Why I'm charging a fee and don't sing at only-tips-venues

(this question certainly never hits a clothing manufacturer or mesh designers ;)):

Fortunately rarely but now and then there are discussions on these topics, surprisingly only concerning artists/performers with unfair and short-sighted statements. Most wear the latest fashion, the latest mesh heads and bodies and skins, buying expensive buildings and accessories, even land-tier is never an issue. Unquestionable, that none of this is available for free.

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My opinion on the subject of artist fees in SL

and something about my personal situation:

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Since my first gig in SL I've been charging a fee, which I've adjusted down a bit over the years to reflect the price trend in SL, but I think I've gotten into a range here that should be fine for one hour of live singing in SL, including all the preparation and everything "around it", also and EXACTLY because you do this job here with all your heart (just the preparations including singing, setting up technics RL and SL, setting up the stage, creating a set list, etc. take about 2 - 3 hours for each concert, as long as you do this job with full commitment!).

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Some artists like to advertise that they do all this out of pure love for music and the people and therefore "of course" don't want to charge any money for it. The "why" and what one has to do with the other will never be revealed to me here and makes me sad, because this also means that artists who charge a fee are basically assuming the opposite... Why is it allowed in our world Art and everything that is good for other people or takes care of them (at the moment it is sadly visible in the area of nursing and medical care!) cost as little as possible or nothing at all, while financial administrators, currency jugglers and executive floors of all kinds of large companies are willingly paid high prices? Sad world...

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Unfortunately, artists who think, everyone should be doing this just for fun ultimately support the decline in the value of art and culture. It becomes a supposedly easy-to-practice "hobby" and free consumer and disposable item, which of course nobody wants to pay for anymore, because singing or making music is "just" fun. The value and appreciation of such a valuable activity are gradually lost. Everyone can imagine where this might end for themselves...

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Unfortunately, artists and singers also do not manage to live out of air and love and to do their work without any financial investment if what is offered is supposed to have a certain quality. Every musician who invests in sensible equipment and maintains it permanently knows that. For me, there is always the acquisition of high-quality instrumentals, which I also buy licensed from RL musicians at a reasonable price.

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The value of music:

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The  value of live music is not felt by everyone. I fully respect that.

There, however, just canned music, which plays in the background to accompany the event, does the trick. However, I'm simply the wrong "product" for this area of application. :)

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Only Tips Venues:

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Which is why I personally don't sing for such venues:

I like it very muchunfair to the people who have been booking me here for 15 years now and from meHerzen would be happy to send me a fee and thus also support my work here and its continued existence and, by the way, also support the very real singer behind Janice.

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The argument of so many new clubs that music venues have to bear the costs of their country and still give you the opportunity to present yourself doesn't make sense to me. There is not really a large audience at the vast majority of Tips venues, unless an established artist is singing who brings his fans along anyway and is doing the location owner a favor with higher traffic - not the other way around. ;)

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Anyone who opens such a venue in SL must first ask themselves why they decide to do so and be aware that this will entail some costs. Here you should also think beforehand about any counter-financing that may be necessary (shops in the country, billboards, etc.).

After buying mostly expensive buildings, accessories, paying land rent, why should someone of all people fill this club with life (and I don't exclude DJs) then please do it for free - incomprehensible and sad to me.

 

All organizers bear the rental costs here, but many of them also treat their artists more than fairly and appreciatively for the service offered without any discussion, which they can then expect from me in return and get back for a nice, relaxed evening with am End hopefully happy and satisfied guests. People who are really passionate about what they do here and because they enjoy offering beautiful things to others in Secondlife.

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One can only wish that the audience/consumer appreciates this whole commitment of clubs/venues and artists and also supports the venue with numerous tips, which I always ask for expressly and from the bottom of my heart! Because without clubs and live music, SL would definitely lose a valuable part.

 

That Linden Lab would be in demand here, proper live music venues that fill SL with life and keep users or even attract them in the first place, with e.g. B. to support slightly cheaper land prices, would now be a whole new topic in itself.

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Benefit/charity in Secondlife:

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In general, I take such commitments in SL üpredominantly distance. And not at all because I'm not a helpful or even selfish person. Anyone who knows me knows that the opposite is the case... However, I have already had very bad experiences in this area, since in the end the money that was supposedly so well thought of did not end up where it was supposed to help. Posters and alleged "evidence" are "created" quickly...   But I don't think it's fair and I don't want to take responsibility for leading my listeners to where their donated money might end up in the dark . However, I find it almost impossible to check all of this conscientiously, especially in SL!

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Likewise and in particular I have a problem with very large aid organizations - also from a very negative Eexperience in real life!

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Where and how iI personallyI don't have to and don't want to explain the help that I am able to provide here. And not everyone who helps somewhere trumpets that big and loudly out into the world. But be sure, I carry help as far as I can where I know it is in good hands and where it arrives and where it is important to me.

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There are small exceptions regarding such requests.

Matters that are extremely important to me personally (such as a locally named children's hospice, which receives the donated money directly from the SL organizer) and about people I have known for a long time and whom I trust very much. But these should remain exceptions and for the reasons mentioned above I cannot and will not blindly accept everything that has "a good cause" written on its own flag, just to be considered a supposed "good person", especially for very large ones organizations do not. Please forgive me for making my own decision here as to where and for what I use my unfortunately not unlimited power.

 

And if you can't muster any understanding here, maybe think again about why your commitment and understanding are huge where it brings public recognition,bothbut suddenly stops in the case of a chronically ill private person (see below for more details)... Thank you.

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In additionsomething about the real background of the singer "Janice":

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I know that for many of you such a concert may just be "just singing a little". For me it is unfortunately not and involves a great deal of effort. 20 years ago, my life took a direction in terms of health, which unfortunately made it impossible for me to continue pursuing the profession I learned (with graduation as the best in my year...). Through several collapses with month-long outages and restrictionsnkungen often went very little or nothing at all since that time. No boss in the world can cushion this in the long run.

 

My hobby at that time came as a "rescue" for me - denn I was able to make RL a job that I can schedule myself and determine the scope of myself and with which I also have help from a very dear person at my side. That's how it happened that I've been on the road full-time as a singer for a wide variety of occasions for 18 years. Unfortunately, I can't accept everything that's offered to me here either, because I have to manage my strength well, but so far it was enough for the necessary extra income (at least until the pandemic...).

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In summary: What outsiders think is a small "benefit operation" is a great effort for me and means more to me than many suspect, including a waiver of a fee, which I unfortunately also have not entirely unnecessarily. Another reason why I have to be very careful about where and for whom I use my powers, I owe that more than to my RL environment.

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Even if the SL-Gage including the tips may not seem like much to some and do not believe that it can help someone, mostly people who are fortunately healthy and have a fixed income: This small SL-Gage has left me many a spring been saved a bit over the mountain after a long winter, although I don't really do an infinite number of gigs herecan ate. This "little income" for some is quite a lot for me and a great help and relief on my personal, honestly anything but easy path and motivation, especially times that are a bit tricky again. The music, the people here and seeing that I can at least achieve something and above all give people something positive with this commitment give me immense strength to persevere.

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Thanks to everyone who understands and respects these things. And from the bottom of my heart I would like to thank everyone for whom what I want to give goes exactly where it should and is good for them.

You are fuel for my soul. :*