I don't have a budget, but it's good publicity!

Way too many times already have I heard this wonderful sentence. Can you come play music on our event, please? We unfortunately don't have a budget to pay you, but it's a great opportunity for publicity! This has to stop; people have to pay artists just like they pay for any other service.

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Why you should pay artists...

Let's face it, 95% of the time, the before mentioned statement is nothing but a mere lie. I'm not talking about the gigs where you actually can work on enlarging your network or where you can showcase yourself in the best way possible. Those gigs indeed are wonderful publicity. I'm talking about those background gigs for fancy parties and that kind of stuff. You should make sure that the organisers also have to pay artists. Sometimes, people tend to forget the number of hours we musicians have put into practicing, performing, learning. Why should we not get the same treatment as e.g. an accountant who helps a business with their financial records? When you go to the bakery, you also have to pay for the bread... The baker for sure won't give it for free if you tell him that you'll convince your friends to go to his store... It's very frustrating that even when you try to convince an organiser of this concept, they often are not open to listen to you. Their mindset seems to be so fixed, that it's hard to reason with them and talk about a fair price to pay artists.

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You LOVE playing music, don't you?

"Hey, but you love to play music, it's your hobby!" Another great expression that I absolutely detest. Yes, we love to play music. Yes, it's also our hobby. But don't we all have the choice to choose a profession that we love? Some friends of mine loved studying bioengineering. However, none of the companies they work at at the moment have considered the thought of not paying them because they love their job. This weird idea that an artist doesn't have to be paid because he/she simply loves their job is absolutely ridiculous. It's mind-blowing that people even dare to say they will not pay artists just because we love our job. I find it even a bit offensive to be honest. It's not only a highly irrational way of thinking, it makes me feel like I'm inferior to an employer. Being treated like this, it almost feels as if we're just part of the interior rather than part of the event-team.

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