RTP-area local music and culture

[Kevin Grealey <kgrealey AT mckinney-silver.com>]

Skillet, 

You had me at "a free 12 pack."

 grealey


> From: <skillet.gilmore AT gmail.com>
> Organization: http://groups.google.com
> Reply-To: RTP-area local music and culture <ch-scene AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: 16 Feb 2006 10:24:20 -0800
> To: <ch-scene AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: Re: best way to support artists?
> 
> my band has never charged more than $12 for a cd at a show, unless the
> other bands on the bill are selling their merch cheaper, in which case
> we may drop our prices, too. that also depends on if we're outta town,
> what kind of merch the other band is selling (cheap 50/50 shirts for
> $10, low-rent copies of cd's for $10 or less). but we're selling
> American Apparel shirts and hi-rent digipacs so we're we're not going
> to drop our prices too much. if you want crap, go ahead and buy it.
> market forces, indeed.
> 
> we charge what we charge b/c it is the only way we make any money,
> aside from local shows and 3 or 4 out of town gigs that have finally
> started paying off after 4 years of going there again and again.....and
> by paying off/making money, i mean we break even, maybe.
> 
> our label gives us nothing but a cut-rate on the price of our cd's. we
> pay for the t-shirts, the stickers, the posters, the gas, the food,
> hotel rooms, new transmissions, tires, visits to the doc in a box, all
> our gear, insurance, rehearsal space rent etc..... all for the chance
> to maybe make $100 and get a free 12 pack. do the math and it will
> never add up. and, we're one of the lucky ones, too, as the recording
> of the cd was paid for by the label. initially, we paid all the
> recording costs until said label stepped in, decided they liked us and
> reimbursed us. we had planned on paying for all of it.
> 
> the are, literally, hundreds of dollars to be made over dozens of years
> playing music.
> 
> oh yeah, then divide that 100's of dollars over dozens of years by 4,
> as that seems to be the average number of band members.
> 
> this is all to say that, yes, bands can be greedy but it's only to
> maybe, maybe cover their "monthly nut". i dare say that if a club's
> expenses and their return were proportionate with a band's, you'd be
> seeing a lot of $6 PBR's and $15 JagerBombs out there.
> 
> glenn, that's not a dig at you. just clubs in general that seem to have
> absolutely no problem feeding their coffers by way of bands. i know,
> i've worked in them and damn sure played in them.
> 
> so, if anyone wants to support some local music tomorrow night at the
> 506, the Strugglers, Patty Hurst Shifter and Dex and his New Romans
> will be there, ready to see market forces in action.
> 
> in the name of rock,
> sg
> 
> -- ch-scene: the list that mirrors alt.music.chapel-hill --
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/ch-scene


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