Letters

Hi Guys and Dolls
To quote an old friend of mine "The music business is a crap-shoot, travelling is a big factor, hell even Jesus had to leave home to become a star"... Please forgive me if I seem a little redundant at times , I am still in shock over Colorado's loss tonight... Brother Ray really deserves a ring you know.... On to the ranting and raving.
Most musicians I know would rather sit and bitch about all the things that are wrong with the union than actually get off the couch to go do something about it. I can't speak for all the AFM locals, but I do know that the Calgary and Vancouver locals take great care to represent their member's best interests.. The union is only as good as the member's support.. If your officers appear not to be doing anything for the members, then start showing up at the meetings to state your concerns. If you still see nothing is changing then show up and vote them out of office. Cast a vote for the people that will represent the concerns of the members in that local... Things have changed in the union since I first joined.. For example these days you can get vested for an AFM pension if you work in the bars and clubs.. The rule is that you need to file a pension contract and have the club owner send in 10 percent of scale each time you play his/her venue. The AFM in Canada also offers dental, medical, and the best equipment insurance I have found.. Equipment theft is a bitch, my truck was broken into in 1983, and Clydesdale Insurance (the AFM's cats) were right there for me. I had all my stolen gear replaced in 24 hours... They even found my '63 Telecaster 3 weeks later in Winnipeg (some dead beat was trying to sell it in a pawn shop)...
About getting paid what you think you're worth.... .
When you are performing in the trenches (clubs and pubs, etc..) it's about how much beer was sold in the course of a night... It's also about you, or your band's popularity, and professionalism in order to validate the money you request from the club, tavern, or pub you're performing at... I know from experience that if you, or your band has a good following, or reputation, the club owners will usually buck up and pay what you are worth. Of course there are always the skinflints out there that will not part with a buck, and I usually tell those club owners I'm not interested in performing at their venue... I can say that the musicians out here in western Canada work for more than scale on a regular basis. Many do not belong to the union..
If you really want to command a better buck you must ask yourself what you really want from this business you are in and then get a plan in place (product, air-play, publicity, marketing, etc...) in order to make it all work.. It is not a day at the beach, you must work very long thankless hours, and be dedicated to what you, or your band is all about... It takes roughly 20 to 30 years in the blues business to become an overnight success (sometimes it never happens). There are so many talented artists that I have known over the years that have died broke and hungry.. So you ask yourself "who's getting rich off of all this, and where can you put your hands on the money?".... The real money is in the songwriting, publishing, and product sales...
You can offset your income from session work if you can read fly-shit at 100 yards, have the right connections and are a popular commodity... I have a few friends who are great Blues, Jazz, and Rock players. They all play in the Calgary Philharmonic, and they are all AFM members, make great money with many perks. I also have pals who work the cruise ships 6 months of the year so they can come home with a pocket full of money to stay alive and play the music they really love for the next 6 months.... The point is you must do what ever it takes to make a decent living as a professional musician, say like getting paid good money to play music you really don't like... I can't remember how many times I have taken a fat tip for a request to play some lame ass song that someone wants to hear.. Is it selling out, or accepting the reality of our chosen profession? Artist or craftsman, money is money.. Let's not forget that when you are performing you belong to the audience, and you must keep them entertained so they will come back with hordes of friends the next time...
Nuff Sed
ttyl my brothers and sisters
Johnny V

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