Musicians: Please Use Your Leverage

Portland OR

Description

Gonna say the quiet part out loud: There's nothing noble or romantic about being chronically underpaid for a career in music. As venues return to booking live shows, the very last thing anyone needs to do is give performances away. You've been woodshedding. You've been honing your craft. You've been investing in yourselves. Step up. No more playing concerts for pitchers of fancy draft. No more leeway for club owners who insist they are doing you a favor when you've filled the joint with thirsty patrons. You're the ones bringing revenue to their watering hole. When the virus has been contained in the future, live streams on the internet will still have a larger potential paying audience than any talent buyer in this town can offer. A single professional soundstage could do the heavy lifting. There isn't any need to be mean about it. Just clarify roles. They are making money on live music. They are also making money on cold beer. Breweries don't trade kegs for excuses. If you delivered what they wanted, and they smiled counting receipts, you shouldn't either. In New Orleans, the late Dale Triguero kept it simple at Chickie Wah Wah. 100% of the door belonged to the folk who promoted the show and came prepared to play their hearts out. 100% of the bar belonged to the bar. It meant that everyone did their best to make each show special. It also meant there wasn't anything automatically adversarial or predatory in the relationships with talents. Cooperation yields the best results. Performing artists working in solidarity can seize this opportunity to create a more equitable industry. It's long overdue.