snarf.rocks
  • Snarf.Rocks
  • About Snarf
    • Snarf's Gear
  • Snarf's Blog
  • Contact Snarf
  • BGU Courses I Own

11/25/2018

Covers?  We don't need no stinkin' covers!

0 Comments

Read Now
 
I was talking to a buddy recently who's out there doing that thing.  He does it on the side, and he's not getting rich from it, but it gives him enough scratch to pick up the gear he wants.  He's a little different from me in that, I feel compelled to play and make music.  He feels compelled to play, make music, and do it for someone else.  The difference is that I do it to make me happy.  He does it to make others happy.  He's been doing it for years.  At this point, he's retired.  So he's been doing the weekend warrior thing longer than I've been alive.

He and I had an interesting conversation about making money playing.  His opinion is that, unless and until you get to the point of being a big band like <insert the name of any really big band here>, your bread and butter is probably going to be doing covers.

I think he has a bit of a point.  I can think of several friends and acquaintances that play in local bands.  Music is their business.  A couple of them supplement their weekend business (playing music) by having real jobs.  Yes, they have those jobs, but they don't consider them their real jobs.  The ones that don't have a "real" job, either teach lessons (which is sort of a real job) or they play in multiple bands so that they can be sure that they're playing practically every night.

The ones that seem to be making the most money and playing in the fewest bands are the ones that play more covers than originals.  They play the wedding circuit.  The VFW Hall circuit.  Whatever circuit has people dancing, they're playing it.  They play songs that the people know and gets them up out of their seats and on the dance floor.

Quite a few of them still play in an "our original work" kind of band (or two), but those bands play maybe once a week, have small followings, and, by their own admission, are never going to get them rich.  I have seen a couple that have broken out a little bit, but they have managed to get on not just the local circuit, but the regional circuit as well, playing not only here in the Metroplex, but also in Houston, Austin, San Antone, OKC, and all around the ArkLaTex region.  A couple of them have even managed to get those gigs that take them all over the midwest.  They're doing their original stuff, but they've managed to get enough of it out there that people recognize it and want to hear it.

So what do you think?  To make money in the business, especially as a weekend warrior, can you do it as an original band or do you have to do the covers thing so that people will get up and dance? 

Share

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

Details

    Author

    Snarf is a wannabe musician who currently resides in the great state of Texas.  His wife is his favorite.  If Coca Cola was alcohol, he'd be a raging alcoholic.  He dislikes going to the grocery store.  And he still misses his dog who was taken by cancer 2 years ago.  Check out his Reverb shop and see if he has any gear he's trying to get rid of.  

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    May 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018

    Categories

    All
    50s Les Paul
    ABY Switch
    Acoustic
    Acoustikar
    Astronomy
    Axle Grease Delay
    Backpacks
    Back Packs
    BGU
    Bigsby
    Blues
    Blues Guitar
    Blues Guitar Unleashed
    Boss
    Boss Pedals
    Caline
    Cork Sniffer
    Creme Brulee
    CruzTools
    Dallas Guitar Show
    Danelectro
    Daypacks
    DIY Guitar
    Effects Pedals
    EHX
    Electric Guitar
    Epiphone
    ES-339
    Fender
    Fender Stratocaster
    Filtertron
    Fort Richardson State Park
    Franken'Tron
    GarageTone
    Gator Gig Bags
    Gator Guitar Case
    Gibson
    Gig Bags
    Greasy Groove
    Gretsch
    Gretsch 5120
    Griff Hamlin
    Griff Hamlin's Blues Guitar Unleashed
    Guitar
    Guitar Cases
    Guitar MultiTool
    GuitarSetup
    Highway One
    Hiking
    Hiking Adventures
    Horseman
    Hwy 1
    Hybrid Guitar Case
    Ibanez Guitar Case
    Incase Gig Bags
    Inspired By Gibson
    Klon
    Klone
    KTR
    Lake Jacksboro
    Lakota Leathers
    Learning
    Les Paul
    Looper
    Mono Gig Bags
    Mooer
    Mustang Floor
    Not Guitar Related
    NuX
    Outdoor Products
    OwnTheTone
    Parker Gig Bags
    Patio Gardening
    Pedalboard
    Pegasus
    Play What Makes You Happy
    Polyfoam Guitar Case
    Probag
    Probag Gig Bag
    Probag Gig Bags
    RC-20xl
    Reunion Blues Gig Bags
    Route 66
    Saddleback Leather
    Sonicake
    SoulFood
    Spinning Speaker
    Splattercaster
    Splatter Strat
    Strat
    Stratocaster
    TC Electronics
    Teton Sports
    Texas State Parks
    They're Not Investments
    Tone Bakery
    Tone Snobbery
    Tools
    Totally My Opinion
    Travelite Case
    Tru Arc Bridges
    Tru-Arc Bridges
    TrueTone
    TS9
    TU2 Tuner
    Tube Screamer
    Tumnus
    TwiggyBlues
    Visual Sound
    Wampler
    WhatsInYourGigBag
    YMMV

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Snarf.Rocks
  • About Snarf
    • Snarf's Gear
  • Snarf's Blog
  • Contact Snarf
  • BGU Courses I Own