Originally Posted by
The Pepsi Challenge
As Frank Zappa said many moons ago: "What musicians tend to eat is usually brown and lumpy." What he meant by this is that musicians don't get paid enough for what they do and can only afford to eat crud. And he was right. Musicians make the music industry billions and billions of pounds - and in the end, often owe the industry money back. Wrong? You betcha.
On a base level, however, it's businessmen running pubs who are renowned for ripping off musicians (in the Scottish capital anyway), underpaying them, and in some cases, making them pay for the privilege of paying. Therefore £6 to see two reputable live bands is, not to put too much of a pun on it, small beer. That's about the price of two pints. I'm sure those who 'appreciate' live music would be willing to sacrifice two ales in order to enjoy some fine music. No? K Dragon?
Furthermore, it's also the bands who are part of the problem. They do themselves no favours when it comes to getting paid. As I said, (in Edinburgh at least) bands are all too willing to play gigs for next to nothing. Some even pay-to-play. Fools. Publicans like this attitude, though. If bands refuse to take what's offered to them, they know there's another 100 bands waiting to take their place. So we, the musicians, need to start charging what we believe we're worth.
And K - regards Gleber2 not having an entry charge to his gigs. Maybe the Gaels get the door money, whereas Gleber2 maybe gets paid a fee? Either way, both are worth their weight am sure.