Fort Wayne Gigs and the Bottom Line

kevrayhiya · Post by **kevrayhiya** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 1:16 am

I want to start a serious thread discussing issues effecting live music in Fort Wayne. Specifically I'd like to talk about some of the things I've been running into as I book my own gigs as i'm wondering if other people are running into as well. In no particular order here they are:

1. ASCAP/BMI License Hassle
Is anyone hearing from clubowners that they don't want to book or can't afford live music due to having received a letter from BMI or ASCAP demanding (for some venues) high licensing fees after a field agent has visited their club? I m a member of ASCAP but can't play a cd release gig at Barnes and Nobles here in Fort Wayne due to their having signed a "no live music" agreement for this area with ASCAP! Thus my own performing rights organization prevents me from promoting my music via Barnes and Noble in my own hometown !

2. The DWI craze!
Five years ago when I moved to Fort Wayne they lowered the legal limit to .08. What that means is that depending on your weight and individual capacity to absorb and process alcohol you are putting at risk your ability to drive, your livelihood, career, even you ability to rent an apartment if you get tagged with a DWI! Two pints of beer can do it, and they even arrested a guy who was .04 a few months ago for illegal blood alchohol content. I've heard clubowners say this is putting a dent in business, hence less money to hire live music.

3. DJ's, kareoke, and "track" acts
There are alot of bars that give over several nights out of the month to DJ's and Kareoke hosts. Obviously they make bars money or they wouldn't be hired. Does anyone see this as a direct competition for live music? Same question for "track" acts, i.e. oneman bands with drum machines/MIDI sequences. I've even seen (at a place which shall remain nameless) a singer punching up tracks on a kareoke machine on a night which advertizes "live" music.

4. Open Mikes-
Does the Fort Wayne scene have to many open mikes as opposed to paying gigs? Currently there is an open mike on just about every night of
the week. I once spoke to a clubowner who said he had music four night a week. Three of the nights were kareoke/DJ and one night was open mike.

5. Cover Tunes versus original act.
Over the past five years I've been amazed at how much of my own music i've been able to play on gigs and not have it be an issue with the venue or manager. Just wondering if the covers to original song issue is significant in other peoples gigs?

Ok that's about it for me. Lets hear some feeback from the Fort Wayne musical community!

jewlee138 · Post by **jewlee138** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 9:36 am

3. DJ's, kareoke, and "track" acts
There are alot of bars that give over several nights out of the month to DJ's and Kareoke hosts. Obviously they make bars money or they wouldn't be hired. Does anyone see this as a direct competition for live music? Same question for "track" acts, i.e. oneman bands with drum machines/MIDI sequences. I've even seen (at a place which shall remain nameless) a singer punching up tracks on a kareoke machine on a night which advertizes "live" music.

Yep, I think it's competition for live music, but competition is good and live dj's, turntablists and one man lap-top bands need paying gigs too. Trust me, they get WAY LESS paying gigs than bands do around Fort Wayne.

Kareoke aside, I do consider dj's & one man bands live performers if done right (aka LIVE - not just pressing play on a cd and walking away.) There is an art to turntablism and production (especially if you create your own samples, beats, etc.)

mrjonson · Post by **mrjonson** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 9:41 am

if you practice your trade..... ( Entertainer ) and get it right people will come

then piss on a venue with all the rules...

peace

kevrayhiya · Post by **kevrayhiya** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 3:31 pm

Jewlee,

I think you have a point in re: live remixer type DJ's, esp those who utilize original material. As to pay differences btwn kareoke/DJ hosts and live musicians I'm wondering who is doing better. It seems like gigs for live music are harder to book due to the various issues I listed.
Thanks for your repsonse though.

MrSpall · Post by **MrSpall** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:28 pm

I'm bored at work, so now I'm gonna get paid to give you a fairly complete response.

1. I've never encountered any problems with ASCAP/BMI. No club I've ever been to has said anything - though I've never tried to play Barnes and Noble (I'm probably too loud for the bookshop scene).

2. Thankfully, the bulk of my performances have been at coffeehouses so the DWI thing hasn't really affected our crowds much. However I do know a lot of friends that've gotten DWIs in the past couple years, and it definitely hampers their bar attendance.

3. I guess Karaoke could be considered competition for live music. Fortunately in most cases I don't think they're compteing for the same crowd. Many of the people that come to my shows say they wouldn't be caught dead at a Karaoke night (a shame because it's one of my favorite secret indulgences). A lot of the Karaoke crowd is into their own niche, and aren't all that interested in catching a live band unless it's a national act.

As far as DJs are concerned, I'm kinda with Jewlee in that if they're creating their own works with their spinning it can be something of an artform. If you're talking about DJs that just play CDs all night well, most of the crowds I see at my shows are into live music enough to simply bypass these DJs. Once again, the DJ crowd and the live music crowd are rather different creatures.

I don't know much about payscale differences for karaoke/djs vs. live acts - though I may ask some friends in the araoke business this weekend and get back to you.

4. Open Mic Nights - I love them. I find they are a fantastic way for musicians to network, and even try funky combinations in front of a crowd. My first time playing with a bassist, we played an open mic because I wanted to experiment, and I don't think it's fair to experiment in front of a paying crowd. We got some really good feedback, tweaked some things, and did end up using him at a real show shortly thereafter. I do think it's a shame if a club claims to have music four nights a week when 3 of those nights are DJ/Karaoke - why not claim you've got music 7 nights a week anytime there's a jukebox in the corner? It's plain misleading.

5. This has been at the heart of many a debate right here on our beloved FWM.com. Fortunately in Fort Wayne, if you want to play your own music, there are plenty of places that'll let you do just that. I cherish the ability to work some of our own songs into our sets. We do play a lot of covers because we've found that in some cases, we need to do that to pay the bills. I'm of the opinion that if you play a cover your own way it's not really all that horrible an artistic expression. I think most musicians start out imitating and covering music that they've found inspiring. If you wanna try a reggae cover of "Take On Me" is that so bad? Certainly it's not the same as writing your own tunes, but it can be just as entertaining. I know there are clubs that require you to play a certain percentage of covers, and if you choose to play there, that's a decision you make. Personally, I'd have no problem playing there, because I find covers fun to do - they allow me to pay homage to music I love, and also to have fun with a crowd.

What have we learned? First, I have entirely too much time at work sitting unsupervised on my computer. Second, The music scene in Fort Wayne is fairly healthy. There is a huge variety of music out there, and almost as many venues looking for musicians. I know that on any given night I can go out and find some great music being played somewhere in this city.

Sometimes it is hard to find a gig based on a number of different factors (many of which we're discussing here) but hopefully, rather than being discouraged by this, we are all - as artists - accepting this as a challenge. Karaoke and djs will only be a problem if a club owner thinks they'll draw a better crowd than the act in question. Prove them wrong. Refine your act, make it more entertaining. If you bring enough quality, eventually people will find you. I'm not speaking to anyone directly here (rereading that last part sounds like an affront to kev) it should be a challenge and an undertaking for all of us. That said, I'll go now - as my work day is ending and it's time for me to meander to the computerless abyss I call my apartment.

MrSpall · Post by **MrSpall** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:29 pm

Good God I wrote a novel. Sorry everybody, but this touched on some issues I'm fairly passionate about. Really, I'm going home now.

Oliver's Army · Post by **Oliver's Army** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:47 pm

The one thing not mentioned here Kevin, is that your music, at least the stuff you re noted for (albeit very good) is kind of esoteric for the masses.

This isn't a bad thing, but in the grand scheme of getting bodies in thru the door, butts in seats, cash in the drawer, booze over the bar...you have to admit your niche is relatively small.

This might be an element in why it is tough for you to get gigs.

You situation is not unlike that of the jazz guys in town. A talented bunch, especially for a town this size, but damn if it isn't like pulling teeth for them to get a solid gig.

My $.02

mrjonson · Post by **mrjonson** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 6:44 pm

esoteric

help a brotha out man..... esoteric..... what is esoteric

peace

Myrddin · Post by **Myrddin** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 6:48 pm

Esoteric

es·o·ter·ic ( P ) Pronunciation Key (s-trk)
adj.

Intended for or understood by only a particular group: an esoteric cult. See Synonyms at mysterious.
Of or relating to that which is known by a restricted number of people.

Confined to a small group: esoteric interests.
Not publicly disclosed; confidential.

Oliver's Army · Post by **Oliver's Army** » Fri Jul 28, 2006 7:12 pm

Laymans terms?

Kinda tough to dig, unless youre into it.

Classical music, straight ahead Jazz...etc.

mrjonson · Post by **mrjonson** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 2:55 am

Thank you gentlemen

kevrayhiya · Post by **kevrayhiya** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 4:31 pm

Yo to Oliver's Army,

I will admit my original music is somewhat left of center but I also do various cover tunes on the gig as well. Currently I am gigging with a pedal steel guitar player doing old school country, i.e. Hank Sr., Bob Wills(country swing) early Johnny Cash. Check us out at Paula's on Aug. 11th.
And thanks for you comment.

Kevin

HillgrassBluebillyFTW · Sat Jul 29, 2006 6:37 pm

kevrayhiya wrote:Yo to Oliver's Army,

I will admit my original music is somewhat left of center but I also do various cover tunes on the gig as well. Currently I am gigging with a pedal steel guitar player doing old school country, i.e. Hank Sr., Bob Wills(country swing) early Johnny Cash. Check us out at Paula's on Aug. 11th.
And thanks for you comment.

Kevin

While I for one love Hank and Cash... it's still a little rough to find people who do.

It sucks to say that you need to change to make money. But sometimes it boils down to that.

And I'm not suggesting you should or that what you do will never make money.. it's just gonna be rough for you.. like what Oli said.

songbirdfortwayne · Post by **songbirdfortwayne** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 7:11 pm

I agree in large part with MrSpall. Club owners who have live music or any recorded music heard bya the general public, are required to pay a fee to ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, however, that is a cost of their doing business - most of them don't gripe since about everyone at least wants some kind of background music in the venue.

Normally your own original music does not fall under licensing - since you have the right to play your own musical compositions anywhere. The licensing is to collect royalties (supposedly) for distribution to the artists whose music is being played. A review of the Barnes Noble contract might reveal a loophole wherein original compositions could still be played, and simply no covers of other tunes, but they are probably not wanting to take any chances.

I like open mics more for the comradery with other local musicians, versus the performance opportunity but you do have to constantly work at getting gigs if you want to perform in this town, no matter what style of music or your level of play.

conley · Post by **conley** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:41 am

here's my take on your concerns, Kevin:

1. ASCAP has never even been mentioned whenever I've booked a gig. Unless you someday find yourself on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, I wouldn't even make it an issue.

2. DWI: Yup, it's definitely affected downtown business, but, most of the downtown venues still hire entertainment. So, this shouldn't affect us too much.

3. DJ's & Karaoke: This is the "biggie". These two things will possibly be the downfall of live music. Alot of huge, national acts don't even have a "live" band backing them!!

4. Open Mics: I don't believe open mics affect our ability to get a gig. For starters, most of them are held during the week, and I think they are actually a "launching pad" for a lot of acts. They probably help promote individual artists more than they hurt anyone(yes, I'm totally biased on this one).

5. Jesus, I'm so sick of this topic. Covers versus originals. I'll once again point out the obvious: People usually want to hear stuff that they already KNOW. However, this is really dependant on the venue. saturday night at Columbia Street, people want to dance, so, you'd better be ready to give them that. Saturday at Henry's, people want to chill out to some cool music while having a conversation with their friends.

That's my take on things!! Hopefully, some of that might help.

FortWayneMusic.com

Fort Wayne Gigs and the Bottom Line

Fort Wayne Gigs and the Bottom Line

Point well taken