Dave Tipton and i have a lot in common, from not only being great best friends and cutting our teeth together at Glenn Poorman and Oz's Ann Arbor seminars, but now we are fighting "the Man" . see Dave's Article post that Gene put up awhile back about how the 'music societies" that are supposed to be looking out for us are shutting clubs down and they are cutting out live music entirely.

http://www.themountainmail.com/free_content/article_d0cb4fd4-1990-11e4-9897-001a4bcf6878.html

So I became the latest casualty. Put this in perspective, it is tough enough as you know when you pull the Stick out of the case and are faced with the equivalent of musical bigotry to get a gig, let alone all the things to keep that gig, only to have faceless nameless entities threat and harangue the people who believe in you to stop having you - not because of anything you did.

I drew a consistent crowd that was growing each week since last June 4th, at one point moving to two times a week. People loved it, I was even written up as a draw by the key major paper in Pittsburgh, PA. ( thanks Gene for posting that) Yet, that all ended last night.

I would like to thank Cafe IO for the great run of every Wed night since June 4th, and for their love and vision that live music can make all the difference. I also want to thank fellow stickists Bill Noble and his family who drove 1 1/2 hrs to see me, and Jeff Filapose and his wonderful girlfriend Stephanie who also drove long distance recently- thanks!

Maybe Michael Johnstone, popular poster and inventor of the Lap Dawg, who was a self admitted "mole" who went to clubs and was one of those who wrote down set lists for these societies, can chime in here as to the "benefit" that is derived from threats and eventually the clubs ceasing live music. Because, Michael, myself as a BMI member with airplay who never saw a royalty check, I really need help understanding this. I mean this sincerely for your perspective from someone who's product was quickly sanctioned by SE and touted by Gene on every FHF leading up to FHA, and who has helped many Stickists with your wisdom history and posts, I am having a real difficult time with this.

Like the recent manuscript for American Pie said, last night was the "Day the Music Died" and Cafe IO, making ends meet, has decided to "cease and desist" all live music in response to haranguing letters and threats from BMI ( who they did join), ASCAP and SESAC . If you are in the area, please still support Jeff and Carol and this wonderful little 20 table cafe that has really really great food. http://www.cafeio.com

Stick 2 It is booked in advance, and my agent has me playing tonight, but this really stings, especially when you are a draw and had a perfect opportunity to get the word out each week, not to a mutual admiration society, but to the general public who needs to know and hear this wonderful instrument that Emmett created. Oh yeah, the gig was 5 minutes from my house with free parking.

I want you all to play out, and I believe that you can, but this..........
Dave Brosky "DBro"

I understand the record industry is dying because people get music for free on line, and they need to do what they can to maintain their profitability, but hitting small bars to pay royalties for tunes played by cover musicians is nuts. Fact is, cover musicians act as free advertisement for their artist who are trying to sell Cds, MP3s, etc. I've heard of cover bands being targeted and asked to pay royalties too. Not gonna happen, the only people who make less money for their efforts and time than small bar and restaurant owners are the musicians who play there.

Time to start playing all original music I think!

From the article:

Musician David Tipton, who earns a living playing local restaurants, bookstores and art galleries with his unusual Chapman stick, writes and publishes his own music. But since the listening public likes to hear songs they know, he plays a lot of cover songs, and that reflects in his tip jar.

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I am all for original music, but is the audience? Sometimes the coolest thing a "jazz" musician can do is rearrange a well known song to flow into another well known song in ways that make the listener question if it really is that song.

Where I live, Mustang Sally and Brown Eyed Girl rule the day in most venues. Does this audience really want to hear progressive folk with the occasional hard rock edge? Unlikely. But they might accept some simple rhythm songs that blend in their favorite classics. Otherwise, I am in the open mic circuit with potential for a coffee house if I am lucky, as there is really only a couple of those who sponsor music compared to bar after bar that does.

Truly the thuggish nature of ASCAP, BMI, etc. is not endorsed by the artists. Has anyone heard the Eagles say they need more money from people covering their songs in small clubs? Unless Tom Petty thinks you have some money he can skim, you are probably safe from the artists.

Until we can build a better listener, our struggle will continue to match our music to its audience in a live setting.

Man Dave! This story kind of makes me ill.


Yeah ... good luck with that. Although they are out there but they are in a tiny minority.

Once upon a time I was doing an opening set for the California Guitar Trio (along with Tony Levin) in Ann Arbor. The venue was absolutely packed and right in the middle of my set, I looked down at a tune on my list that I'd simply titled "New Epic". I explained to that audience that the tune was brand spanking new and had never been heard by any ears other than mine but I really wanted to put it out there. The room erupted with applause and I remember thinking "Man what a treat! Only a CGT (or similar) audience would react like that."

Unfortunately, you're kind of forced into deciding what kind of musician you want to be, making your bed, and then sleeping in it. Used to be that choosing the regular gig entertaining a crowd with cover tunes was likely going to generate more income. Sounds like the organizations dedicated to "protecting" artists are looking to smack that notion down.

Really sorry to hear that Dave. I am sure the general public has no idea that this is how the business works. Maybe Cafe IO could let them know via a card on the table or some other means explaining why there is no more live music. It wont really do anything, but it might make you feel a little bit better.

Maybe if the fees (to the restaurant) were reasonable and if the original artists got most of the fees, restaurant would be willing to (or at least able to) pay.

Musicians have always been taken advantage of. Not sure how that will ever stop.

Guess you'll have to make up the loss of pay by illegally downloading music now (just kidding!!!!

Jazz in the '40s, disguised Broadway show tunes with bizarre titles, re-harmonized chord changes and totally dismantled melody lines. Charlie Parker and his peers made these popular songs into vehicles for their own art - first infatuation with the major jazz instruments of their time (and a romp). Instrumentation of sax, trumpet, piano, bass and drums became the classic jazz quintet. The show tunes later ended up in the "fake book".

What do you have to do to suppress expression, reflection, cross-fertilization? How is this weighed against creative and inventive rights and profits? Should we let the courts decide such cultural matters? Should "big law" and the attorney class be calling the shots?

I like to "reference" a well known song's theme (could be from any age or genre) and go off on my own harmony, melody and rhythm - a real challenge for me, probably for the listening audience too. Risky, but often it seems to connect. I like to reveal the vehicular song's real title and composer, but sometimes I just play.

I am sickened by this, Dave. I made clear (the majority of) my stance with my two posts in the thread Gene made about the article.

The record industry is dying because the Internet freed the public, including the musicians, from the institutionalized corruption of the RIAA, general media consolidation, and computer-controlled terrestrial radio (the latter two, intertwined in the 1990s, formed the chimera that was Clear Channel Communications—which still exists under a different name).

A gatekeeper's business model is invalidated the moment the walls come down. Instead of evolving, the major record labels (with help from the MPAA and various consolidated media companies) damaged our society severely with their lobbying (which is so polite a word for their actions that it is almost a euphemism) and lawsuits (their abuse of the discovery process formed a template for later copyright and patent trolls), not to mention the Sony/BMG Music rootkit travesty (an activity which, in other contexts, would be considered an act of war). They took to heart G. Gordon Liddy's mantra: "When you have them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow." The end result is that virtually everyone, except those who remain indoctrinated to the corruption, is glad to see them die. I look forward to a day when sane drug laws see the drug cartels die the same death.

Although I do not like her writing style at all, an article Courtney Love wrote almost 15 years ago is worth reading. As you read it, think about the contrast you have seen in the intervening time: between musicians you know due to the same old record company machine and musicians you know because the Internet allowed you to find them. How do your relationships with them differ, even as just a consumer? How have their prices compared, relative to inflation and the economy in general? Who has showed you more respect?

So just for my own curiosity, how different does an arrangement need to be? Obviously a solo Stick arrangement is going to sound radically different than the original in so many popular songs. To what degree does a melody get "owned?" If you swing it, is it the same melody?

That really sucks, Dave. Really sorry about that.

I wonder what percentage of live music places actually pay something to BMI/ASCAP/SESAC. I can't imagine there's much money in strong arming places into paying like that anymore. You'd think companies with the initial intention to help musicians would see that they aren't making money, they're just ridding music and eliminating advertising like 88persuade said.

Sorry to hear about your situation Dave. Does anyone know if clubs that hire DJs are required to pay the same license fee? In my town, DJs are what ruined the live music scene--or maybe it was really the lack of professional sounding bands, and we just blamed the DJs because they didn't charge as much and supplanted us.

Well, "you don't know what you've got till its gone". I will probably have to pay someone for saying that.

Feelin' your pain DBro.

Mike

"........I WAS A TEENAGE MOLE....."