Been reading a comment thread in one of my groups in Facebook, about how local bands or musicians in my hometown are still being exploited or manipulated by event organizers to perform for measly talent fees. I grew up being a part of the local music scene, as both a musician and organizer in a few occasions. The problem is, there is no local public entity that looks out for the welfare of the musicians, and even the musicians stoop down to a low pay even they are worth more just to get a quick buck rather than nothing. This has been going on and on and nothing is being done about it. So this thread I read (and rather participated) was about setting up this kind of entity watchdog for local musicians.
When I was a with my buddies in a band, we would even perform for free just to get seen and heard. But after numerous gigs and with experience up your sleeve, sometimes performing even for a measly fee is just not worth it. Its okay if its a free event with friends for a cause, but if if you know that the organizer gets big bucks for the gig, I think its fair to get paid generously as well. There should be some kind of expectation set before agreeing to perform for a gig.
A musician’s life is not easy, and a lot of money is spent before one gets to a certain level of experience. Getting paid enough for the performance is to compensate the investment made. I remember paying a lot of dough just for our band to practice for countless hours in rehearsal studios, just to get to an amateur performance level. Then you also need money to buy your instrument and stuff that goes with it and your craft.
So I hope the guys back home would start setting up a guild or organization some thingy. That would help ease the burden of local musicians from the hassle of haggling with organizers for a decent talent fee. It would also even the playing field and set a standard of quality of local performances.