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What we do is a dialog with the audience. Immediate feedback, back and forth responses, I even choose the next song by judging how the one I'm presently playing is going over and doing my best to anticipate the wants or needs of the audience. Notes, some of the online venues are interactive. Many have a chat window where the audience can chat with the musician(s). There is a delay due to bandwidth, so interacting with the audience takes a slightly different form... but those online performers who take a rest between songs, wait for the audience response then reply to specific individuals tend to get good results. Everything has pros and cons. The advantages of online performing include: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) a covid free environment 2) a way to keep your show fresh 3) a potentially global audience 4) most online sites include tipping, so you can also make money 5) there are MANY online venues... so many you could play all day every day if you wanted to FB Live, Twitch, StreetJelly.com, Stageit.com, sessionslive.com and many more 6) the audience for online music has expanded due to global lockdowns. Everybody is online.
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I have only done one such stream, and I ran the stream on one computer and watched it on another. That way I saw the comments as the stream saw the comments. I only had 9 people on at the high water mark. I used Zoom and told people that there would be delay and they wouldn't all see the same delay, so if they had any comments they should wait for the break between songs and gesture toward me so I could unmute them, because can you imagine me having their mics feeding back to me as I did a song? It would be like singing in a cave with all the echo. SO they muted their mics while I was in a song, and I muted them on my end too. Worked fine. I did 9 songs for them and then we all chatted, because this was a select group of people I would normally see with some regularity and it was a chance to catch up. Some have dogs that can't wait to visit and meet my new dog. A few are out of state so we only communicate via email and text anyway.
This technology available now is CRAZY good and if people would just open their minds and be willing to TRY SOMETHING NEW they'd see that. Geeze if my band's show on March 5th doesn't get canceled due to Covid I am going to stream the whole thing. The venue has free wifi so why not? Those 2 out of town people can see a show they would otherwise have no shot at. It will be a bad angle from side stage and the sound will likely not be good but they can "be there". In fact I may play off stage by the monitor mixer so I can wear my mask. The optics won't suffer because my role is mainly to double the horn section and the audience will see 3 live horn players and not be the wiser.
Technology makes almost anything possible if people embrace it instead of sneer at it.
Last edited by eddie1261; 01/12/21 04:48 PM.
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I just booked my next gig!!!
It's in February 2022.I think I have time to get my voice in top shape by then  The 2021/2022 winter season is already looking better than the 2020/2021 winter season by one gig. I'm also holding deposits on over a dozen gigs that got cancelled this season. When COVID knocked on our door, and they cancelled, I gave them the option of getting their deposit back or applying it to a future gig. They all chose to apply it to a future gig. The RV Resort where over 600 Canadian RV families spend the winter (along with 300 USA RV families) assured us we will be back as soon as the Canadians come back. We do a couple per month there, all year long. Another place where we played 12 years might have us back next year, but until they can hold 100% capacity, they can't afford us, even if we cut our price down to the bare minimum. There are new owners, so nothing is certain in that venue. So will things be normal? No, but better than this year. Insights and incites by Notes PS a poll of the people on my mailing list (mostly senior citizens) resulted in comments like: "What's Zoom, I heard of it in the news", "I can barely check emails and Facebook on my computer", to the occasional "Good idea".
Last edited by Notes Norton; 01/12/21 10:21 AM.
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
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That is good news Bob. At least that gives you some hope for the future.
I have a drummer friend who has been working in Mexico in the past. He says there are a few jobs there now but pretty dangerous due to Covid-19. Large numbers of Americans and some Canadians are spending time there due to less restrictions.
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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Bob, move to Scotland and you could get a gig for New Years eve LOL
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Most are thirty years younger then me. Billy, GOD is 30 years younger than you. <ducking> You can duck and run for cover. It will not do you any good. I have friends in low places who take up for me...lol  Billy EDIT: Oh I forgot he also has a big brother Eddie.
Last edited by Planobilly; 01/12/21 02:43 PM.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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That guy is ADORABLE Billy!!!
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Switching to the Senior Citizen market when the nightclubs started cutting back from 6 nights a week to 4 or less was a good move for me. This audience grew up with live music and considers it superior to recordings, they are loyal, they are appreciative, and they are consistent. If there is a downside is that they don't drink as much as their younger selves did. That makes getting gigs in commercial venues more difficult, which is one reason why we downsized to a duo. Less cash flow means less band budget. But the majority of our work is parties at condominiums and retirement developments. These are the kinds of gigs I'm holding deposits for. And I don't take deposits from the people from the good customers who have been booking us for years. We have well over 500 people on our e-mail list. Most are probably gone 'up north' in the summer and spend the winters here. That means we work many one-nighters per week in the winter, and we're lucky to get 1 or 2 per week in the summer. But everybody in the hospitality industry in Florida is used to the work very hard in the season and not so hard off season. Me? The only part of it I consider work is schlepping the gear from gig to gig. "They" tell me that weight training is good for my health, so I don't have to go to the gym for that. I do "speakercise". Learning songs and sequencing the backing tracks is time-consuming, sometimes frustrating, but always rewarding when it comes out right. Playing on stage is one of my favorite things to do. I get into that place where there is no space, no time, no me, just the music that feels like it's flowing through me instead of from me and the energy returning from the audience to go through me some more. Pure bliss. From that pure bliss I take glimpses of the audience to see how they are reacting. Do they need another fast song? Should I slow it down? Something Caribbean? Or Country? Or classic Rock? Or Salsa? Or whatever. Is it time to talk between songs and perhaps do some shtick to amuse them? Or should I just play non-stop music? But all that takes only moments, and for some reason I can do that without leaving 'the zone' when I'm playing. The reason is probably decades of experience. I don't think I could get that experience with Zoom even if the majority of my 500+ regular audience members knew how to zoom. I'm lucky. I found what I love to do, and it pays the rent. My wife is my duo partner, lover and very best friend too. When I met her she was in another band, and both our bands broke up within a couple of weeks of each other. That was pure luck too. Life is the perfect way to spend the time of day. Insights and incites by Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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I use Zoom, I have BIAB, I have a DAW, I use the internet. None of that comes close to live work with live musicians. Those things are useful but just a tool.
The interactions that happen on stage or in a studio can not be replaced with software. Well...that's my take but there is also a world of people who live vicariously through their cell and TV, evidently preferring that to any kind of live interaction.
There are reasons other than the pandemic that we don't play music like we use too.
Bob alluded to several.
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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I use Zoom, I have BIAB, I have a DAW, I use the internet. None of that comes close to live work with live musicians. Those things are useful but just a tool. To be honest, Billy, almost every musician I have worked with at some point became a tool.... <not really a people person>
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Well I’m lucky. I live in an area that has had little to no community spread of the virus. Any time community spread might occur they lock down our state very quickly.
Now today, I’m about to restring my olde Tele in preparation to do a show on the 5th February (first one for over 11 months). Then at this stage about two a month. These are just in my village to limited numbers just to entertain and reinstall some sanity, but at least we are starting to come back to a bit of a norm.
I have just called a meeting to discuss going back to normal (including afternoon tea with restrictions) for our village lawn bowls club. I’m president of the bowls club. Last year I had to come up with a Covid safe plan to allow a restricted form of bowls to be played.
Slowly we are getting back to a norm but social distancing is still a must. The functions are closed to all non residents of the village.
Let’s all hope for the best.
Keep well all.
Tony
Last edited by Teunis; 01/17/21 02:41 PM.
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.. looking at the question another way; no I'll never play music like I used to, I don't even like some of that music anymore.
Last edited by rharv; 01/18/21 12:48 PM. Reason: missing 'l', shoulda just said the 'l' with it in the first place
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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I have a feeling that what nobody is willing to say is that "The only reason I want to play music is for people to give me money, and if I don't get money for ZOOM calls with fans, screw it."
If it's PLAYING you miss, if it's FANS you miss, you never had to stop. So if it's MONEY you miss, just man up and admit it. You can (should?) play EVERY DAY no matter what. Can you tell me that your fans wouldn't appreciate you doing on hour on Zoom if they miss you so much? And if they have been shoving money in your pockets for years, don't you owe it to THEM to make the offer?
SO tired of hearing people whine about this. We are in the throes of something NEVER SEEN BEFORE in our history. If Covid is not a concern for you, through a party at your house, invite 200 people, and risk it.
Or you can email your mailing list and see who would like to attend a virtual concert so they can at least feel connected.
I once read a review of a TV where some guy was complaining because his remote didn't work and it was going to take a week to get a new one. (In that case he had the additional handicap of being so stupid he didn't know you could press buttons and turn the TV on.) When I responded "You know you could get off your *** and walk the 8 steps to the TV and turn it on yourself," he said that walking to the TV was not an option because the remote was supposed to work. And I replied again "So you would rather NOT watch TV and %^@%# about it than use the option I pointed out?" He never replied.
I don't know what this topic reminded me of that.
Plan on 2021 being EXACTLY like 2020 was. Which is why I didn't get the comments from all the sheeple in the world about "I can hardly wait for 2020 to be over!" Really? How's 2021 treating you so far?
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Come on Eddie I will write, play, and sing you a original song for a dime. I will even make a recording with all the stems and send it to you with all the rights. I thank it will be very useful. I could do this in costume but that would raze the price a bit. Billy 
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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I'd go a whole buck just to see the costume, Billy!!
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Eddie,
It's the fans I miss. I miss performing as much as playing music, plus I miss the feedback, the energy, the party, the camaraderie.
We're not only musicians, we're entertainers and the immediate feedback from our audiences is part of the high we get when playing music for them.
I can't say that I don't miss the money. It is my profession, and although I love my job and would do it for free if the situation was different, in today's world money is an essential fact of life.
I have no intention of whining. I'm biding my time until it's safe to do so again. While waiting, I'm learning new songs, improving my backing tracks for older ones that were made when I wasn't as good at making them as I am now. In addition, I'm writing new style and fake e-disks for Band-in-a-Box, and we're rehearsing in the living room to keep our chops up.
I do believe that in the 2021/2022 winter season, I'll have some gigs and be able to entertain.
We're thinking that after we get our second COVID vaccination we might find a public, outdoor place to play for free that isn't in competition with any commercial business. Perhaps a park where the audience can remain social distanced.
Leilani and I both agree, entertaining an audience by playing music is our second favorite thing to do.
Insights and incites by Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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(Knowing that was a joke, Rob, I still can't resist.) Really? Barbecue? Have you SEEN his wife???
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Notes, you CAN NOT BELIEVE the whining up here from the local copy band segment. Apparently they want to play those same 45 songs as every other band does for that $75 and a bar tab because their spouse is getting tired of supporting them while working from home. It is SO RIDICULOUS that I ended up dropping at least 15 people from my Facebook friends.
If one more person tells me "Corona virus just like the flu..." I am going to punch them in the face and say "That broken nose is just like a scratch..."
Last edited by eddie1261; 01/19/21 06:15 AM.
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