DOUG'S RANT
LOTS OF THINGS IRK ME,
and I’ve been known to air my rants in this newsletter. I guess I’ve
just turned into an old curmudgeon. So I decided I might as well just
christen a new column in today’s newsletter aptly titled: “Doug’s RANT!”
Oh incidentally, please be assured you will NOT see me addressing any political topics here. I know where to draw the line!
Fellow longtime musician Kent Moore of Elgin, Iowa recently posted a comment on Facebook regarding certain unscrupulous practices that certain, local music venues engage in that result in bands not being properly compensated.
The ensuing online discussion sparked spirited discourse by local musicians regarding jam sessions, musician compensation and the use of contracts. And of course I had to chime in.
Although my contribution to this online thread was geared towards bands and musicians, I got to thinking that maybe it may be of interest to many of you who attend the dances and enjoy live music.
So here's my two-cents worth:
Kent, your initial post opens the door to a variety of discussions regarding live music and compensation. After reading Mr. Deibler's comments on amateur vs. professional musicians, let me bring up another angle:
Back in the '60s when we first started playing, live music was indeed a big deal. As you'll recall, Kent, in those days in the ballrooms, a crowd of 1,000 people was not uncommon. As the years passed with the advent of Karaoke, line dancing and jam sessions, the "spotlight" gradually shifted from the musicians on the stage to the audience - everyone wanted to be the "stars of the show."
Anyone could grab a mic and sing to background tracks - no need to learn how to play an instrument or how to sing in key! And everyone could march in lockstep on the dance floor and have all eyes on them, etc. The audience gradually became the show.
As technology advanced, more and more musician wannabe's were able to produce professional "sounding" recordings despite lacking any compositional skills. Concurrently during the tech advances of the '80s, MTV debuted along with a plethora of cable channels inundating the public with an unending barrage of entertainment options.
Personal computers appeared along with video games. Soon preferred entertainment practices kept the public at home in front of their video and computer screens. No longer would people have to go out of the house to catch a movie or a live band. And so the status of the professional musician gradually eroded until here we are in 2017. Regional and local bands no longer have the allure they did "back in the day."
If you can draw 100 people into a club nowadays, that's a big deal. The public has become so jaded and their attention span so fragmented by the blitz of technology that musicians playing live music hardly even register anymore. We one-time professional musicians are now oftentimes relegated to the role of human jukeboxes. The public's so blasé and desensitized as they sit in a live-music venue glued to their smartphones that they can barely muster the energy (or good manners) to clap after a song!
The saving grace for us old, veteran musicians is the loyal fans we've acquired over the years. Without them, it would be next to impossible to "make it" in the local and regional music scene here in 2017.
Oh incidentally, please be assured you will NOT see me addressing any political topics here. I know where to draw the line!
Fellow longtime musician Kent Moore of Elgin, Iowa recently posted a comment on Facebook regarding certain unscrupulous practices that certain, local music venues engage in that result in bands not being properly compensated.
The ensuing online discussion sparked spirited discourse by local musicians regarding jam sessions, musician compensation and the use of contracts. And of course I had to chime in.
Although my contribution to this online thread was geared towards bands and musicians, I got to thinking that maybe it may be of interest to many of you who attend the dances and enjoy live music.
So here's my two-cents worth:
Kent, your initial post opens the door to a variety of discussions regarding live music and compensation. After reading Mr. Deibler's comments on amateur vs. professional musicians, let me bring up another angle:
Back in the '60s when we first started playing, live music was indeed a big deal. As you'll recall, Kent, in those days in the ballrooms, a crowd of 1,000 people was not uncommon. As the years passed with the advent of Karaoke, line dancing and jam sessions, the "spotlight" gradually shifted from the musicians on the stage to the audience - everyone wanted to be the "stars of the show."
Anyone could grab a mic and sing to background tracks - no need to learn how to play an instrument or how to sing in key! And everyone could march in lockstep on the dance floor and have all eyes on them, etc. The audience gradually became the show.
As technology advanced, more and more musician wannabe's were able to produce professional "sounding" recordings despite lacking any compositional skills. Concurrently during the tech advances of the '80s, MTV debuted along with a plethora of cable channels inundating the public with an unending barrage of entertainment options.
Personal computers appeared along with video games. Soon preferred entertainment practices kept the public at home in front of their video and computer screens. No longer would people have to go out of the house to catch a movie or a live band. And so the status of the professional musician gradually eroded until here we are in 2017. Regional and local bands no longer have the allure they did "back in the day."
If you can draw 100 people into a club nowadays, that's a big deal. The public has become so jaded and their attention span so fragmented by the blitz of technology that musicians playing live music hardly even register anymore. We one-time professional musicians are now oftentimes relegated to the role of human jukeboxes. The public's so blasé and desensitized as they sit in a live-music venue glued to their smartphones that they can barely muster the energy (or good manners) to clap after a song!
The saving grace for us old, veteran musicians is the loyal fans we've acquired over the years. Without them, it would be next to impossible to "make it" in the local and regional music scene here in 2017.
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