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Post subject: Transition from volunteer gig to paid musician
Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2016 6:03 pm
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At what point should one start being a paid musician? I'm a volunteer musician with 3 weekly gigs at a long-term care facility. I started doing this because it was a great way to build confidence etc. I now feel I'm at a level and could start charging. Some told me to keep my volunteer gig, but look for new ones and start charging for those.


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Post subject: Re: Transition from volunteer gig to paid musician
Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2016 6:33 pm
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Alone? Or with a band?

If you have 3 or 4 sets that can get you from 9:00pm. to 1:00am....I'd say NOW. If you just know a few songs that get you through an hour at a Nursing Home---keep working at it.
If a venue is gonna pay you (or a band) to play...you gotta fill some time.
Of course there are breaks between sets too.

Just my opinion and experience in Iowa any way.


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Post subject: Re: Transition from volunteer gig to paid musician
Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2016 6:50 pm
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I appreciate the feedback.
Thanks


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Post subject: Re: Transition from volunteer gig to paid musician
Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 12:06 am
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Well I wouldn't be expecting pay at the gig you're doing now. You've done it for free. Taking a value off yourself.
That's OK. Treat it as free rehearsal with an audience. Use it to hone stagecraft. Particularly audience interaction. The oldies should be good for that, shouldn't they?

I've seen so many older bands this past few years who are deadly serious about money. All those stories about Chuck Berry not going on until he had the money in his hand looked tame. Reason being bands/artists get ripped off. Relying on gigs for income means they have to be just like any other business in that respect. And not being paid as agreed for a gig is akin to owning a shop and letting someone shoplift.

Find some other gigs where you can set a price. Continue to use the nursing home as your rehearsal space. Then you have free rehearsal. Diminish nursing home time as gigs increase.

Or just do a death metal set once, if you want to be thrown out. :evil:

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Post subject: Re: Transition from volunteer gig to paid musician
Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 1:42 am
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nikininja wrote:
Or just do a death metal set once, if you want to be thrown out.


LMFAO

Open that set with Bloodrock's "DOA".

:lol:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Transition from volunteer gig to paid musician
Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 8:06 am
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BSC wrote:
At what point should one start being a paid musician?


When you feel confident, sound decent and get good audience response.

Good luck!

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Post subject: Re: Transition from volunteer gig to paid musician
Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 9:22 am
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I highly recommend getting a hand held recorder, like a Tascam, and set it on a table in the room when you do your set. You'll get a real good report card on how you sound, much more accurate than what someone will tell you. That'll let you know how much work you have to do before looking to get a paid gig.

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Post subject: Re: Transition from volunteer gig to paid musician
Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 9:53 am
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Drew365 wrote:
I highly recommend getting a hand held recorder, like a Tascam, and set it on a table in the room when you do your set. You'll get a real good report card on how you sound, much more accurate than what someone will tell you. That'll let you know how much work you have to do before looking to get a paid gig.


This is really good advice for anyone wanting to better assess their playing and recognizing what works and what doesn't. Sometimes it's really simple things that make things better instead of really hard things... and hearing this better let's you prioritize where to put your efforts.

If you check the capabilities, you can often do a lot more than just table top recordings with some of the handheld recorders. Just using the over-dubbing capabilities of the Tascam DR‑07MKII handheld device, I was able to self produce my first CD and get airplay on our local radio station. Radio play can't hurt for getting the paid gigs going, right? This model is no longer really available, but the much cheaper Tascam DR‑05 (~$80 new) seems to have similar capabilities (if less flexible mic configuration). With correct cables, I recorded guitar straight from my Fender Mustang III amp and vocals with my Sennheiser e835 mic.

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