i understand the theory of it perfectly then.. i just don't believe that i've seen much evidence of these vicious circles, appalling bands and rubbish musicians. some examples maybe?
maybe we're seeing different sides of the coin.. the gigs/shows/performances that i frequent are generally very well supported, the venues and performers have good relationships and the music is generally of quite a high quality. why they don't 'make it' internationally is the subject of another discussion i believe, however when i watch them - i can definitely see a strong relation in quality, professionalism and relevance to what the big guns overseas are putting out. i also like to think that i have relatively good taste in music.
Again. No one benefits from a system that only the least dedicated can afford to participate in. Audiences lose out when good musicians (who must put in much time) cannot afford to perform, and only those who spend little time working on music find it worth doing "hobby shows." Rubbish music, leading to receding interest from the public, leading to reduced profits for all venues. This system creates a cycle of poor quality product due to it being impossible for musicians to be reasonably compensated for their efforts. It's analogous to photography, in which the happiness to hire a friend with a dslr to shoot your wedding means that you get poor quality wedding pics, which devalues the role of wedding pics, which further makes it impossible for those pros who could do magical things to get hired at a reasonable rate to do the job.
can't see how this relates to my example of the Blue Notes. i believe that they probably worked hard enough, evidenced by the fact that their product was obviously deemed as a threat which resulted in them being shut down in europe.
People who are not sufficiently invested will not pay fees, and will be unable to play the fair pay union gigs. These people are also not putting effort into their playing - feeling that it's good enough to just be up there for their wife and two mates to watch - and hence bring the quality of the product to rock bottom. Allowing them to fall by the wayside, while dedicated musicians compete for gigs, will raise the quality of performance, and hence the impression of live music, and hence the profits to be made, to the point where other venues may begin to see the benefit of paying union rates.
This is analogous to sports, in which South Africans are fiercely competitive in paying sports (rugby, cricket, golf, boxing) but not nearly so competitive in sports with no money attached such as Fencing. The money attracts competitors and keeps them going in the long run. Then spectators see better matches leading to more popularity, more money, and more fierce competitors.
I can tell you as a gigging musician that, while I always give it all I've got when I'm on stage, the pressure to get the band together for multiple practises (time out from people's necessary other work), and to maintain adequate sobriety pre-show, is enhanced enormously by the knowledge of the payment at the end. Despondency creeps in when you know that you won't earn a bean out of the show you're doing. When the venue doesn't treat you professionally, your will to be professional is sapped. Obviously, as I say, once you're up there you give it hell for the one barfly who's enjoying it. But you sure as hell aren't going to make special allowances, or rock up at 16h30 for soundcheck, at that venue again. This may not be a big deal however, if you see yourself as an amateur who picks up the instrument once a week and regards the gig as a fun way of sharing your hobby with your mates. If you intend to become good enough to consistently entertain people, you want to feel like everyone's taking it seriously.
i wasn't talking about your bedroom player that jols his wife and kids along to the pub to play a song, nor your mates that twiddle around together in the garage. i'm talking about people that have been playing instruments for most of their lives, and have put in the hours of practice and are being creative whilst being productive in other ways. for example - a couple of friends of mine play in a band called Holiday Murray, a CT based folk-pop band. they started the band while they were studying full-time (many would argue that this doesn't compare to a full-time job though) and they are making a good name for themselves whilst still not working on their music full time. they have all been playing instruments and had musical involvement since they were kids. they practice once a week and play probably on average once a week, and they've done a couple of tours and played a couple of big south african festivals. another example - the Pretty Blue Guns; they have been making what i see as great music for ages whilst still supporting themselves - holding down jobs, studying, etc. there are many other examples. there are also loads of examples of bands that i've seen that have done incredibly well for themselves and have put out world class music, whilst doing it full time - Fokofpolisiekar, Taxi Violence, Seether, aKing, the Wild Eyes, Lark; and those are just some of the ones that I like which spring to mind.
again, musicians are only going to get up there by being of a reasonable standard - as judged by venues and indirectly by audiences which correlates to the strength of their product. i can't see some random guy that can play a couple of tunes on his acoustic getting a gig at the Assembly for example, no matter how much he undercuts. if they aren't going to add value, they're not going to get the gig. likewise if a venue is not up to scratch, the bigger bands that stand to lose value won't play there.
i understand what bob is saying with regards to exploitation by labels, and i agree with that. it is relevant there as people that don't know any better are being exploited.
maybe there is a place for something like this, but in my opinion - not in the way that is being put across. preventing non-unionized bands/musicians from playing in union supported clubs and opposite vice versa isn't the way to go afaic.
