mercenary musicianship (Is this a "rant" or just a "post"?)

[toobagrowl]

- I REALLY ENJOY playing music.
- I REALLY ENJOY having others express their appreciation to me for playing music for them - appreciation in the form of payment.

Same here. Sometimes food and "Thank you, that was great - we enjoyed it!" is an OK payment, too.

[Three Valves]

I get paid to shut up and go away!!

[Michael Bush]

I'm just glad they let me play without me paying them.

[GC]

Someone who gets paid for musical activities who harasses others for doing the same is either manipulative, hypocritical, or unprofessional. Or any combination of the three.

You're fortunate enough to be able to make the world's greatest hobby pay off for you, and more power to you. Life's too short to put up with other people who think their opinion of how you should use your time and energy is more important than yours.

[roweenie]

Bloke, as a professional, you are entitled, and within your rights, to offer your services (and limited energy and time) for remuneration only (just as any other tradesman would), if that's your policy. Anyone who feels otherwise can go take a flying leap.

When I was playing full-time professionally, it would have to be something special, that appealed to me, for me to take my horn out of its case for free. This wasn't out of snobbery; simply put, a person only has limited time and energy to do things.

I wonder how your friend's favorite plumber would feel about being asked to come over to his house to fix his toilet for free (on his day off).

[Patrase]

The choice of the word 'mercenary' over 'professional' reminds me of a conversation I was having the other day. I was arguing a lot of muso's are not professionals but rather mercenaries. My argument was that a professional should be someone who advances the art itself. As a professional tubist, amongst other things, that would be commissioning new works, techniques or instruments.
A mercenary is just someone who gets paid to play and no more.

Bloke I am sure most people on the board would consider you a professional technician/innovator for your new ideas and products genuinely advance the technical side of things.

[pwhitaker]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIcOGKLkLYg" target="_blank

Pro's or merc's?

[bort]

Joe says, in his best Goodfellas/Ray Liotta voice, "f--- you, pay me!"

In just about any field, I don't think people want to do their job, outside of work, for free. And I think that is completely reasonable choice to make.It probably just seems different because your job ("pay music") appears to be fun, and, well, not really a job. It's not like you are a roofer, and then people ask you to help out a new roof on their house.

[opus37]

I'm one of those "free" people. I play in 3 community bands and 2 brass quintets. One of the bands plays for assisted living homes and I consider that a service to the community. I also play for a police department band which is also community service. The third band actually pays me a very small amount of money. The church brass groups are getting to be a chore. Bloke is right in that they want the sun and the moon for nothing. I transcribe music, arrange, play two different instruments and do this on a few hours notice. It was a favor at first and now it is the norm. I do enjoy the group, but I feel taken advantage of. That same church puts on a large Christmas program that has a semi-pro orchestra. Some of us are expected to play and do not get paid. Most do get paid. I have nothing against the players that get paid. Without them, the program would be significantly poorer. My point is we need both paid and unpaid performers. I don't believe unpaid performers should take paid jobs away from pro's and professionals should never feel they do not deserve their pay. Unpaid performers need to understand and support that. In the orchestra I described, the professionals play the solo and lead parts, the unpaid folks fill the support roles. It works and both paid and unpaid benefit.

[hup_d_dup]

When I was still working I was sometimes asked to take photographs, as a favor, since people knew I was a commercial photographer (this doesn't happen as much today since everyone has digital cameras and can take their own great pictures). Since these people had no control over my life I was able to politely decline and that was that.

Occasionally I did feel a twinge of resentment: Would they ask their dentist for a free filling? Would they ask a taxi driver for a free ride? It's presumptuous! I'm a professional photographer!

I came to understand that although my irritation was brought to the surface by the request, it actually was already bubbling underneath and was really more related to other frustrations of life that I was going through at the time. If there were problems with clients or neighbors or weather I really didn't need or want to be asked for free photography. When all was going well, such a request wouldn't bother me in the least.

Hup

[Three Valves]

Also (again, when I was still playing weekly at that megachurch), my mailman was noticing that I was receiving checks in the mail from his church, and he asked Mrs. bloke what the checks were for. When she told him, he got all pissed off...YET he wasn't "volunteering" to deliver those checks to my mailbox.

I'm disappointed. I was expecting...

"You're a very nosy fellow, kitty cat. Huh? You know what happens to nosy fellows? Huh? No? Wanna guess? Huh? No? Okay. They lose their noses."

[The Bone Ranger]

This doesn't mean that I never will play for free.
- Sometimes, I rehearse with one of the local (welcoming to me) community bands - because it's one of the very few ways that one of my extremely longtime friends and I seem to be able to see each other.
- Sometimes I agree to play (with other people who also play nearly exclusively for money) in "rehearsal" brass quintets... It's fun, it assists in keeping the skills sharpened, and exposes me to more/new literature.
- Sometimes, I'll just agree to play a freebee for someone because they are an extremely nice person, because they have always been there for me, or because I believe in their cause. otoh, I sometimes play for remuneration for those whose causes I deplore.

A friend of mine put the "money/mates/music" theory to me a few months ago. The theory states that, in order for a professional musician to consider a gig a success (or possibly to even accept a gig), two of the following three criteria must be fulfilled:

1. Money. - Are you being suitably remunerated for your service?

2. Mates. Or friends, if you prefer. Will some good buddies be on the gig, ensuring it will be a fun hang?

3. Music. Is the music suitably satisfying to you in some way?


When applying this framework to my career, I find it to be almost entirely correct. Consider the following examples:

- Little/no bread, but the charts are great and your best mates are sitting in the section with you? Sure!

- The money's good, your best mate is playing bass trombone right next to you, but the music is so-so and the conductor is rubbish. Yeah, I can swing that!

- Gees, there's some morons in that brass quintet, but the cash is great and they're playing my favourite Ewald brass quintet. I'll put it in the diary!

There have definitely been times where I have strayed from this formula, perhaps with some big bills to pay, or because I was learning the repertoire and would say yes to everything, but this all largely occurred early in my career, when I was still gaining a foothold in the industry. Nowadays, it's almost always entirely correct. If only one of those criteria is being fulfilled, then I generally drive home post-gig saying "Why did I say yes to that?"

Andrew

[bort]

I'm one of those "free" people. I play in 3 community bands and 2 brass quintets. One of the bands plays for assisted living homes and I consider that a service to the community.

I played for groups like that in Baltimore, and always thought it was very rewarding because the audience enjoyed it so much. Hope to do that again out here too, eventually.

[southtubist]

I would often play for free back when I was a music major. Now that I'm not a music major, I only play for money. I don't need "experience" or a "good reputation" in order to make money. I also burned out pretty hard, so it takes some financial motivation for me to practice seriously.

Does that make me "more professional" than I was previously?

[Uncle Buck]

...and I love it how the megachurches hire rent-a-cops (what's in that 4th Commandment again...??) to stop traffic when church is out - so their parishioners are first in line at Golden Corral.

Joe, I think you've stumbled onto a universal truth, maybe an 11th Commandment: Never worship anywhere from which a critical mass of people eat at Golden Corral.

On the thread topic, if it makes you feel any better (yeah, I know, it won't), the phenomenon you describe isn't unique to professional musicians. It happens to lawyers, too (and plenty of other professionals - my plumber neighbor gets asked to do free work in the neighborhood that would be worth big bucks of his billed time). I try to keep a low profile. (When people ask what I do, I usually just say I work for the state. And yeah, Joe, I know you've got opinions about that too, but somebody's gotta do it.) But when somebody asks for legal advice, it's not always easy to explain how an issue that isn't something I deal with every day is just a recipe for bad advice from me (or malpractice . . .), etc.

I guess I'm just sayin' that as someone who hasn't experienced exactly what you describe, I hear you and agree with your OP.

[gregsundt]

Also (again, when I was still playing weekly at that megachurch), my mailman was noticing that I was receiving checks in the mail from his church, and he asked Mrs. bloke what the checks were for. When she told him, he got all pissed off...YET he wasn't "volunteering" to deliver those checks to my mailbox.

That sounds like tampering. I guess he got what he deserved, anyway.

For some great recreational reading, try 2 Chronicles(?!) The temple musicians were Levites, which means that their families were fully supported by the temple. The "budget" came from the tithes and offerings of the people (sound familiar? No?). Not just the "Music Director", but all of the temple musicians were full-time. Just sayin'...

[Radar]

I'm not trying to make a living playing, and since retiring from the Reserve band over a decade and a half ago my musical expenses are more than my musical income most years. So at this time in my life the IRS and I would consider me a hobbyist. I play with groups that I want to play with and pay is a secondary consideration for me. I play and sing for free in my own church as a donation of my time, but won't play for free in another church because it takes me away from playing or singing in my own congregation. I play in multiple community groups for free, and will do an occasional benefit concert with a group that I usually get paid to play in. I do try to draw the line at playing in for profit establishments for free (this includes nursing homes who are making profit, and have budgets for entertainment), although we have done a few free nights in clubs as auditions for possible paying dates. As a hobbyist now I take the view that I play for enjoyment, but I don't want to be taken advantage of, and I don't want to contribute to the lack of paying gigs for musicians who are out there trying to make a living. If I'm not getting something positive out of playing (ie: improving as a player, doing something for a good cause, my own enjoyment, or remuneration) then why do it.

[GC]

My argument was that a professional should be someone who advances the art itself. As a professional tubist, amongst other things, that would be commissioning new works, techniques or instruments.
A mercenary is just someone who gets paid to play and no more.

mer·ce·nar·y
ˈmərsəˌnerē/
adjective
derogatory adjective: mercenary

1.
(of a person or their behavior) primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics.
"she's nothing but a mercenary little gold digger"
synonyms: money-oriented, grasping, greedy, acquisitive, avaricious, covetous, bribable, venal, materialistic; informal money-grubbing
"mercenary self-interest"

Some people do not see "mercenary" as a derogatory term, but a great many people do. It's often used in an insulting manner, and I've found that the most irritating offenders are church people or theater people who resent bringing in hired musicians.

[Three Valves]

Stinking, filthy money!!

[GC]

Wasn't he in Robin Hood: Men in Tights?