By this time it was almost 1 o'clock in the afternoon, so Tom raced over to the dormitory to pick up the guitar.
He parked in a red zone because there was no close-by parking and ran to the dormitory building. What a relief it was to see the 7-string guitar again! Kenny was a real nice guy, and Tom gave him a $75 reward for returning the guitar. He asked to be put on the band's mailing list and said to let him know when Superior Olive was playing since he'd be back to school again in the fall.
Did you know that the sandwich was named after its inventor, John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich? He was a chronic gambler and in 1762, he had meat and sliced bread brought to him so he could keep playing at the table - for 24 hours! His royal title made it official, and serving sandwiches was soon popular all over Europe. The word was even adopted into the French language. It is less well known that he was the lord of the British Admiralty before and during the American Revolution. He was greatly criticized for keeping most of the British navy on the European side of the Atlantic during the Revolutionary War because he feared the French. And, in 1778, British explorer Captain Cook named the Sandwich Islands, now known as Hawaii, after him
Making music takes a long time to learn and it requires a lot of hard work to become good at it. Musicians deserve to be paid for their work, just like everyone else. Musicians need to eat. When a musician can't earn a living doing music, another line of work is often chosen. Do we want to live in a world where the only music comes out of machines? We are almost there. If you don't want to see this happen, don't complain about having to pay a cover charge to see live musicians. Often, the band's pay depends on the proceeds from the door. Don't expect to get in free, just because you know someone in the band. Do you expect free groceries because you know one of the cashiers? We must all chip in to keep music alive. Support all musicians you like. If you don't like them, don't support them, but if you like them, pay them.
If you are a musician, don't play for free! Club owners will use you as much you let them. They want to pay the least amount possible. Charge what you are worth. If you aren't sure what to charge, call your nearest AFM Local (musicians union) and ask them. You can find them in the phone book or ask information for American Federation of Musicians. When you play for free or almost free, you bring down the wages for everyone else. If every musician in town charged a good wage, clubs would have to pay well if they want live music. Think about it.
DJ's can get $350.00 or more for an event. We're talking about one guy and some stereo equipment. Now, consider a 5-piece band. Playing in the band requires a lot more preparation and hard work than being a DJ. Shouldn't each band member get at least as much as a DJ? That 5-piece band would cost $1750.00 if each member got $350.00. Think about that. I mean, we're talking about live music.
