Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Houston Sym


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by David on March 12, 2003 at 00:11:59:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Houston Sym posted by Rick Denney on March 11, 2003 at 16:42:06:

The general perception by the public seems to be that the musicians are simply asking too much in the current economy. The economy is really not all that bad in the city. If one thinks so, come and see all the new home construction!!

I really think much of the problem comes from thinking 'entitlement'. I'm entitled to this or that or the other. In order to clarify my earlier assessment of giving back, think about the accountant who donates his/her time to answer the phones for the local PBS station fund raiser, or the corporate secretary who donates his/her time at the local McDonald House. Do they get something out of it? Does their own business or the business they work for receive benefits? Sometimes opportunities like these are overlooked by musicians or their management teams. Is the musician entitled to be paid extra for donating a concert or is that part of the salary? What are the public opinion, marketing advantages to these donated services?

For those of you in the business world, if the boss makes a request of you to appear at the local hospital for a publicity picture, do you turn him/her down? or do you show up? Is that good for you, the business, or both?

We have to remember that music is a business. It's a service, even though we would like to think it's only art. Someone has to book the concerts, schedule the rehearsals, rent the hall, hire the musicians, pay them, contract benefits, solicit donors, collect the money, sell tickets, design the marketing pieces, and a host of other things just to get to a single concert. The musicians are simply employees of a very large corporation. They are only one facet, albeit an important one, of the corporation. Management sees the bottom line which many employees do not ever see. The employees tend to see only the good which is how much money is taken in, and not how much money is spent. (My doctor told me a story once about his ex-wife. She saw how much money he 'earned', then went out and spent money based on that amount. She did not see how much was spent for malpractice insurance, space rent, equipment, employees, or benefits. Any guesses as to the outcome?)

It is my opinion that the majority of employees, whether they be symphony musicians or bag boys, see the same thing. A major corporation may be worth millions, but if the total profit is not high enough the company ceases to exist. Look at K Mart or Montgomery Ward to see what happens. We don't have to find a symphony orchestra that has shut down, however, the same scenario exists.

We need to wake up and smell the roses and look for new and progressive ways to support the arts. Musicians have to become part of the solution and not look to others to solve the problems for them. When everyone is on the same page, these problems will cease to happen.


Follow Ups: