To Pay To Play Or To Not Pay To Play ...

To pay to play or to not pay to play, this is the question...

There's a lot of opinions out there on this subject. Some people are against it and others are fully open to the idea of pay to play. Young artists wanting to improve their profile and get more and better gigs under their belts are often drawn into pay-to-play schemes. I read a great article on this subject which I agree with completely and inspired this blog entry!

Scott James from Hollywood, CA writes,

"So the question is … what is it worth to play the Knitting Factory, the Whisky or the Viper Room? That all depends. If it’s your life’s dream to play the Whisky then maybe selling 50 tickets is a good deal for you. If you’re committing to selling the tickets because you think someone might be there from Interscope Records and sign you to a recording contract then you are WRONG. When you are ready to be signed then you won’t have to sell tickets. The promoter will already know who you are, or at the least, you will be able to prove to them that you draw a lot more than 50 people."

There are a lot of different reasons a band will "pay to play" while other bands are totally against the idea of it. The fact of the matter is, it varies from band to band. What is good for you may not be the best for the other guy, or their fans. So how do you know if a pay to play situation is good for you?

Scott James also writes,

"What I suggest is that you play the venues where you will draw the highest percent of capacity. If you draw 80 people, then find a venue in your hood that holds 50. Don’t play the Roxy where the room is going to look practically empty. Play to as full of a room as you can. The energy will be MUCH better. The perception will be MUCH better."

California is known for pay to play behavior, but it happens across the nation. The strategy is the same. Think about this, if you are on a bill at a well known club with 5 other bands and are required to sell 70 tickets and are begging people to buy the tickets and you pay for the remainder of the tickets to meet your quota, then when it's time for your set, hardly anyone is there! If the club holds 500 people and you have 40 people show up, it really does not look good for your band and the fans energy level will be low. Maybe they will regret paying $15 for the ticket to not have a great show when they could have went down the street to the local pub and a full house paying only $5 admission. So you really have to ask yourself if it is worth it?

Maybe you have an opportunity to open for a National Act and want to add it to your press kit, you still want to carefully examine your goals. If you don't have a good crowd, will the club/promoter ask you back on another show? Pay to play is common practice for promoter and larger venues, whereas they do you a favor by letting you perform in their venues, but is that favor worth the price you’re paying? In some scenarios it could make sense, like trying to break in a venue’s regular rotation of bands, but it should be a well prepared and detailed business decision. You can see it as part of your promotion budget, but don’t expect most club owners and promoters to give a rat's ass about your expectations, they’ll mostly just want in on as much money as you can give them. To them, it's business and it should be to you as well!

I say, play it smart. Play venues that hold your crowd capacity and grow your fan base with you. As Scott James continues to state:

"So when you’ve firmly established your rep in your neighborhood and everyone knows that they need to get to your shows early and that they are going to rock – then kick it up a notch at a slightly larger venue. Always be bigger than the venue. YOU are the show – not the venue. YOU bring people. YOU have the power. You don’t have to be over-the-top about this and you certainly shouldn’t be arrogant and unprofessional – just know it in your heart and negotiate and make your decisions with that frame in mind."

There is one exception to the pay to play rule. Sometimes, bands "buy on" to major tours. For instance, if a top selling group is doing a big tour, a band may "buy on" to the tour to be the opening act, so they get a chance to play in front of a large crowd. Generally, these kinds of deals should be reserved for these exact circumstances - top selling acts, large venues, large money tours. Buying onto a tour should not enter the picture when you're just getting started in your career.

I would like to hear your comments on this topic. We've all been through it. Share your story!

Thank you for reading and as always, SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!!

Children And Music

The highlight of my life was when I became a GRANDMOTHER. Yes, I said it. They don't call me Gramma though. Nope! They call me Nana and I'm ok with that! My Mother is the Gramma.

My daughters are amazing and when my oldest made me a Grandmother, I couldn't wait to show her off! Cheyenne is now 10 years old and I love every moment I spend with her and my 4 year old Grandson, Dorian. Cheyenne likes the music I listen to and sings along with me in the car or wherever. She really likes Aretha Franklin and her favorite local artist is Vayden. When we are driving in the car, Jessika will burst out into song and it makes me laugh. Kristi used to bounce to her favorite songs and the whole car would shake! Wonder what people thought at the stop light? lol

Like my daughters, I take my Granddaughter to as many local shows as I can. Mostly Carvin Jones Band shows as he is her Godfather. She's been by Carvin's side since she could walk. The day she took the microphone over and started singing while Carvin was playing was quite memorial. The look of surprise on his face and then he stepped aside and let her go! She gave a great performance to the crowd that night! We were so proud! You can watch the video here: Cheyenne Singing With Carvin Jones Band She was 5 years old. The recording isn't a good one, but you can see the way she gets into it! The end of the song/video, where you can actually hear her singing, can be seen here: Cheyenne Singing Part 2 . If you have 3minutes to spare, the videos are so cute!

I'm a firm believer that you should share in your child's musical life. Whether it's supporting their school program or their interest to play guitar and then later change to drums, just because. Listen to their favorite stations as much as you feel they should listen to your favorite music. I also feel you should promote their experiences at concerts. Whether it be a local show or their favorite mainstream performers. I used to take my daughters to concerts often and would alternate each time I went. Kristi's first concert was That Damn Show put on by 98KUPD at the Peoria Sports Complex. An all day concert with about 20 bands. Despite the heat, we had a great time and she even got an autograph from the Phunk Junkeez! It was on her sisters shirt and Jessika was not amused but Kristi was so proud and we had shared a most memorial day. Jessika's first concert was HER choice, 311 and Sugar Ray at the Cricket Pavilion when she was 6 years old. Sugar Ray was her favorite and when he got on stage she wanted to go up and shake his hand. She could not understand why she wasn't allowed. "But Mom, he's RIGHT THERE!" she kept saying. lol To this day, we still enjoy going to concerts together. I can honestly say that music has brought all of us closer.

How The Name Lady Hathor Came About

I often get asked, what is Lady Hathor and how did that name come about? I used to say, " Hathor is an ancient Egyptian Goddess for music and dance and I bare a title of Hathor."  People still didn't know what that meant but that's how I left it. Trying to keep the mystery alive. The pronunciation is most commonly mispronounced and that seemed to be the biggest question,  "how do you say that?" To me, it's pronounced Heart-thor, leaving the "r" almost silent and is the Egyptian way or rather, Hawth-or.

This is the real story ...
When my youngest daughter, Jessika, was little I used to read her stories before tucking her into bed. Some of her favorite stories were about ancient Egypt. Cleopatra was her favorite of stories.  Together, we learned of what they wore, how they believed, the Gods and Goddesses and talked about how things are now, the differences and when Hathor, Goddess of music and dance loved by everyone and how she bared several different titles, came about Jessika was excited and said, "Mom, you're like the Goddess Hathor!" She was referring to me getting into the music industry.

As time went on and the more we read, instead of playing with Barbies or having tea,  Jessika liked to play dress up and reenact ancient Egypt. She was Cleopatra and dubbed me "Lady Hathor". The family thought we were crazy and often joked, but somehow the name caught on and the more I told friends the funny stuff Jessika would do or things we had learned the more the name "Lady Hathor" was brought about. I used to joke about it when talking or working with the  music, "Yea, Lady Hathor did it again", or comments of that nature. So, when I decided I needed a stage name and web presence, I used Lady Hathor and it stuck with me all these years. For over 8 years, no one in the music industry even knew my real name except for my closest of friends. It wasn't until Facebook that people learned what my real name was! I still find that amusing. lol

Growing Up - Part 1

I was raised a country girl, traveling from Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas. My family was not rich but we had a lot of love and a lot of fun! One of my favorite jokes about myself is: What do you get when you mix a redneck with a hillbilly? ... ME!

My parents are the best. I grew up the daughter of race car drivers and loved every minute of it. My Dad was a stock car driver on the Midwestern Circuit who won a lot of trophies and enough money to get us to the next race. My Dad has raced cars since he was a young boy. His last race was at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix Arizona about 1987. He rolled his car that night, a metallic green Maverick. My Mom used to race as well. She caused a lot of controversy when she wanted to race against the men instead of the Powder Puff. I remember some were all for it and others hated the idea of her on the track and created all out war. She was ran into, run off the track and they even rolled her car. A big fight ensued in the pits that night as a result. I counted 32 bruises on her the next day from the roll-over. 'eh, a typical weekend.

This was one of my favorite cars Dad drove...





My parents liked to listen to music and on the rare occasion you could catch my Dad singing a tune with the radio. To me, he was a very good singer and I would stay very quiet and careful not to look at him so he wouldn't stop and I could listen to him. One time that sticks out in my memory was an early cold snowy morning. Dad was driving me into town, which was about 10 miles, to school in our Volkswagen Bug and the station was playing "Amarillo By Morning" and as he sang along to the radio all I could think about was how much I loved my Dad. My Mom, she would sing at the top of her lungs and enjoy every minute of it no matter who was looking or listening! Mom would burst out in song for every occasion it seemed and still does!

I grew up listening to oldies and country music such as Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynett, Dolly Pardon and somewhere along the line was truck driving songs. "Give me 40 acres and I'll turn this rig around", Little Joe, Smokey and the Bandit, etc. I didn't discover rock music until my early teens. Until that point I had 45's which were all oldies and some show tunes I think. My first real record was Ozzy and when my Dad heard that, he yelled at me and told me not to play that crap! He didn't want to hear it! So I took every opportunity while he was away to listen to it. One day, he came home for lunch unexpectedly and I had Ozzy playing pretty loud on Mom's stereo. He came through the door, went straight to the record player, grabbed it and smashed it over his knee and tossed it out the front door without saying a word to then just walk away. I stood there in disbelief at what he had just done! Now a days, you can catch him SINGING to Ozzy!! I still bring up that day he smashed my record and he says, "Ozzy isn't that bad". LOL

Introduction

Welcome to my blog! My name is Tammy but some call me Lady Hathor. I'm not sure I have anything to say, or everything to say. Never-the-less, the journey begins.

The majority of this blog is going to be about music. Music has always been an interest of mine since I was a little girl. I used to daydream about being a "dancing and singing star" when I grew up! My Dad used to let me stay up late on school nights and watch Elvis specials on the TV or other concerts and every weekend was American Bandstand with Dick Clark. I didn't know very much at all about the business of music but knew I wanted to be involved somehow! In grade school and middle school I played the clarinet and was first chair (top of my class) every year, 6 years straight. I even did the solos at the school performances. Occasionally you can catch me picking up the clarinet and reminiscing but I don't play nearly well enough now to play in front of people! LOL Maybe someday that will change.

When a person talks about being in the music biz, that can mean in many different fields. The artists, the sound guys, light guys, promoters, managers, record companies, etc. Every aspect of the industry has intrigued me and I've always tried to learn as much as I could about the full spectrum. If you were to ask me what I wanted to be when I grow, I still don't know and I'm 43! But I do know that I have a passion for helping those who do know, succeed in their talent. I like supporting local artists and venues and always try to hire locally when it comes to vendors.

I have been in the music industry in Arizona for twelve years now and have seen and experienced so much. There have been a lot of changes throughout the years but one thing always remains the same - As a fan, you have to support your local music scene! Go to a show, buy merch from the bands, share your love of music with others!

When I first got into the industry, I owned a demolition company. One of my partners played the guitar and he and a friend would get together in his living room and jam. Then he started getting a band together. I remember when I would have a bad day, he would say, "I know what you need" and he would break out the guitar. I did some of my best thinking just sitting there listening to them play. They would invite me to every band practice and asked me to write lyrics. After they found all the members for the band, we became NOYZE. They tried to get me to sing, but I was more interested in researching the industry and doing whatever I could to help the band. This was my first real experience in the music industry and I wanted to succeed! If the band made progress then I felt I did as well.




During my twelve year extravaganza, I wrote lyrics, created websites and formed a web presence, did production, took sound reinforcement classes, went on jobsites with professional sound companies, promoted indy and cover artists, managed bands and a record company, consulted, booking, shows, radio, interviews, and so much more. If it needed done, I did it.

I have had a lot of good times and some not so well, which I'm sure anyone in the industry can attest to. There were days I just wanted to walk away and other days I was high on cloud 9. I can't imagine my life turning out any other way. Music is my life!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog where you will find information about me, the artists, interviews and music/show reviews by Lady Hathor. This is a story of how it all began.