Musicians and the Culture of Complaining
Last week I was performing outside of Phoenix, with what I thought is one of the nicest displays of appreciation for musicians: food.
This gig had provided a chartered bus for the musicians and dinner once we arrived. A nice spread of sandwiches, a fruit and cheese platter, and a desert platter, plus drinks and utensils were all laid out for us. But the first thing I heard from one of the musicians was, “well you would think they would give us mayonnaise or mustard for these sandwiches.” And yes, while true, it sets a whole different tone for the evening and negates anything this contractor had provided.
So when does this happen? And why? Why do musicians feel the need and right to complain and criticize every move made by management, contractors, other musicians or anyone that may cross our path from the time we get out of our car to when we leave the gig at the end of then night?
I have a theory: it happens as soon as we exchange our artistic abilities for money and progresses into pure seething hatred by the time some people ever work full time.
The interesting thing that I have observed is those who complain the most are least likely to take any steps to meaningful change, including shutting their mouths. Last year I started a music ensemble where I continually where I tried to get musicians to take an active role in running the group as a way of learning from each other the business of making music. Most offers fell through, usually with the response of being too busy, and those who complained during gigs, never offered help. Many musicians are fine with sitting in their chair for the contracted time, getting paid, and going home. Just from one year of running the ensemble, I have learned how difficult, time consuming, and stressful it is to raise every dollar and sell every ticket to run a group.
I decided two things after last season: Musicians are available everywhere, but it’s those who are pleasant to work with that I want to be around AND I have a new respect for anybody that wants to pay me to play my instrument. Sure, there are plenty of terrible things going on with contract negotiations for musicians and horrible gigs that we have all suffered through. BUT, we musicians can actually take control over our own careers, do things that satisfy us artistically and monetarily and learn to create a better working environment for everyone.
What I have realized is that I do have an impact on my career and what I do with my time. If I want to form a horn rock band and get paid for it, I can do all the work to make that happen.
So this time next week, I invite you to join me explore the first book that will give musicians the skills to start living a life that is both musically and financially possible. Don’t forget to pick-up Beyond Talent by Angela Myles Beeching, which I will be focusing on starting Monday November 2.
For Thursday: Donnie Deutcch: The Big Idea
I’ve been on both sides of this particular fence.
I’ve been a part of jobs where there was more complaining from the musicians than I thought was warranted. I think that the level of training and (to be blunt) ego required to be a good musician can create that environment. It’s only my opinion, but I believe that deep down (and I include myself in this), we are very confident in our abilities and what we’re worth. To this end, those who hire us are in a no win; no matter what is provided, very rarely will it be “good enough” in our eyes. That does not excuse the musician from being rude, however. Regardless of talent, no one likes being around a jerk, and it gives our profession a black eye.
That said, I also think there is a legitimate frustration on the musician’s end. How many times have we been asked why we play for money, when “if you love music so much, why don’t you play for free”? Many of us have advanced college degrees, yet work for $20 an hour or less, and can’t string together a 40 hour work week. Our industry is faced with increased competition for the entertainment dollar and apathy from the public, as we provide a luxury and not a necessity. The musician can be and is taken for granted in many ensembles; expendable because someone else cheaper (and less capable) can be found to play.
I believe the answer is somewhere in the middle. Musicians need to understand that nothing is promised to us; we’re businesspeople too, and if our product is not in demand by the public, we need to find a way to create a product that is. Contractors and management also need to understand that they get what they pay for; if they want a quality ensemble that can perform at a high level with minimal rehearsal time, there is a cost for that as well, especially since the number of people capable of that level is going to drop fast.
My two cents, anyways…
-Jason Malloy
Personnel Manager, Principal Trombone
Salt River Brass
Jason Malloy
October 27, 2009 at 2:08 am