Auto CEOs & Private Jets

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/19/autos.ceo.jets/index.html

The CEOs claim that they need to fly private because of "security." Right. Maybe they thought Congress would give them the $25B in cash and they didn't want to bother trying to explain it to the TSA at Reagan National. Or maybe they just don't like sitting next to "Joe Six-Pack" on Southwest? N5116, a chartered Gulfstream G-IV landed a while ago in Detroit - was it the CEO of GM, Ford or Chrysler?

How much do you charge?

"How much do you charge?" is a hard question to answer sometimes when it comes to music. Most musicians charge different amounts depending on the nature of the event and sometimes how they perceive the hiring person's ability to pay. The object is to not quote too high of a price for fear of being rejected nor too low of a price. Other musicians, mainly less experienced ones, will sometimes even "play for the experience/exposure," a.k.a. free, in a commercial establishment which really messes things up.

I'd someday like to do a survey of jazz musicians and what they charge for different types of events venues. I would want to find out what people would charge for a 3 hour gig in a restaurant vs. a jazz club vs. a wedding reception vs. a concert hall vs. a school vs. a friend's 2nd cousin's graduation party etc. and ask what area of the country the respondents are located in. I wonder if more transparency and uniformity in what musicians charge would help strengthen the jazz working class when it comes time to talk money. What would the "living wage" for a jazz musician be?