DRUMANDSTAGE FORUM

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The problem is that we live in an MP3 society, and everyone seems to think everything should be cheap, easy and fast. In terms of "artists" making a butt-ton of $$$ while their band(s) make a pittance, that's likely a different issue. But it's hard to argue that kids trying to make a name in the industry don't see a problem with charging a minimal amount...just to get on the gig. So for Dave Weckl to tell them "charge what you're worth"...that's a little disingenuous, IMHO. This is a guy who has long-since made a name for himself and can likely work as much as he wants, so his "value" has been established. Well, what value does a 20-yo (for example) student of his have in today's world? With all the drum instructional videos and YouTube channels, the number of monster-chops players seems to have increased by a few orders of magnitude from when I started playing, in the late 1970s. So if you don't want to do a gig for $600/wk, then the next 20-yo monster-chops guy probably will.

So I can definitely see both sides of the argument, however the real problem goes back to the consumer. It's the same reason "China stoled all our jobs!" Heh...China didn't steal all our jobs. The American consumer is finding it harder and harder and harder to pay the prices for goods these days, so companies have to discount to move product. But that means that the profit margin(s) isn't(aren't) maintained, so the board isn't happy--so they look for ways to cuy costs, and foreign labor markets are a big help. Music, like many things, is one way that the consumer looks to save money.

So IMHO the worst part of it is that it's not going to get any better until we get away from the mindset of fast, easy and cheap. But sadly I don't see that happening anytime soon.

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To riff off Tom's comments for a moment, since the advent of the internet, creative content of some form has been its bedrock, be it design, writing, music, art, photos, film, whatever. The tech industry as we now know it monetized this and turned 'art' from being the thing of value into a consumable upon which tech has become the thing of value instead.

It doesn't matter which creative medium you're into, it has less monetary value day by day and it's likely only going to get more profound now AI can do a lot of it too. I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who thinks their career is in the creative arts, you're chasing ghosts in a coal mine with the lights off.

What will never go away, however, is the value being creative brings to individuals for themselves - I personally hope we see a bit of a resurgence of art made just for the sake of it, purer because of its intent being undiluted by the desire to be paid for it.

I haven't watched the video but of Weckl's saying name a price based on your value, rather than what someone will pay you, I've been listening to that argument for 20yrs with photography and it applies to a rarefied few. The rest try and are burned out fighting the tide for fun.