This column spotlighting the financial plight of local musicians first appeared at Local Spins two years ago amid an explosion in the music scene. But have things really changed?
Editor’s Note: This Local Spins column first ran on Labor Day two years ago, generating traffic and link shares that have made it one of the most popular posts in the website’s history, not to mention sparking comments from across the globe. It continues to strike a nerve, especially with musicians, and the serious issues raised in the essay still merit attention on Labor Day 2015 – especially if West Michigan wants to capitalize on the growing momentum within a music scene that’s as talent-filled and attention-getting as any region in the country. The Grand Rapids area’s growth and stature as a hot destination is due partly to vibrant musical artists who deserve to be compensated fairly and supported financially. So, on Labor Day, Local Spins gives the column another spin and encourages readers to continue the conversation by leaving comments and sharing the link. – J.S.
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
On Labor Day deep into the New Millennium, consider this disturbing fact:
I know plenty of hard-gigging West Michigan bands that are paid less for performances today than rock groups of a similar ilk who played bars and parties in the ’70s and ’80s.
I’m not even talking about part-time musicians who are mostly in it as a hobby, but rather, immensely talented players who strive to do this for a living – playing five or six nights a week for what often falls well short of minimum wage when one considers the hours devoted to loading in, sound-checking, performing and tearing down again.
And this doesn’t even count all the hours of practice and rehearsals, or the time spent in the highly creative – and taxing – process of writing original songs.
A few years ago, I wrote about a popular local band that played three energetic gigs in three different locations on a single night, racing between venues, loading and unloading equipment, entertaining diverse audiences. Because they officially only got paid for one of the three (selling merchandise and CDs at the other two), their take for the night totaled $212 and five pitchers of beer. Split five ways, that’s $42.40 and a pitcher each, not counting the fact that the drummer had to replace various drum heads for about $82 before the marathon began. And it was, indeed, a marathon: They loaded in for their first performance at 2 p.m. and arrived home at 2:30 a.m.
An extreme example? Maybe, maybe not.
KEEPING A VIBRANT MUSIC SCENE THRIVING … AND SOLVENT
Don’t get me wrong: A fair number of upstanding West Michigan venues and corporate-sponsored events pay a fair wage for top-flight musical entertainment, but others don’t; some simply haven’t kept pace with inflation over the past three decades. Put it this way, according to a standard inflation calculator, a band paid $300 for a performance in 1980 should be earning about $850 for that same gig today – which I’m guessing is a rare occurrence.
I understand that it’s a competitive landscape for bars and live music venues these days and profit margins are slim. Many advertise and help promote band performances, provide food and beer, and otherwise give musicians a platform for their art. (And some musicians probably don’t do a great job of helping their cause when it comes to promoting their own shows.)
Still, there’s a disconnect when artists in one of America’s fastest-emerging music scenes – boasting an astounding trove of talent – have real difficulty getting by as musicians and can’t even afford health insurance. Many take other jobs or depend on spouses to make it work. Despite that, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more generous bunch, with a host of West Michigan bands regularly donating their time for benefits and worthy causes.
But a working musician is just that, and the financial burdens can be overwhelming. One area musician recently told me how he and his band played regularly for years at a certain venue for little more than “gas money and free food” before they finally walked away, clearly frustrated by the situation.
He longs to eventually raise the bar “to respectful levels so we don’t have to hang our heads in shame while clubs are using us. It’s happening a lot in West Michigan, but a lot of guys stay hush because they gotta make a living.”
Indeed, it’s not unusual to find local performers – especially, younger up-and-coming acts – willing to play for free just to get a chance to open for national acts in front of big crowds at area nightclubs, festivals and outdoor amphitheaters, even if it’s counter-productive to efforts to “raise that bar.”
COMPELLING MUSICAL ART DESERVES A FAIR WAGE
Clearly, the love and passion for music keeps these artists going, but most deserve better: They deserve to be acknowledged – and paid a reasonable wage – for the compelling art they produce.
In a landscape filled with karaoke, recorded music and other entertainment options, we’ve somehow devalued live local music in the new millennium. Ultimately, audience habits are as much to blame as anything, with fans often willing to pay $80 or $100 or even $200 per ticket for a touring pop act, but balking at a $3 or $5 admission for a night of bracing entertainment by a hard-working local band.
My suggestion? On Labor Day 2015, hug some musicians you know – and better yet, gladly pay those cover charges, buy their CDs and T-shirts, and toss a few extra bucks into the tip jar.
UPDATE: The 2015 West Michigan Labor Fest takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today (Monday) at Ah-Nab-Awen Park in downtown Grand Rapids, with musical performances by Mick Lane, Mustang Band, Rochelle & The Spoilers, Krystal Kleer and Slug Spoon, with a vintage car show, children’s activities and rides, food vendors, a beer tent, local arts and crafts and more. Also, the Grand Rapids Federation of Musicians’ Jazz Band (featuring the return of Noel Webley) performs at 1 p.m. Get details online at kiclc.org.
— John Sinkevics
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
Here are some reader comments posted recently on Facebook where this column was shared.
Barry Bazza Crawford: “Live and recorded music has been devalued right out of sight for local bands in every city. The mindset that’s been with us for generations is that an out-of-
town band must be better than what we have. Switching towns is called “touring.”
Steve Middendorp: “Support local music (by) going to shows, buying CDs, etc. Grand Rapids has an amazing local music scene, and Michigan as a whole.”
Casey DeMink: “Great article, really great to see someone point out the issues us working musicians come across.”
More musicians should recognize poor fiscal arrangements and walk away MUCH sooner than the band mentioned in this article did.
Musicians/bands are not commodities: that is, they actually ARE NOT interchangeable. Venues tend to pretend that they are commodities, but their customers—aka the musicians’ audiences—know the difference.
Acknowledging that musicians can find plenty of opportunities to play for free, in the spirit of Labor Day musicians everywhere should recognize financially inequitable scenarios and stop participating in them. Perhaps tip jars in their rehearsal spaces would earn more funds than accepting the questionable bookkeeping techniques of cheapskate venues?
I have been fortunate to have made a meager living being a musician. During a 10+ year span, it is all I did. However, no matter how much I made, anywhere from $250 a week to $2,500 a week, it took a lot of effort, working connections and developing relationships to keep it going.
I decided after those 10+ years I wanted a home and family, and became a part time weekend warrior, and began a career in management..Today I am in a position where I perform for my own satisfaction and contribute to the control of what venues we accept. We negotiate our performance fee, and we have a minimum, or we won’t play. It’s worked out for our band, we do have a fan following that supports us and we really appreciate them. And, it becomes a mutually beneficial arrangement between us and the venue.
I’ve been performing since I was eight years old, these past 50 plus years have been most rewarding.
I support my musician friends as much as I can.
Get out there, listen to the music and support our community.
I have been playing the West Michigan club scene actively since 1975. The cost of everything in those clubs has doubled or tripled in some cases over that time frame but band compensation in many cases has not changed. It’s art and when people want to share there, art the compensation becomes secondary. That’s a very exploited and unfortunate circumstance working musicians find themselves in. True working musicians that have been here all along battle with this simple truth every day. When some retirees deside to ” put the proverbial band back together ” and go out and muck up the compensation equation for the rest of us who are not collecting pensions and are struggling to make a living here that doesn’t help. A rising tide raises all boats. Treat your art as a business. Create the best product you can and sell it for a fair wage. Stop giving the milk away if your trying to sell the cow. My two cents.