When musicians are asked to perform for free
Sooner or later every musician is going to be asked to do a gig for free. For nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Each artist of course will have to decide for themselves if they want to do this, how often, for whom and so forth. If you asked 100 artists you probably would get maybe as many different opinions as responders.
My take is this: there are good reasons to do freebies -- charity benefits and fundraisers, etc. Or if I want to make inroads with a new venue that I REALLY want to get in with (maybe a prestigious museum?), I might do it for free or lowered fee. If it will give me really great (not just good) "exposure" (but remember, folks can die from exposure!) in front of a constituency that might get me work later like in front of other bookers, producers, industry people, etc. -- kind of like an extended showcase -- then "yes," too. For example, I just performed one song for free in front of 200-300 child care providers and teachers before the keynote speaker at a big conference (plus they played my "Power of One" video after she spoke), but I negotiated a free exhibit table, lunch and the opportunity to sell products. WELL! It was a huge success; I may get bookings from it and I probably sold more product than I ever did at one place and time.
So if you choose to donate your services try to get a promise for something in return. I don't think musicians should simply give away our art (except for charity or a good cause), as it devalues it. How much do you value your relationship with someone who asks you to perform for free, and/or the venue you'd be performing in? Could you sell CDs? Could they try to block book you with another paying venue? I am giving a free mini-concert to an organization but I asked them to find me two more full-fee bookings on the same day in the same town, which they did.
Remember to firmly state that they are to keep your donation confidential! And remember to still draw up a contract with your regular fee with "discounted to ____" in the appropriate spot so they know how much you normally charge, and the tremendous bargain they are getting. It's an odd fact that if they pay you nothing, they often treat you terribly. When they pay you a lot you are therefore worth "more" and are treated with more respect. So let them know what a favor you are doing and what you normally are worth. You'll be treated so much better!
Lastly, to put a final point on this topic, once we played at a local festival for free in the worst possible conditions, in front of maybe 12 people outdoors in a field. One of those 12 people ended up being the anchor for the local TV news program who recommended me for an audition for a new kids' show under production. I ended up getting the host position which put me on TV four times daily for a year! So, you just never know where opportunity will come from, or what other benefit you might get. Not everything is measured in dollars.
Not that I'm trying to talk you into playing for free, but sometimes there are good reasons and situations for it and that can come from it. I feel so lucky to be able to make my living doing what I love, I do feel it behooves me to give back; again, it will depend on each musician's attitude and circumstances.
Then again, sometimes it's just a wasted day.
Thank you for reading and I welcome your comments.
My take is this: there are good reasons to do freebies -- charity benefits and fundraisers, etc. Or if I want to make inroads with a new venue that I REALLY want to get in with (maybe a prestigious museum?), I might do it for free or lowered fee. If it will give me really great (not just good) "exposure" (but remember, folks can die from exposure!) in front of a constituency that might get me work later like in front of other bookers, producers, industry people, etc. -- kind of like an extended showcase -- then "yes," too. For example, I just performed one song for free in front of 200-300 child care providers and teachers before the keynote speaker at a big conference (plus they played my "Power of One" video after she spoke), but I negotiated a free exhibit table, lunch and the opportunity to sell products. WELL! It was a huge success; I may get bookings from it and I probably sold more product than I ever did at one place and time.
So if you choose to donate your services try to get a promise for something in return. I don't think musicians should simply give away our art (except for charity or a good cause), as it devalues it. How much do you value your relationship with someone who asks you to perform for free, and/or the venue you'd be performing in? Could you sell CDs? Could they try to block book you with another paying venue? I am giving a free mini-concert to an organization but I asked them to find me two more full-fee bookings on the same day in the same town, which they did.
Remember to firmly state that they are to keep your donation confidential! And remember to still draw up a contract with your regular fee with "discounted to ____" in the appropriate spot so they know how much you normally charge, and the tremendous bargain they are getting. It's an odd fact that if they pay you nothing, they often treat you terribly. When they pay you a lot you are therefore worth "more" and are treated with more respect. So let them know what a favor you are doing and what you normally are worth. You'll be treated so much better!
Lastly, to put a final point on this topic, once we played at a local festival for free in the worst possible conditions, in front of maybe 12 people outdoors in a field. One of those 12 people ended up being the anchor for the local TV news program who recommended me for an audition for a new kids' show under production. I ended up getting the host position which put me on TV four times daily for a year! So, you just never know where opportunity will come from, or what other benefit you might get. Not everything is measured in dollars.
Not that I'm trying to talk you into playing for free, but sometimes there are good reasons and situations for it and that can come from it. I feel so lucky to be able to make my living doing what I love, I do feel it behooves me to give back; again, it will depend on each musician's attitude and circumstances.
Then again, sometimes it's just a wasted day.
Thank you for reading and I welcome your comments.
posted by Patricia Shih @ 12:20 PM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Every now and then, we get a call from Mr. Cordero asking us to perform in the lobby of his public housing building on the Lower East Side. It's a ridiculous situation where we set up in front of the mailboxes and the senior citizens who mostly populate the building bring their own chairs. And many times it's for Christmas or some other holiday.
Mr. Cordero makes a big deal about taking up a collection to pay us something. It never adds up to much, usually less than $40. But getting a dollar from a senior on a fixed income is like getting a $100 tip from someone more affluent. And it makes them feel like they're not taking advantage of us--makes it feel like an honest transaction.
So we get ourselves a nice meal from the Afghan place across the street and go home feeling like we've made some people happy!
As far as completely FREE requests are concerned: we support a couple of organizations that are right in our neighborhood or organizations we actually belong to, such as our Temple. When we decline requests, we encourage them to find performers in their neighborhood.
Great comment. Like I said, there are many, many situations where it is important to give away our music via a concert or CDs. But as many of us know ALL relationships are two-way streets and therefore the artist hopes to get something in return, even if it's simply a great feeling of kindness and generosity. And that is not a small thing to get back.
But it seems art is kind of singular in that people think nothing of devaluing it by asking artists to donate or lower their fees. Because what we do is "fun" and not "work" we are often asked to do this. But I have also heard artists respond to such requests as "What do YOU do for a living? Could you donate your service as a plumber/banker/accountant etc.?" Of course some kind-hearted folks do, but artists are EXPECTED to. And what does that do to the perception of the value of art? Many things to think about.
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