Bob,

I know there was a time when club owners actually paid and once in a while, you can still find them. It's just a tough gig. Part of the problem is that so many artists out there are willing to play for little or no money or play for the door and such.

Pardon the crude analogy but to me, it's like someone going to a prostitute instead of finding someone in a bar. There's just no good reason to pay someone when there are so many others willing to give it away.

I guess I can see both sides of it. Why would a venue owner want to pay you unless you can bring in a crowd that is going to spend money in his/her establishment? It's not really their responsibility to promote your music and ensure a crowd.

Since you've been around a while, I'm sure you know that many artists who were actually very famous didn't make much money in the 50's, 60's and 70's (some still go bankrupt today) until they learned how the business works and obtained proper representation. Regardless, the business end of music has always had the upper hand and probably always will.

With the internet, the balance may swing a little in favor of independent artists but if people aren't willing to pay for your music and aren't willing to pay to come out and see your shows, I don't know what we can do about it.

My band broke up about 2 years ago but when we were together I flat out told everyone, we don't play for free unless it's a good opportunity for exposure or there was something valuable in it for us. We didn't make a lot of money and we only played about once a month but we did get paid. It's just too much work to lug all that equipment around and bust your ass to get somewhere for what amounts to a practice session.

That's why I'm concentrating on songwriting. I'm hoping I can get a few cuts while there are still people who will pay for CD's. Let all those who want the fame and all that goes with it, handle all those other headaches. In the meantime, I'm not giving up my day job anytime soon. It may be sad but it's reality for now.

Van Borden
a.k.a. Buzz Grudge