::: MAC FRANCIS ::: MUSIC ISSUES ::: LATEST ISSUES FIRST :::

Being bitter about life's issues is not healthy and one should rise above it and focus on one's goals in life, however when 'brick-walls' are constantly preventing you from achieveing your aims, then some cautious debate is always healthy...

As we all know, Music is a powerful medium. Mac will post his thoughts on the issues affecting music at the present time.

Is it a bird, is it a plane, is it Zappa in this frame?

Would all those musicians who have other work as their main income and do not need to earn money from doing gigs, please give consideration to those who rely on earning money from doing gigs. You may lose your mainstay job tomorrow, talk about "shooting yourself in the foot" as well as starving your fellow musicians. When you are quoting minimal/nominal fees to do your gigs, just think what you are doing... Setting a precedent of rates that venues become accustomed to paying, doing yourself out of the money you could actually get and don't say there is no money about for Gods Sake, when a venue says they can only afford £30 per man (after just spending half a million pounds on refurbishment) what they are actually saying is that they know they can get "gullible" musicians to do it for that amount. Tell them great entertainment is what attracts customers, not fancy curtains,carpets and wallpaper!

All you young musicians need to look to the future, because someday you may have a mortgage/home to run, cars to run and kids to put through college and university, imagine going back to a venue and asking for £150 per man when the last time you played there you only asked for £30.

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I have just had to place this notice on all our advertising!!!

PLEASE NOTE: WHEN PEOPLE COME TO SEE OUR SHOWS,
THEY COME TO LISTEN, OBSERVE, ENJOY AND HAVE RESPECT FOR OUR MUSICIANSHIP SKILLS.
IF YOU ARE JUST LOOKING FOR A "NIGHT OUT"
THEN OUR SHOWS ARE NOT FOR YOU, SO PLEASE STAY AWAY!

::: LOUD OR FREQUENT CONVERSATION WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AT OUR PERFORMANCES :::

Some people have just lost the plot, as well as having lost the ability to understand and appreciate skilled music, as well as having lost all common sense and courteousness, they are now even losing respect for what's going on in front of them... "the show".

This last weekend, we did two performances, they were absolutely fantastic, in fact two of the best performances we have ever done!
On Friday night we had two tables of cackling hens, their night out was obvioulsy paid for by the office boss so they had no respect whatsoever for what was going on, all they wanted to do was talk shite amongst themselves with no courteousness toward the rest of the audience who were there to listen, observe and enjoy the band. They even complained to the management because I "dressed them down", I should have thrown them out!

On Sunday night, we had the same but not as bad, but what really irritated me was when I was walking around the tables at the end of the night, thanking those who you notice enjoy and respect what you are doing during the performance, those who applaud and even turn their chairs to watch you, I was then beckoned by one of the tables who had just talked and had no interest whatsoever during the evenings performance. This lady said to me "can I give you some advice", I replied, "I don't know, can you", she said to me, "next time, keep the sound down, it was far too loud, we couldn't have a decent conversation amongst ourselves". I politely replied, well sort of (I really wanted to throttle her, so to speak) and walked on in disgust. By the way these were not young office staff, they were mature people. God help us, please God help us!

Thankfully, they are a minority and I sincerely thank the majority for all your fantastic support and passion for our great live music!
I am looking for a venue, my very own Jazz Club, where we can all just hide away and enjoy what we do, away from the pitiful shite in this God forsaken world.

Mac

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THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS A DISGRACE

I recently went to see the Curtis Stigers Quartet at Newcastle City Hall, as we all know or should know, these musicians are among the best in the world and Curtis himself in the league of the very eminent among us. Needless to say the show was fantastic but sadly there was only about Six Hundred people in the hall, the upstairs closed and the downstairs only half full. We could blame many factors, but what ate a chunk out of my heart was whilst standing in the foyer during the interval, the walls were adorned with posters of one of these pop idol / xfactor kids having completely sold out his tour and with most venues having to put on another night due to the huge demand. What is so laughable, the useless twats who are going to see him have only ever seen him perform a couple of one verse one chorus songs on TV, and he didn't even get through to the finals apparantly. God help us. It takes my mind back to an Art Garfunkel interview I saw many years ago at one of these shit pretentious awards ceremonies and all these young (only ever sung 2 song twats) were winning all these awards as the best this and the best that. He responded by saying "this is a sad time for music". I beleive it is getting worse .

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We have world class musicians right on our doorstep, why do people presume that all the best musicians come from elsewhere in the world and you can only see the best musicians at the bigger venues. Come to one of my Jazz or Rock gigs and compare the musicianship/showmanship skills with that that you see featured at the bigger venues or on your TV’s for that matter and then decide what you would prefer to buy tickets to see and support. Psychologically it is the same motivations that make us want to visit elsewhere in the world for our holidays when we have equally the same attractions on offer right on our doorstep just overlooked because of our familiarisation of them and our area surroundings but if it’s the Sun you are after then who can blame anyone for wanting to go abroad for their holidays.
I cannot give you any sunshine at my gigs but I’ll guarantee you would most definitely have to travel the world to find any better live music!

Please give us your support, I am not a philanthropist, we can't provide great live music for free.

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JAZZ AT ITS ABSOLUTE BEST (BLAYDON RFC) FINISHED

WELL I TRIED MY BEST!

There are those who claim to love live music and there are those who really do and are willing to support it time and time again! Sadly there are not enough who really do!
There will be no more regular monthly events at Blaydon Rugby Club due to insufficient support. We would like to thank all those who have given us their support and all the musicians who worked for less than their usual fee to help try to get this event off the ground. We intend to use the venue for special one-off shows throughout the year where tickets will be sold in advance to determine the event going ahead or not. Musicians can't work for pennies and people wishing to see great live music are going to have to pay a fair price to enjoy it.
It upsets me immensely when so called live music lovers have no hesitation of paying £25 plus per ticket to see the "made famous" celebrity performers, when there are local musicians performing in their local venues of far greater value and in most cases, far more competent performers.

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AN AUDIENCE LESS THAN HALF EXPECTED AND OTHER VARYING FACTORS MAY JEOPARDISE LRFC 2006 AND HAS DEFINATELY JEOPARDISED LMFS 2006... Mac Says... The City Hall was less than half full for LRFC/05, for me to give local musicians the opportunity of performing on this prestigious stage, it needs to be as good as full.
Not enough people appreciate live music today let alone that performed by local musicians, no matter how good it is.

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(SUBJECT) Why 'the hell' do we have Music Colleges?
Why 'the hell' do we have Music Colleges costing millions of pounds to build and to train individuals to become musicians when there is no work for them and that, that there is, is likely to pay them less than the National minimum wage!

I have just quoted for two gigs recently, one a wedding and one a private event, both averaged £140 per musician to include PA & Lights and crew, costumes, travel expenses and arrangement fees. I was told the price was rediculous and lost the gigs to musicians who apparantly did it for less than half! Does anyone know of any other tradesman, joiner, plumber or whoever that would travel 15 miles or so, spend some eight hours on-site for less than that sort of money?

Would all those musicians who have other work as their main income and do not need to earn money from doing gigs, please give consideration to those who rely on earning money from gigs, when you are quoting minimal/nominal fees to do your gigs. You are doing yourselves no favours and starving your fellow musicians who have bills to pay like anyone else.

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(SUBJECT) Musicians who perform/work for nothing or for next to nothing...

Mac Says, before you read on, in a nutshell…
If you work for nothing you are worth nothing!

London Management Team says... If you pay to do gigs, especially those fame hungry idiots who pay to support someone just so they can say they have - and don't give me the bullshit that it's a means of advertising! - Words, four letter or otherwise can’t describe the shame you hold and the disgrace you are to the music business. Good luck to those who take your money from you as you don’t deserve it.

Mac Says... I first heard of this from a senior musicians union representative who claimed they were investigating some famous musician, who had some band support them who actually paid for the privilege to do so . I couldn't believe it, I was sickened to be honest with you.

Professional Rock Guitarist says... All you musicians out there who work for nothing need to ask yourselves…
• What other profession buys equipment, practices for years to use it well, travels all over the country to work and does it all for free or some small change from “the door money”?
• Find me a music shop who will give you your equipment for free!
• Find me a rehearsal room that has no hire charges!
• Find me a vehicle that costs nothing to run and will get you to and fro your gigs without fuel costs!
• Who else at these so called “showcase gigs” or “battle of the band gigs” are working for nothing?
• Find me a venue who can get joiners, glaziers or whatever to work 3 or 4 hours for free? (which is what you are doing for them as a performer)!

F#%king wake up!

Mac Says... Bottom line is, If you value what you do, what value is something that you can get for free? Work for nothing and be valued as nothing!

STOP WORKING FOR FREE OR SMALL FEES, YOU ARE CREATING A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT AND STARVING THOSE PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS OUT THERE WHO NEED TO MAKE A LIVING.
IF YOU ARE GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO, YOU DESERVE TO BE PAID FOR IT!

BEING A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN IS A JOB LIKE ANY OTHER JOB!

STOP WORKING FOR NOTHING!

Drummer friend of mine says... When there is no entrance fee, all the drinks are free and the staff and everyone else works for nothing at these so called “showcase gigs” or “battle of the bands gigs” then I will get musicians to work for nothing! NEVER!
Mac Francis pays musicians in the same way he pays everyone else who works for him with ‘no promises of fame' and ‘no future work guarantees', just the reality, it's a job like any other job! If you are a competent musician, you deserve to be paid fairly for your work!

Mac Says... You can get all the work you want if you work for free but…
• you can't survive on fresh air alone
• you will diminish your credibility as a musician among other musicians
• you will not have many musician friends but the promoters and venues will love you for the mug you really are!

Music Shop Owner says... It is crucial that all those “Fame Hungry” musicians out there, wake up and realize that their tenacious incompetence makes them targets for exploitation by the so called promoters/venues who dangle the “Showcase Gig” or “Battle of the Bands” bollocks as a means to entice musicians to work for nothing. Slave labour was abolished in the last century so where the hell did the “pay to play” or “work for nothing - it's a showcase gig” idea come from?
If they want live music from musicians, whatever their caliber, then they have to pay for it accordingly!

Mac Says... that's the trouble in the entertainment industry though, moreso in the acting game, their will always be some dogbreath who will work for free so they can tell their pals to 'watch the telly on friday, you'll see me (pinprick) walking along the promenade' etc. bullshite.

Another Irate Drummer says... Venues… some hypocrites among them… It makes me laugh when you go to these so called “live music” venues to see if you can display your posters & flyers for some promotion or gig you are doing elsewhere and they refuse you permission to do so on the grounds that it will take business away from them and that they only display their own venue/gigs advertising. Yet when you go around all the other venues you see that these hypocrites have previously visited to display their very own posters & flyers for all the gigs at their venues.

Mac Says... Drummers are naturally aggressive cause they love beating things with sticks... I agree, I know several venues who take this stance, they know who they are and my message to them is… if you won't allow other venue posters/flyers to be displayed in your venue and that is your choice, then don't go putting your posters/flyers up in other venues!

A Genuine North East Venue Owner says... When you display posters and flyers in your venue, whether for your own venue or another. It is the entertainers you are supporting, the same entertainers who perform not just at your venue but in many venues. Ask yourself… what if the entertainers took the same stance as you and only played at venues that are prepared to display posters & flyers showing elsewhere they are performing?
It is the entertainers who attract people to your venues, the same people who follow the entertainers to many venues, the same people who pay to keep our venues afloat!

Mac Says... well said, you can tell you're a pal of mine!