I need to vent. If you're a musician you will understand this post. I am so sick and tired of dealing with venues. We moved to Austin primarily for the music scene just about two years ago. Over the past two years we've made quite a name for ourselves in this town. We've made wonderful friends who are very loyal to us. A part of the frustration from living in L.A. and being involved in the music scene was the "pay to play" mentality. But oh.. that never happens in Austin right? Bullshit. I cannot tell you how many occasions I've experienced where we saw a band play at a certain venue or heard from someone that that band hardly brought 10 people to their show and they continuously get re booked at that venue. I'm not gonna put this venue on blast or anything or say any names but since when does a bar on 6th street require a band to bring 450 people to be able to play? Is your place that terrible that you can't get patrons in to buy your drinks? Maybe you should consider restaffing and hiring friendlier bartenders? Why is it that you rely so heavily on bands to bring their fans and buy your drinks? And then to top it all off you (pardon my language) JEW us out of our appropriate pay? It is WORK to be a musician and the next time a bar offers me %10 of the bar for that night I will make sure I let everyone know to not support that establishment. What a fucking joke. If you're a musician and you accept %10 of the bar for the time that you play.. I highly suggest you demand a print out of what was sold. We recently played a gig at an Austin staple venue (I won't say where) and the place was so packed you could not move around. This place mind you is not necessarily cheap on drinks and the spirits were flowing. I know. I was on stage watching. We had 2 and 1/2 hours to account for the %10. Not to mention. We bring all of our own equipment, run our sound, do our own soundcheck (place ring a bell?) and for those of you that know us, we have a lot of equipment. We walked out of there with $100. Four hours of our night. Now spilt that $100 six ways. This is Austin. Where live music is embraced and the musician is appreciated. If you ask me. Austin venues and bars don't give a shit about the musician. All they are concerned with is making more money and for some of them it's so they can support their little drug habit. Ugh!!!
Maybe Austin wants to be just like Nashville... (I'm not even gonna tell you my feelings on Nashville)
I am confident in my talent, the talent that my band has and in the loyalty of everyone that supports us. So confident, that I know the tables will turn and one day soon the very people that stick their nose up to me... to US... will be sorry.
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