The simple reality is that being a musician in NYC is HARD. Really hard. Of course it's quite easy for some, or at least easier; those with Broadway gigs in popular shows (Billy Elliott, The Lion King), those with regular teaching jobs or substantial private studios, and of course those lucky enough to play with the symphony. Other than that, however, the majority of New York musicians are freelancers like myself. Most have day jobs; those that don't are often unsure about where their next rent check is coming from (my situation), and in effect sacrifice security for a much greater chance at achieving their goals.
However, I'd first like to focus on a third group of musicians: the visionaries. I suppose that's a rather flattering way to put it, but what I'm referring to are those who write music, organize bands, and then try to turn the project into something they can use to support themselves. Obviously quite a few of them are far from visionary, with egos far surpassing their meager talents. But then again, in a city like New York, there are a great many who are brilliant musicians, writing in many genres. Some few are successful. A depressingly large number of the musical mediocrity manage, in some cases, a great deal of success (even one of them is too many in my book; it takes opportunities away from the truly creative).
For a relative unknown such as myself (I hope that's changing, but it's hard to tell), I generally end up working with artists who can't afford to spend a lot of money, which means I can be choosy about whom I work with (for only $50, I won't work with a hack). Also, the type of songwriters who envision cello in their project generally have a greater understanding of, and desire to make compelling, original music than many. What this boils down to is the fact that, generally speaking, I end up working with a lot of brilliant, yet unsuccessful songwriters.
This brings me to the title of my post. Lately I've been noticing a strong streak of bitterness in these people, a sort of jaded cynicism. And it's completely understandable. For someone in my situation, I make my living by working with a great many projects, and being paid for my endeavors. A songwriter, however, to form a successful project, must devote him or herself entirely to that project. It's true they may do one-offs once in a while, but the simple truth is that I've seldom met songwriters who were also professional freelancers. One I work with quite a bit teaches quite a few students on various instruments to support his project, but most of the others I work with have day jobs. This is mainly because of the simple reality that the club scene here in NYC is truly a barbaric industry.
Here's how it works: band talks to booker at a club. Booker offers random slot, probably 9 or 10 PM on a weeknight. Booker then talks about pay. A typical deal , for instance, is the club will take the first, say, 7 cover charges, and the bands get some percentage of the remainder, never less than 50%, rarely 100%. However, the catch is that you also have to bring out a certain number of fans, or else the club will likely never book you again. Some mid-size venues (capacity 200-300) want you to bring out at least 75, most smaller clubs will be happy with 15-20, especially on weeknights and holidays. Another sad reality of the NYC scene is that people generally only stay for the band they come to see. So a typical club will have 3-5 bands most nights, with a constant turnover in the audience. Some clubs push this by making you pay a cover charge for each set, or by instituting a drink minimum that applies to each set, although I haven't seen too much of this.
What this boils down to is, for a new band, a really difficult uphill battle. For a new band, the fan-base will be friends, and pretty much only friends. And, given the realities of the club scene, it can be extremely difficult to expand that fan base, since no one sticks around across sets. This also means that most initial shows will have very little, if any payout, meaning that a band must either be comprised entirely of members dedicated to the project, or have the band leader be willing and able to fund it (this is generally how I make a lot of my income).
This produces a lot of bitterness. I've heard two amazing songwriters recently (one I've worked with for 3 years, another I played a house concert with) mention that they are thinking about just giving up entirely. Years of playing gigs for no money, knowing that the quality of the music that they are making far outshines much of what "makes it", tends to breed first frustration, then resignation ("well, I may not be making any money, but at least I'm doing what I love), then cynicism. Many of us freelancers go through similar stages (I don't know where I'd fall currently - but at least I can basically pay my bills doing nothing but music, so I really can't say I have THAT much to complain about), but I know for a fact that it's harder for the songwriters, who have to deal with the catch-22 of needing money to really get a project off the ground (band members, demo recordings, rehearsal space) and yet not having a built-in system in place to make it possible to make money.
It seems things really are different in Europe. When on tour, I met many club owners and promoters who were doing what they were doing simply for the love of the music. One man, I think Andy was his name, in the town of Middlesbrough, was absolutely thrilled to make $20 on the show. Another, Paul Jackson in the city of Hull (owner of the New Adelphi) told us that he was simply unwilling to book big artists - his mission is to bring new, undiscovered music to people, and he makes enough to live on doing it that there's no reason to change. I have yet to see a club like that in NYC. It could be because expenses in the city are so high that no one can afford to. However, I think it simply has more to do with the fact that that philosophy doesn't exist here. And it's a real shame. And it will continue to drive more and more brilliant people away from making the music they love.
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