Skip to main content

Maverick Ad

Home

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Cover Stories
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Legacy Awards
  • Past Covers
  • Weekly Archive
I Need To Get Paid

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • I Need To Get Paid
Peter Åstedt
Fri Sep 20, 2019
Peter Åstedt

Yes, we all do need to get paid for our work. The problem is when you expect that payment or must invest to get out something out of it later.

If you open a business, you must market it. We go back to my restaurant that I always talk about that I should open if I wasn't in the music industry. Of course, no one will know my restaurant if I just open it. I need to advertise. Part of that advertising is probably to invite some food critics to a free meal. Yes, I will lose on that. I won't get paid for these free meals. In the end, though I will get people to come in faster who are paying to eat at my restaurant through these reviews. I must make a choice here, start making money direct and take a long time before I have enough of a customer base to get the money out or a faster way to give something away for free to bring in the money. Both ways have their faults. Give away food and I might re coupe it but aren't sure. The long way it might take so much time that I never get any salary out of it.

Of course, I can't run the restaurant by myself. I need staff and chefs. Of course, I need to pay for them. I can’t start by getting the payment as a Michelin chef from day one. I can ask them to stay to hang on to my idea to get better pay if the diners come. This means you need someone that believes in your idea and sticks to the plan.

Imagine then that I will have a Chef that suddenly one day decides to just go over to McDonald’s and work there for a day flipping burgers, claiming yes, I need the money. I don't think flipping burgers is fun, your restaurant is better, but I need the money.

Do you really keep that Chef? Okay, he contributes to your restaurant but is not willing to sacrifice something to get something bigger.

This dilemma I see a lot of solo artists going on Showcases. Suddenly they must pay for the musicians because they are too professional to play a free gig at a showcase festival. Problem is usually that if they would do it for free, they would rather take a boring gig in a cover band just because it brings money to the table. At the same time doing one showcase festival won't work, you must do several.

The main thing is that these artists never make it. They expect payment too early. Usually, they try to get paid gigs to make up for the free festival. Problem is that most of the money still even with paid gigs go to the pros and they just go where the money is. And you can't get good paid gigs until you have a name that draws an audience. In the end, it's a losing game.

Yes, you have a really good band. But they cost too much and that is stopping you from being able to advertise your product. On the other hand, you pay for what you get. If you have professional people, they can charge money for their work. With less good people your product might not shine that much.

The thing here is usually that the solo artist wants themselves to shine and hiring well-paid musicians is mainly to cover up for their own mistakes musically. So, the question comes down to do you really have to have these good people or can you build something up with rehearsal more?

Editor's Note: Peter Åstedt has been working in the music industry for over 30 years. He has started record labels, distribution systems, and publishing companies. Peter also runs several major showcase festivals. He has worked with the Top Ten most streamed songs and had music on both the Olympics and SuperBowl.

Features
Music
Month: Dec 2016
BTW- Bernice, Melanie Peterson, Jen Lane, Ault Sisters, Saxsyndrum,… Dec 09
BTW-Your Boy Tony Braxton, The Funk Hunters, Zoe Sky Jordan, Liam Titcomb… Dec 02
Veteran Canadian Radio Host Holger Petersen Releases Second Book of Musical… Dec 04
Month: Nov 2016
BTW- Scott Earl Hardy, Floating Room, Divine Brown, Frigs, Ann Vriend, CoCo… Nov 18
Cashbox Canada Announces the Newest Legacy Award Recipient Lori Yates Nov 14
Month: Oct 2016
BTW-Phish, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Piper Hayes, Raine Hamilton, Brendan… Oct 07
Month: Sep 2016
BTW-The Peptides, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, The Darcys, Kenny Brown,… Sep 30
Julian Taylor Band: Desert Star Sep 16
Month: Apr 2016
Proudly Canadian: Ron Nigrini Apr 22
Ron Chapman – From the Police, B.B. Gabor to the Forbidden Shore of Cuba Apr 01
Month: Mar 2016
BTW-Lost And Profound, Little Miss Higgins, Viva Non, Anoushka Shankar,… Mar 25
Concerts, Class and a Closing Mar 25
Month: Feb 2016
BTW with Lenny Stoute with Jane Siberry, Rae Spoon, Ra Ra Riot, The Crooked… Feb 12
Month: Nov 2015
BTW with The Wainwright Sisters, Ritual, Geographer, Autopilot, Concealer,… Nov 06
Month: Oct 2015
Jason Blaine In The Spotlight Oct 30
Proudly Canadian: Copperpenny Oct 30
Let Them Smoke Pot Oct 30
Andy Kim Announced as 2016 Inductee to Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame Oct 30
BTW with Kalle Mattson, Nervous Curtains, Dragonette, Lee Harvey Osmond,… Oct 30
Robbie Lane Presented with the Cashbox Canada Legacy Award Oct 22

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • …
  • Page 67
  • Page 68
  • Page 69
  • Page 70
  • Current page 71
  • Page 72
  • Page 73
  • Page 74
  • Page 75
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »

CEO/PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF
SANDY GRAHAM

email:sandygrahamemg@gmail.com 

Canadian Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Don Graham
email: dongrahamwriter@gmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Lisa Hartt
email: lisahartt87@hotmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada 
Michael Williams
email: greydread@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

International Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Malin Osth
email: malin@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Jonas Tancred
email: jonas@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - USA
Rob Durkee 
email: rockster2746@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Developer/Technical Support
Chris Wardman

email: info@chriswardman.com
website: chriswardman.com

Cashbox Cover Design and Graphic Artist
Jain McMillan

email: jainmcmillan@gmail.com

Contributing Photographer 
Tracey Savein - South Paw Productions
southpawproductions@rogers.com

 

 

 

Footer menu

  • Home
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Archive
  • Issue Archive
  • Past Covers