Sorry, we really do try our best, but a series like ours here in Columbus, OH doesn't draw the huge names and never pays the somewhat biggish names anything close to what they ask or deserve. I.e., that split isn't so wide here.
Eugene ________________________________________ From: [email protected] [[email protected]] on behalf of Christopher Wilke [[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, August 10, 2013 11:50 AM To: William Samson; [email protected] Subject: [LUTE] Re: general public Lute awareness On the other hand, this can make things incredibly difficult for professionals in the nebulous middle between amateur and big-name status. I have turned down offers simply because the fee wouldn't even cover travel expenses. Then I look at the series and see that they have a mix of big name acts with some local players on there. I know about how much the Names make and it is exponentially more than what I get offered. I wish these organizations might budget for something between their "legitimate" and "no name" fees that would make touring at least feasible for people who have not reached the top tier yet. Chris Dr. Christopher Wilke D.M.A. Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer www.christopherwilke.com __________________________________________________________________ From: William Samson <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 9, 2013 6:44 PM Subject: [LUTE] Re: general public Lute awareness The point I am making about fees is that any society around here at that time (Dundee, Scotland, 1980) has a fixed budget for performers. The usual practice (even now, I believe) is to use local amateur performers to fill most of the slots at minimal expense so that the money can be husbanded to pay for a few big names, each year, who usually have to travel a considerable distance (from London, for example) to perform. As for equal fees, I think not - Is Bill Samson worth as much as Nigel North for a gig of equal duration? Of course not. The annual budget is fixed, so the bulk of it should go to the best performers. Do support bands earn as much as headline bands . . .? I think you'll agree that this is quite different from selling a photograph for publication (which I have also done) at the standard rate set by the publisher. As with your own situation, there were no professional early musicians living nearby who's gigs we were stealing - Even so, the fun was the thing, and if by saving money the organisers were able to attract somebody really outstanding at another time in the season, so much the better for all concerned. Bill From: Geoff Gaherty <[1][email protected]> To: William Samson <[2][email protected]> Sent: Friday, 9 August 2013, 22:53 Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: general public Lute awareness On 09/08/13 4:55 PM, William Samson wrote: > As amateurs we only accepted travelling expenses and any hospitality > that was on offer, but we politely declined any fee. I am of the > opinion that for an amateur musician accept a fee is to take what is > due to those who depend on performing fees to make a living. As well as being an amateur lutenist, I am also an amateur photographer. One of my photography teachers made the point that anyone who sells a photograph for publication, amateur or professional, should expect the same fee. By allowing our photographs to sell for less, we are undercutting the professionals, and depriving them of a livelihood. If it's good enough to publish, it's worth the same fee, no matter who took it. I myself do a lot of performing for free, but I do it because it's fun. Besides, there are no professional early musicians in my community, so I'm not stealing anyone's gigs, and I am (hopefully) increasing the audience for early music. Geoff -- Geoff Gaherty Foxmead Observatory Coldwater, Ontario, Canada [1][3]http://www.gaherty.ca/ [2][4]http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/ -- References 1. [5]http://www.gaherty.ca/ 2. [6]http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/ To get on or off this list see list information at [7]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:[email protected] 2. mailto:[email protected] 3. http://www.gaherty.ca/ 4. http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/ 5. http://www.gaherty.ca/ 6. http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/ 7. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
