2009 (Flux Capacitors last show, well attended, don’t have stats)
Our most recent dates in the area were both in Cincinnati:
12/8/2012 The Comet Cincinnati, OH (100+, free show)
7/5/2012 Sitwells Coffeehouse Cincinnati, OH (smaller acoustic show, last minute add on tour)
Thanks in advance, can’t wait to see the new place,
So that’s it, pretty simple. Just be honest and to the point. I also should point out that this was 1 of 10 venues we emailed on Christmas, and he got back just a day later with this response:
“Thanks for writing. Those dates aren’t announced yet, but they are spoken for. How about Wed Feb 13, or Sun Feb 17?
“PS – very well done email, especially listing previous show turnouts. You’re way ahead of the curve on that one, and it did persuade me to jump on this, and get you in!”
I always email every venue that would work for us in a city, it’s better to have choices than no show at all.
So, there you have it. Got it? Good. Doing research in advance before you ask for dates seems like a no-brainer, but apparently it needs to be said. I guess some bands naturally put more thought into stuff.
I’m not sure how you’d approach this if you had no previous gigs in an area… perhaps we can get Bengt to comment further for new bands, first time tours, etc.?
So the other night while dining at Panera Bread, I was talking to my wife about guitars… and how I want a USA map shaped guitar painted like an old map with the pastel blue, yellow, green, & pink (red?) states. Then, I said I needed 3 more guitars to have an “even” 13 by the year 2013. With 13 being my favorite number… and us having a baby in 2013, it seemed like a good idea. She laughed and rolled her eyes. I said I could set up a Facebook page & get a million likes then she’d have to let me buy 3 more guitars. She said that a million was too many, & suggested 13,000.
Like all good jokes, I took it too far & started a page. Can I get 13,o00 likes by 2013 so I can add 3 more guitars to my collection? I need 13 in ’13!
So, spread the link if you’re so inclined… and we’ll see if I can get 1300, let alone 13,000.
That’s a private group on Facebook, so here’s what was said in case you’re not a member:
Rick D’Agostino is looking for some feedback from the music community out there..
Dig? So now, you have the gist of it. My blog may go on its own little tangent, you never really know with these things. It’s certainly worth talking about.
First, it’s clear that I’ve never been in a band where making money is the ultimate goal. I’m amazed over & over that venue owners let me come in, set up, and play in front of people. Sometimes we get money from the door, sometimes we get money from tickets sold, sometimes we give it all to the touring band, sometimes it’s a charity gig, sometimes no one shows up to pay anyone, sometimes we get some gas money or a couple of bucks to dump back into merch or something.
This is how it’s worked nearly everywhere and every time I have played: Most of the time, the cover is $3 to $5, unless we’re opening for a national act & it’s through a booker where we’re asked to sell tickets. Some call the latter “pay to play“, and rail wholly against it. Some people have no problem selling tickets. Some bands like mine do, but we try anyway. At bar gigs, the cover charge is usually $5. Sometimes it all goes to the bands, especially if it’s a bar & if you provide your own door person. Sometimes it pays for a sound guy (if there is one) & a cut goes to the bar, then the bands get paid. Sometimes locals defer and let the out-of-town bands take the cash (if there is one). Sometimes you can play for free at open stages, sometimes you pay to get in at open stages. Sometimes no one comes out to see you, and no one gets paid. Sometimes the band gets free or discounted drinks. It’s generally a no pay or break even situation. You hope to sell merchandise and/or CD‘s if you have them, and the bar hopes to sell drinks & food. The bands should promote and the venues should promote. Some venues think the bands should do it all, some bands think the venue should do it all. Generally 3 or sometimes 4 bands are all on the same gig. Sometimes, it all works out, sometimes… it doesn’t. This is how bands who largely play their own music are forced to operate.
That’s only 1 way. There are many other “scenes” here overlapping in the ‘Burgh.
Cover bands… or human jukebox bands, can generally charge a fee for playing a certain style, genre, or “songs that people know”. This is to provide entertainment to drunken Yinzer patrons who want to yell out requests. You probably usually play 3 sets, maybe 4… and you’re the only entertainment all night. You’re probably playing pop country, classic rock, or a little mix of everything. Professional singers/songwriters operate pretty much the same way as described above, but can get away with putting in more of their own material.
High-class… I know a band that plays funk, and can get $5000 a gig at the least. They put their twist on a bunch of songs, dress up, bring lights, and put on one hell of a show. I’m pretty sure I could never command that much cash for what I do… but how is one less relevant or entertaining? They do weddings, corporate parties, and “events”.
I’m sure there’s other stuff out there that I’m not even aware of. I can’t really speak for any other parts of the scene than the one I’m in.
I’ve heard the argument that charging only $5 is devaluing our craft. Bands should demand more to be heard live. It worked for Yuengling. They raised the price on their beer in the late 90s/early 00s and they took off ahead of the other “microbrews”. Should we then put a higher value on ourselves & our art? If we raise the price do we raise our expectations? Do we raise our worth? Do we raise the value of our music & entertainment?
I also see that a cover charge can make or break a show. Times are changing. People aren’t spending money on entertainment. Music is seen like it’s all supposed to be free. Why would someone pay for a live show? To me, if you don’t have $5 on you for a show, maybe you shouldn’t be going to a bar in the 1st place. $5 might get you 2 beers if you’re a butthole & don’t tip the bartender. Then again, we hardly ever walk away with any money anyway (the Fallout Shelter is an exception here, we get paid well there, regardless of turnout), so why not let people in for free?
The tip bucket. I’d play for one. I have no doubt that we’re entertaining. Why not, right? Do all bands split the tip bucket? Or go per performance? That if the 1st band up gets all the cash & the “cleanup” band gets nothing simply because the patrons ran out of cash? Are we nothing more than indoor buskers if we play for a tip jar? Is it a better measurement of our entertainment value to work for tips? Does it devalue our art to basically beg for donations to support the rock n’ roll cause?
I certainly don’t want to see my favorite venues close because they can’t afford to operate. I like to play them, I like to see other bands in them… I want them to do well. I want them to continue to host my band & other bands. I even want them to make a buck so it’s all worth their while, and so they can do it to make a living.
I just want to play. I don’t care where, or for how much. I have fun doing it. I think this is an important discussion to have, though. What is the value of live rock n’ roll?
Guitar nerds, check out Guitars of Pittsburgh! Twiz has put together a blog featuring photos of the guitars of people in active bands around the three rivers. It’s just getting started, but it’s sort of like an online collection of baseball cards with a photos and some “stats”.
Galveston B.B. Stone – Guitars of Pittsburgh
I had to choose just one from all of my goofy guitars for the photo, so I went with the one that started all the craziness. Plus, there should only be about 8 or 12 of them in the Unites States.
Check out Guitars of Pittsburgh, follow it in Tumblr or your news reader, and take a look at all the awesome axes we have around town!
So, AxVault.com has featured my guitar collection. How cool is that? I’m honored & proud to have been selected to be a featured collection! Of course, I dig anything that encourages me to buy more goofy guitars.
