Re: [Harp-L] the "music business"

["Bob Laughlin" <rlaughlin@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Man, the music business is hard on people.

> Steve Webb

Ain't THAT the truth. It's hard on me just THINKING about it. I really LOVE
playing harp, or guitar, or cello,,and I really enjoy the sense of growth
and improvement I get when I achieve something new, discover my "great tone
muse", break out of a rut, musically, etc,,but when I begin to think about
making it a steady committment, showing up somewhere night after night after
night,,,no matter,,actually making a BUSINESS of it,,

It means I'm not at home with my dog, my wife, my kid,,my computer,,the
refrigerator,,the tv,,the john,,my bed,,the nice comfy chair,,

It means leaving one kind of comfort zone for another, one that involves the
strokes you get from other musicians, and the audience. So far I haven't
been willing to make that kind of adjustment. To me, it's not enough just to
have someone tell me that they enjoyed my playing. I KNOW I can play well. I
just have to have some "raison d'etre" for my music, and not just that I can
harmonize and fit in well in a working situation. No, I don't need a
"message" necessarily, but I want to feel as if I've been a part of creating
something lasting, and of value.

I do, at times, regret  that the rest of the world isn't receiving the
benefits of my musical achievement (ho hum,,), and I honestly feel that in a
very real sense, any artist has a certain responsibility to share his art,
that which he's worked at for long periods, or has merely been blessed with
by good genetics or circumstance, with others. It's not just for us, after
all. That's my feeling anyway. I just haven't made any decisions on how to
share the wealth, you might say, as of yet. Maybe I'll get around to joining
a band again someday, or forming my own.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I'm "great", or "the best", and I'm not
naturally competitive. I don't like the feeling of there being "winners" and
"losers". There's always a faster gun. Neither am I the worst. I just feel a
sense of responsibility, since good harp playing has been passed to me
through others, and if I just "play in the shower", it may be nice, but
no-one else gets the benefit.

I've thought of it this way at times:

If you or I were a part of a pioneering community of, say, 40 people, and we
knew that we could chop wood, and hunt, for instance, but instead chose to
stay indoors and sweep the floor and dust all day,,

I think I'll take it downtown sometime soon, since my skills are still on
the uphill, and climbing.

But yes,,"the music business is hard on people",,the hassles with
management, the hassles with flakey band members, the hassles with the
man,,(just thought I'd throw that in there for dramatic effect), the hassles
with the wife, when you come home late and haven't picked up the eggs. The
hassles with other employers, the hassles with lack of sleep, the hassles
with bad food eaten out, or the temptations of young attractive dancers and
their mothers, husbands, or boyfriends.

Damn,,this could be a song,,

And it probably is,,

And THAT's probably a good reason for being IN the "music business" in the
first place. It lets you complain about all of the above, and put it to
music.

Anyway,,I'm tossed. Music, initially great fun, can become, like any
BUSINESS, somewhat challenging, and most definitely can take a personal
toll.

BL

p.s.,,the above ramblings my present state of retirement from the electrical
trade, having been set free to meander about with other potentially
fulfilling activities in view.

I really feel for all you blokes out there for whom music is the means of
your livelihood. "It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder, how I
keep from goin' under."