Musicians Scratching For A Living

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Would it be fair to assume that as a steel guitarist, you may find yourself scratching for a living? Inquiring minds may find the question appropriate during these hard times.

Jaclyn Jones · From: Texas, USA

I don't think just steel players are effected. The pay rate for a gig in Houston would make it impossible to be a full time musician. I have job that pays well but most bands get $100 a person. The gigs are being replaced with open mic nights providing free entertainment for the clubs. People line up to give aways the talent they have.
_________________
http://www.myspace.com/jaclynjones
http://www.youtube.com/user/jackiej1950
Lots of guitars, banjos, mandos and a Mullen G2-D10,PAC D10, 1966 Marlen D10,Line6 x3 Pro, Peavey Powerslide, Michael Kelly Dobro and a "Fox Vintage Amp" model 5F8A. Oh Yea, a very patient husband.

David Beckner · From: Kentucky, USA

Jaclyn.I agree 100% I am just learning steel but I play guitar with my band.Places here that we used to play and make good money have now gone to paying 1/2 of the take at the door..Sometimes if I am lucky I have paid for my gas and have enough left over for a HAPPY MEAL Very Happy

_________________
WILCOX SD10 (love the white mica)
WALKER SEAT
NASHVILLE 400
BEHRINGER RACK TUNER
CUSH CASE RACK
PEAVEY DELTA FEX
PARTS CASTER.Gospel and Classic Country Music
http://www.dbupholstery.yolasite.com

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

i'm still trying to figure out how, with the cost of living increase adjustment, $70 in the '70's turned into $35 in the '90's and beyond.

Barry Blackwood · Posted 17 Apr 2010 9:57 am

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

how'bout scuffling ?

Ransom Beers · Posted 17 Apr 2010 10:34 am

In this area you're lucky to get 50 bucks a man/woman(no Jaclyn,I wasn't going to leave the girls out)Very rarely will you book a gig for $100.00 per head.Karaoke & DJ's have ruined it for the live music any & everywhere.Course the bar owner will pay the CD spinner $150.00 but won't pay a 4-5 pc. band 50 bucks a head.Used to be (back in the day) we only got 30-40 bucks but we also booked 2-3 nights too.Now you're lucky to get one night,then they want you to play for nothing.The main reason I don't play anywhere but my living room,can't afford to play anywhere else.

Dale Bessant · From: Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

I play a lot of instruments fairly well and still have had the worst year on record.... lots of places to play and donate your time and experience... but few good paying gigs... but Im stubborn and refuse to give it up.... Very Happy

_________________
BMI S-10,3+4,Peavey Vegas 400,15"BW equipped,Goodrich 120,Zoom Studio rack mount-FX,Liberty Resonator,Fender Telecaster,JT-148 Jazz Box,Blueridge BR-180

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

You are only worth what your band can attract in customers. Entertainment is not about playing music. Its about how many 23 year old women you can attract into a bar. If your band can't do it, its not worth anything.

Chip Fossa · From: Monson, MA, USA (deceased)

MADD killed the bar scene early-on.

More liability insurance for bars = more do-re-mi that you and I gotz-ta pay, to have fun.

Yuppies came into prominence and bulldozed the good-ole' shot & beer joints, only to be replaced by their expensive shallow values and BS 'nightclub' [ob]scenes.

IE - all this took the fun out of going out and having a good time.

You will never catch me in a bar after 8:00PM, now. (unless someone else is at the helm)

Other bad things that ruined the bar scene:

HIV/AIDS scare; "you raped me, it was not consentual"; "The End Of The Innocence"; indifference and disrespect.
_________________
Chip
Williams U-12 8X5; Keyless; Natural Blonde Laquer.

Jim Lindsey (Louisiana) · From: Greenwell Springs, Louisiana (deceased)

An interesting thread subject, Bill. I think, in a financial sense of the word, I know what the band on the Titanic must have been feeling as the freezing waters were about to close over the decks where they were standing.

I know I'm definitely struggling and fully in the ranks of literally "starving" musicians. I swore I'd never lay my burdens at anyone else's doorstep, but this thread really brings the subject of hard times to the forefront. I think the best way I can answer your question, Bill, is to go ahead and reveal what my situation is:

I was laid off from my last job in June 2009 and I've been beating my head against the wall trying to find another job. I've put in so many applications at so many places that one would think I'd have a job by now. And I'm not being choosy about the job either ... a job is a job and I'm desperate for one.

I've had a few interviews but, get this, was turned down on a couple of them because I was "over qualified" for the job. How can you be over qualified for a job? As a professional documentation specialist, I've got over 30 years experience in that field, yet some of the interviews I've had for positions like that I was turned down for the job while someone barely out of their teens or into their early twenties with no experience at all got the job.

Even though employers aren't supposed to discriminate where age is concerned, I'm beginning to wonder about that. I'm 55 with at least three decades of experience in administration and documentation, yet I'm being passed over for job positions like that while younger people barely in their 20s with no experience at all are sailing right into them.

On other jobs I've had interviews for, I was turned down because I've had no experience in those fields. Whatever happened to "On The Job Training"?

At the moment, my position is precarious to say the least. I just received my last unemployment paycheck (which went for the mortgage and there's little money left, perhaps enough to pay the water bill and maybe a tank of gas to continue my job hunting) and unless Congress approves extensions for unemployment benefits, I've reached the end of my rope.

I've been trying to resurrect my steel playing, but the only bands interested in adding a steel are those that are just forming and are a long way from performing their first paying gig. Currently working bands around here either have a steel player already or are not interested in adding one.

Things are so bad that my best friend and his wife are helping the best they can, buying food for the dogs and when they have leftovers, he brings them to me and I'm gladly accepting them so I'll have food in my own belly. I wasn't kidding when I mentioned being a starving musician. I drink tap water and buy loaves of bread and that pretty much constitutes my diet (about once or twice a week I splurge and buy a 2 liter Coca-Cola as a treat).

This may also be my last weekend on the Forum for awhile as my electric is in danger of being shut off. How'd I get in this fix?

There was an "escrow shortage" in my mortgage and for the last several months my house payment went from $830 per month to $1300 per month (an increase of $470 a month ... money that could have been going toward other bills and groceries).

This necessitated "robbing Peter to pay Paul" and it worked for awhile but it's caught up to me. I'm now behind on my electric and I'm scheduled to be disconnected unless I can pay the bill by Monday. So, unless a miracle comes in from somewhere, I'll be without power. I've attempted to work with my electric provider hoping maybe they could prorate my bill over a few months to make it more affordable, but they're not interested in partial payments or payment plans. They want the bill in full or it's no dice.

You know, I've really tried to remain positive throughout this whole ordeal and not let the seeds of bitterness start creeping in, but I must admit that lately I'm feeling the full weight of discouragement and despair.

With all these bail-outs, I often wish there was some sort of government bail-out or maybe a private funds program somewhere for destitute musicians. I keep praying for a miracle, but I've no idea from where it could ever come. To make me feel even worse, I actually had a dream a few nights back that a $3,000 miracle came my way and in the dream I was paying bills and feeling happy to know I was still afloat and feeling hope ... then my alarm went off and I woke up only to realize it was nothing more than a dream.

Please forgive the length of my reply to Bill's question ... but, yes, I'm definitely in the category of scratching (even clawing) for a living.
_________________
1986 Mullen D-10 with 8 & 7 (Dual Bill Lawrence 705 pickups each neck)
Two Peavey Nashville 400 Amps (with a Session 500 in reserve) - Yamaha SPX-90 II
Peavey ProFex II - Yamaha R-1000 Digital Reverb - Ross Time Machine Digital Delay - BBE Sonic Maximizer 422A
ProCo RAT R2DU Dual Distortion - Korg DT-1 Pro Tuner (Rack Mounted) - Furman PL-8 Power Bay
Goodrich Match-Bro by Buddy Emmons - BJS Steel Bar (Dunlop Finger Picks / Golden Gate Thumb Picks)

Alan Tanner · From: Near Dayton, Ohio

Jim..I think "overqualified" means more than one thing.
a. Age..yer too old and yer gonna raise our health insurance rates out the window
b. You will probably end up wanting more money
c. The interviewer is pretty insecure in his position and may be afraid you will want HIS job
On the other hand...a friend and I run a small tooling/machine shop complete with computer machining capabilities. We are not getting rich, but staying afloat anyway. This area (Dayton) at one time was first in tooling in the WORLD. When we were looking to hire another person, we had to search forever to find a capable individual. The number one problem was finding first, a person who could pass the drug test, and second, who was willing to work and or be trained. BTW...the training that we pay for at the JVS's are a joke. We have a tech school here also that is nothing more than a gov scam. I am so glad that many years back I decided to get a job and just play music on the side. There is always "what if", but I have a pretty good idea of what the "if" would be today. Band jobs around here are like everywhere else. Plus, we have a bunch of cut throats who will steel your picking job in a milli second if they can. Good luck finding something...it's really bad right now.

Barry Blackwood · Posted 17 Apr 2010 1:17 pm

You hit the nail on the head, Alan.

Scott Shipley · From: The Ozark Mountains

All good points, but ultimately you get what you ask for. If the venue won't pay what you ask, then don't play. Another one will, or after a while when the customers are burnt out on dj's and scaraoke and want live music again, that venue will. This of course requires solidarity betwixt the bands which is not likely, since the bands would (mostly) rather infight and bellyache about getting the same money they were 20 years ago, instead of learning new material. I hate playing Kenny Chesney too, but would you rather swing a hammer for a living? If your answer is yes, then go do it and leave the gigs to those of us who want to make a living playing music. You want more money? Practice. Learn new songs. Quit doing the same set list you were 20 years ago, the same way you were 20 years ago. You'll go buy a new $3,500 guitar, but you won't learn the latest Keith Urban song just because E ain't playin on it? What if the pickers back in the day had had that same mentality? If they had, we'd all still be playin "Bile Dem Cabbages Down." Classic Country from the 1950's was not classic in the 1950's. Don't get me wrong, I'm CERTAINLY not comparing Chesney to Ray Price, but I've never had an artist gig yet (and I've had many) that let me decide the set list. How many professional hammer swingers get to choose where the first nail goes?
Love y'all.
Smile

_________________
Scott Shipley Facebook

Tracy Sheehan · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

I retired from musuc some time back which was what i did for a living most of my life. Was lucky to retire just as music was dying. From my personal experience i know many bands are and have lost thier audience due to playing so loud.
I have posted this before. I believe about bands do not notice when they start playing people start moving to the back of the room or leave because of the ear spliting volume. My self included. Some time back i was hired to play fiddle on the week ends and did not go back the second night. Another time i was called by a band to play week ends which is what i wanted to do.(fiddle as i had quit steel).
I went in and made a U turn as the band was so loud and out of tune. IMHO i think another thing going against steel players is steel is no longer popular with the public as it once was and steels are now so over priced in the poor economy. From what little i see on tv music doesn't appear to be popular with the public either.
You will have to read between the lines to get that one. Wink

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Jim L.,

My concern for this quandary cannot be overstated. Rest assured that others who read about your situation, feel as I do. There is a definite strong urge to find a way to assist you in dealing with the shortage of finances. I'm wishing for a strong resolve on your part to move quickly, before creditors can position themselves to actuate their devilishness by resorting to legal proceedings. Steel guitarists are very popular in hard core country music audiences. They are few and far between in many locations. It's doubtful if other forms of music will change the popularity of the steel guitar in this lifetime. Singers of popular songs (crooners) are doing well singing their show tunes. Fresh territory, I feel may be the answer. It's a tough call, not one that's easily dealt with.
The ITAM Lodge here in Pittsfield, MA, books the same four bands year 'round. They've taken up that practice for over 30 years. It works well for them. They collect at the door, $7.00 a person, (members $5.00). It doesn't require a space scientist to ascertain that they are showing a good profit on band night. Managerial temperaments are hardly, if ever the same. Simply put, the management can work with you, or against you. My thoughts in the quiet of night, before I fall to sleep, rest assured, will drift to my hopes that your misfortune will become just a bad memory.

Scott Shipley · From: The Ozark Mountains

It ain't the economy. What were we blaming in the '70's? And it ain't stage volume. Granted, a lot of bands play too loud. But that's my opinion, not necessarily the opinion of the crowd or the management. I cannot say for sure because I was not around in the 1950's, but I'll bet the bands in the '50's were a lot louder than the Hillbilly bands of the 1930's. And the bands in the '30's were louder than the bands circa 1900, and so on. Music hasn't died, it's just changed. And it will continue to do so, whether we like it or not.
_________________
Scott Shipley Facebook

Marc Friedland · From: Fort Collins, CO

Q. What's the difference between a large pizza and a steel guitarist?

A. The pizza can feed a family of 5.

I heard this joke quite a few years ago - unfortunately, it still applies.

David Beckner · From: Kentucky, USA

Scoot I disagree with you "it aint the economy"..We have a president who when something bad like the earthquake in Port A Prince for example happens ..who jumps up and says "We are going to give these people xx millions of $..and bail out this one and thatt one.MEANWHILE people here in the USA like Jim are doing without and darn lucky to know if they will have food today or not.I say let these countries fend for themselves and quit sending money and raising our deficet when there is a need right here at home. Mad

_________________
WILCOX SD10 (love the white mica)
WALKER SEAT
NASHVILLE 400
BEHRINGER RACK TUNER
CUSH CASE RACK
PEAVEY DELTA FEX
PARTS CASTER.Gospel and Classic Country Music
http://www.dbupholstery.yolasite.com

Jim Lindsey (Louisiana) · From: Greenwell Springs, Louisiana (deceased)

Bill, thank you so much for that and your words of encouragement. Please know that I'm definitely "beating the bushes" to find a job and/or a gig and my job hunting efforts have really been stepped up for several months. Although my situation is currently desperate and sometimes the gloom of the situation really sends me under, it's also my profound hope and prayer that soon a job will open up and things will move back onto an even keel ... and that this will all be a bad memory and I can look back on it with thankfulness that I survived and came through it all.

Alan, you're probably right about the "over qualified" definition. You know, I don't look at 55 as being old at all (I'm not being wheeled around in a wheelchair or using a walker to get around yet), but at some of the interviews I've had I got the feeling that they looked at 55 as being old and in my gut I felt like it was my age that was the determining factor in turning me down for the job position.

One thing I know ... I'm surely not being choosy regarding jobs but there's still nothing yet ... and at this point, it definitely wouldn't be wise to be picky about the pay ... whatever it'd pay, I'd gladly take it to have some money coming in. And that's also true with the music side of it, too.

I remember the days when I was getting an average of $225-$250 per night and wouldn't even consider unpacking my steel for less than $150 a night. Looking back on it, what arrogance it was on my part to think in such a way! And I'm ashamed that I ever thought like that. Right now I'd seriously and thankfully take a gig if it only paid $40, $30 or even $25 a night just to have some money coming in (and the pleasure of playing on stage again).

At least I recently learned why unemployment benefits haven't yet been extended ... apparently there seems to be a lot of people out there who prefer to remain on unemployment and are, I guess, abusing the system.

I recently read an article in the newspaper that talked about Congress not wanting to extend benefits because a large number of people that are on unemployment seem to be turning down jobs offered to them or pulling no-shows for interviews ... I nearly fell over when I read that.

Here I am desperately wanting a job, never turning down an interview (or a job if it ever gets offered) and it just floors me that in this difficult job market, there's people on unemployment actually turning down a job offered to them or no-showing for an interview.
_________________
1986 Mullen D-10 with 8 & 7 (Dual Bill Lawrence 705 pickups each neck)
Two Peavey Nashville 400 Amps (with a Session 500 in reserve) - Yamaha SPX-90 II
Peavey ProFex II - Yamaha R-1000 Digital Reverb - Ross Time Machine Digital Delay - BBE Sonic Maximizer 422A
ProCo RAT R2DU Dual Distortion - Korg DT-1 Pro Tuner (Rack Mounted) - Furman PL-8 Power Bay
Goodrich Match-Bro by Buddy Emmons - BJS Steel Bar (Dunlop Finger Picks / Golden Gate Thumb Picks)

Scott Shipley · From: The Ozark Mountains

David Beckner · From: Kentucky, USA

Scott no I dont want to get political,I just get irritated when people say the economy isnt to blame..As you know I run a business and YES I pay Taxes,But given the choice I had rather give my tax money to help a brother like JIM out than to have it sent to who knows where.......BILL I think this is one very interesting subject you have hit on.
_________________
WILCOX SD10 (love the white mica)
WALKER SEAT
NASHVILLE 400
BEHRINGER RACK TUNER
CUSH CASE RACK
PEAVEY DELTA FEX
PARTS CASTER.Gospel and Classic Country Music
http://www.dbupholstery.yolasite.com

Scott Shipley · From: The Ozark Mountains

David, the economy really isn't to blame. If anything, music is the one thing that doesn't really follow economic fluctuation. Folks will always make allowances for entertainment. It would be great to hear from some of the older forum members here regarding this? Not musical opinions and tastes, but the bearing of the economy on music.
Two month ago, over 2,000 people paid over $40 a ticket to see Larry The Cable Guy live in West Plains. There are around 11,000 people in West Plains, and all are suffering in the same economy as everyone everywhere else. If it's entertaining, they will come.
And yes, kudos to Bill for an interesting thread.
Taxes are not optional. Tithes shouldn't be either, just my opinion. Helping a brother out, whether you're teaching him how to fish, or buying him a fish dinner, is technically still tithing.
Winking

_________________
Scott Shipley Facebook

David Beckner · From: Kentucky, USA

I am just speaking from personal knowledge on this ,I have a friend who is a bar tender at the local american legion..He told me the city and state have raised the tax on alchahol and then put a ban against smoking in the establishments .Now when they hire my band for instance they figure in sales vs costs and if they dont exceed their expectations of profit the band feels the wrath..Also believe this one if you will- A personal famous friend of mine(former BLACK OAK ARKANSAS) lead guitar player was recently turned down for public assistance(help with paying electric bill) Was told "celebrities have money....As far as people going to a the Larry The Cable guy show,think about this-How many of those people who spent money for his show have kids at home that need shoes,diapers etc.And then went to church on Sunday begging for money..I have seen it many times.
_________________
WILCOX SD10 (love the white mica)
WALKER SEAT
NASHVILLE 400
BEHRINGER RACK TUNER
CUSH CASE RACK
PEAVEY DELTA FEX
PARTS CASTER.Gospel and Classic Country Music
http://www.dbupholstery.yolasite.com

Scott Shipley · From: The Ozark Mountains

Forum Index > Steel Players	Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Next	Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic