You don’t have to look far on the internet to find blog posts by performing artists whinging about how they don’t get paid enough, or in some cases not at all.

I’m on their side. It takes time to write material, rehearse it, refine it and get to a point where you can perform it live. Instruments, costumes, equipment, hiring rehearsal spaces and studios are expensive. Of course artists should get paid for their efforts. 

I’ve recently fallen into the event management side of things. Brisbane is small and the music scene is even smaller. Word gets around, so I’m making an effort to be the good guy. I’ve paid musicians for the last few gigs I’ve put on - not as much as I would have liked, but as much as I could from ticket sales. I didn’t even make a profit for myself last time, but I still paid the musicians.

I’m managing an event at the moment where I have a big budget and I can actually pay artists a reasonable amount for performing. Hooray, right? 

Wrong! I’m surprised at how difficult at times it has been to get musicians to play or performers to perform.

Here are the main issues I’ve run into:

- Artists having almost no online presence

- Artists never reading or updating their social media websites.

- Artists not listing any contact details at all (!!!)

- Artists listing only an e-mail address - which they never check and you never hear from.

Oh my goodness. This is pretty basic stuff. 

I don’t really mind checking in with people to remind them - hell, we all forget things sometimes - just as long as they reply, even if it’s “we’re not sure yet.”

It’s the total communication barrier and complete silence that baffles me.

Look, it’s the 21st century and online communication is so, so easy. You can log onto the internet from kiosks or cafes. It is really easy to set up most phones to receive e-mail. If you’re REALLY internet-phobic, list a phone number. A mailbox. Your carrier pigeon’s name. ANYTHING. Yeah, I know Jimi Hendrix didn’t have a smartphone back in the day but quite frankly, I don’t give a crap. It’s 2011 and if I have no way of contacting you then something is very, very wrong.

I don’t think I’m being unfair here. It’s just simple logic. How am I supposed to book someone for a gig and pay them if I am unable to communicate with them in the first place?

And then there’s matters such as don’t act like a rockstar prick - whether it’s leading up to the gig, onstage or on Facebook. Like I said, word gets around. A sound engineer I know did sound for a band who smashed her expensive amps and mics, then tried to punch her when she told them to cut it out. I wouldn’t want to book them for a gig, would you? But that’s a rant for another day.

The bottom line is this: If you want to be paid for what you do for a living - even if you’re creative - you have to act like a business to some extent.

Otherwise, be prepared to miss out on opportunities and no sympathy when you whinge about not getting work.

I don’t want to end on a sour note, so I’ll say this: There are also plenty of artists out there who are lovely to deal with too. They tend to go on national tours, get media attention and perform to packed out venues - and they deserve it.