A friend of mine started a company called 'Wedgies' - quick online polls that people can either click on (for Facebook Posts) or send texts in for. I thought I'd get started with my first Wedgie
(Drawing similarities) Just something that popped into my mind that I thought I would capture..
My day job is giving speeches, public speaking, information sharing... I get to go around the country/world and share about the practices and approach a well-known brand has taken with the goal of inspiring change in the way others think about their culture, their people and their service (not a bad gig!) I spend about half my time booking speaking engagements/preparing presentations for events and the other half travelling and delivering the presentations. Much like my second job of playing in a band, actually... You write, jam, rehearse, book gigs and go and perform them. Seems I have 'a thing', really... There are definitely times when the band will give our time towards a good cause, but something I've seen in both circles that is frustrating is the constant struggle to come to terms with what is reasonable as far as compensation goes. In online discussion groups that I frequent there are always threads popping up about what to charge and how to determine if/when it is reasonable to do an engagement for free or 'for exposure'. Because playing in front of people (and being a glorified beer salesman for the bar) is definitely guaranteed to get me more shows.. oh wait, no. I might get a 'fan' or two from the gig, but people hanging out at bars aren't usually the music bookers at other bars/venues... So, what's the big deal? Well, lets see... What would happen if you asked a car dealership to give you a car to drive around with the promise that you'd be showing their brand to all who drove on the road around you? *No, really, when people see this car and your dealers tag frame, they will definitely come flocking back to you later... The exposure is going to be so good for your dealership*...You'd be escorted off the lot, and fast! What would happen if you filled a grocery bag with food items and asked the manager if he would let you take them without paying if you promised to display the grocer's bag or wear their logo to show people where your sustenance comes from? You'd be asked to kindly wait for the police to discuss your attempted shoplifting... So then why is it at all reasonable to ask someone to provide music without being properly compensated? It is the product that is offered, and a fair and reasonable rate should be understood and expected so that bands and speakers aren't being robbed. There is work and information and art that goes into playing in a band and in giving speeches, and that work deserves to be rewarded with the appropriate payment. So why is it so commonplace to be asked to play for free or cheaper-than-usual? It isn't. It is just not right. The other side of the coin is that there are so many bands that jump at the chance to play a show for 'exposure' that it has impacted the industry to the point that bar managers and music venue bookers think it is totally OK. That is a whole other blog post.... To close (because I could go on about this forever): If you want a quality band, you have to pay for it. If you have put in the time and effort to become a quality band, you shouldn't be playing shows for free (with the exception of the already mentioned good causes...) Bookers, realize that you will need to plan a budget ahead of time for good bands and stop trying to low-ball everyone - you'll end up getting real talent that knows their worth and brings a whole new level of professionalism to the game... Bands, Find the value in your offering and stick to a reasonable fee structure - you'll end up with better engagements and have a better chance at making a living at your craft rather than fighting through another year of 'exposure' gigs with that always-out-of-reach goal of it actually attracting paying clients/gigs. </rant> Communication isn't easy. Oh wait. Yes it is. With so many electronic ways to get in touch with each other, there is no reason to leave details unsaid. One of the hardest things about being in the music industry is that you tend to find communication at the bottom of the list of skills that are common for artists/musicians (I guess we are communicating through our art, so why bother actually communicating..) With a band, you have a handful of grown adults who need to coordinate all of their lives in order to make rehearsals and shoes actually happen. Then there are the venues/promoters... adding yet more grown adults who should be communicating... There are a lot of communicator roles in this world that are filled with poor communicators.
I tend to be a pretty laid back person. No, really. I come off as kind of intense to some people, but that is usually when I am passionate about something or one of my personal values has been violated. Most days as long as there is coffee, I'm a happy camper. I do like to plan, though. I will email or text people as soon as a question comes up about something in order to clear the air and get the right information. The 'worst case' for me is a case where I am the one who has neglected something important and that caused others confusion or stress. Because of that drive to communicate as clearly as possible, I find it frustrating when details are skipped. Lack of planning or changing plans without communicating the change will send me into fits of rage. FITS OF RAGE! For the most part, small changes/unexpected details can be handled swiftly and as long as there is a decent 'Why', both parties can agree, adjust and move on. But don't forget that every 'small' change or detail can be much bigger to those who are not expecting them. If the change you need to communicate is bigger than 'small', be sure you are communicating as soon as you can and as clearly as you can. It can take some time for everyone to see the 'why' if you don't explain it - and be up front about it. No one can fault you if you do your best to communicate. when you do not communicate, you are making all issues THAT MUCH bigger... and who needs that? Case in point: We were contacted to play an event, we were available for the date, so we said 'Yes'. We were told that PA/staging was taken care of, great! I reached out to get our needs/information to the person handling the production side of things and was told that it was not all taken care of. With 2 weeks before the event, we got our hands on a complete PA system. Had it not been for our connections this would have cost quite a bit to rent for the day. With that out of the way, we looked forward to rockin'! The day before the event, I realized that I hadn't seen an itinerary for the day, or any real information about the event. So I reached out. Left messages. Nothing. It wasn't until I contacted the person who was originally going to be arranging the production that I found out that the coordinator had gone with a different person for the PA, and they were using acts that that person knew. They could have easily told us about the change, and why they were going in that direction, but they didn't. Instead, they didn't say anything. Which is TOTALLY NOT OK. After I sent yet another message clearly indicating that we were not participating because of the lack of communication did I receive a phone call. I got an apology that it had gone down the way it had from someone involved (but not the person I was communicating with). So why is it so hard to communicate? Why can't people just be honest about what's going on? How is it OK to can an entertainer and not tell them? Why can't grown people actually behave like adults? I dunno. I'm just going to keep communicating as much as I can to avoid being the one to blame! I am an extrovert I like to interact with people. I can't help it.
Are you one of those people who can just talk to complete strangers? I am! If I'm behind you in line at the grocery store and you've got nothing but a case of beer, some ribs and BBQ sauce on the counter, I'm most likely going to say something like "I think I'm going to your place for dinner" - of course I don't actually think I'm going to join them for diner, but it is a way to express that I'm guessing he's going to have a good evening. I've been met with some stares, some snarls, but mostly people 'get it' and a short conversation happens. The book 'Never Eat Alone' by Keith Ferrazi talks about the idea (among others) that if you never ask, you most definitely won't get, and I I think that mentality is somehow attached to my public outbursts of socializing. I have had simple and short conversations and I have made great connections or experienced something I never would have as a direct result of being 'a talker'. Tuesday morning I was in LAS (McCarran, the airport in Vegas) and I decided to get a coffee at Starbucks. A few people behind me in line was a gentleman with a cool old grey Martin guitar case (you can tell by the color of the case, the shape of the case and the logo on the outside that it was OOOOOLD). So I said "Now that's and old Martin case! How old is the Martin inside it?" to which he responded "78! If we're in the same terminal I'll let you check it out!" As it turned out, we were on the same flight. I was going to Chicago to catch a transfer to New York City and he was going through Chi-town continuing to Baltimore. He was taking the guitar to the Martin & Co factory to have a small separation repaired. We sat and chatted about guitars, I played this beautiful 000-48 (kinda a rare bird) and then we ended up sitting in the same aisle and chatting the rest of the flight. While some people roll their eyes when you talk to them in public (or when you talk to someone else and they can tell you are 'a talker') what they don't realize is that standing around with pursed lips and eyes rolling is really only hurting themselves. If they were to lighten up a bit and join the conversation, their lives would be filled with much more joy. And you never know, they might never experience some things that are very real possibilities. So as far as I'm concerned, I'm going to keep on being 'a talker'!! |