Another blog about asking for what you're worth in Music.

Shout out to Jamie O'Reilly for her insightful post.

Just wanted to add a couple of things here. I've been debating if I want to write another post about music and the business of selling it, but this blog made me painfully aware of two things.

1)Playing for free, at a city festival can be beneficial: I say this with a large caveat. You want to play Jazz fest, or Blue Fest, or whatever flavor your bubblicious might be. You want to get your name out there, for no other reason than that it looks impressive on a resume or a website that you did that. You do NOT however, want to be the perennial performer at Jazz Fest, Blues Fest or whatever unless you're getting paid. Jamie makes a very good point: do you want to be known as the person who'll play for free? And if you are the person who will play for free, please stop and play for your friends and neighbors at barbecues and picnics. We do not need you messing up the market so you can feel like a rockstar.

2)If you do ask for money, please be professional and polite: I've been a professional musician for a good 16 or so years, and I have to say- it's hard out there. But there's the professional who shows up on time, plays the proscribed amount of time, doesn't imbibe too much, doesn't push the boundaries of courtesy, and generally acts like this is his or her job. Then there's the other people who play sloppily, doesn't know when to quit, plays too loud, drinks too much- you get the picture. If you're asking for money, remember- this is a job. Act appropriately, and professionally.