No one can live without the red
29 January 2014 Stuttgart newspaper
Anyone who wants to make money as a musician must be willing to play at company parties.
By Martina Zick
Those who open the event section of this newspaper will find an extensive and varied cultural offer every day. "The music density is nowhere as large as in Stuttgart and the surrounding area," says the jazzmusician Martin Keller, at the same time chairman of the interest community (IG) Jazz. But can musicians beyond the classical music industry also live by their art? Numbers are not there, only the answer: "Yes, but." For those who only want to get on with the art and concentrate solely on performances has bad cards. This is clear when talking to different parties. Martin Keller: "Nobody can live on jazz, of course." But he also says, "It is not a sugar lick, but it all come through." In the end, there are two models, in addition to the concerts, to be a sure source of income: "You deserve to be involved in commercial music or you are looking for a teaching activity." "The income is always a mixed calculation," says Mini Schulz, professor of bass (jazz and pop) at the Stuttgart Musikhochschule. This applies to the whole range from jazz to pop. For Peter James, head of the Stuttgart office in the advertising field, the question is where the border is to be drawn. Who is a musician, who is pure service provider? Can this be separated at all? There is a lot of interest in popular music. This definition applies to James "where the revenues are not in the black numbers". And only a few wrote black numbers. A little could be helped by the success of the mainstream. Moreover, the combination of playing and teaching in his own band is also common in his division. That musicians should not be too bad for the service, stands for Branko Arnsek no question. For him, private celebrations, company festivals and similar assignments are a matter of course.
Arnsek knows how the business is going: The native Slovene, who grew up in Sindelfingen, studied at the Swiss Jazz School in Berne and has lived in Stuttgart for decades, is firmly established in the local music scene. With his formations Tokame and the Guttenberger Brothers, he has occupied two niches: Cuban music, but European expanded, and Gypsy Swing. In addition, the bass player teaches at the music school, has his series "Branko & Friends" in the Arigato and uses as many possibilities as possible, even away from his band activities.
This in turn requires that one is well interwoven. Already, in order to make contacts, a study makes sense, Arnsek makes clear. A musician must start early and should never lose sight of these contacts. After many years he had once again met old acquaintances, had come to them through them, or had given them some. "Musicians engage each other," explains Arnsek. But, "You have to be a fighter" to keep the complex system of colleagues, organizers, clients and of course what you want to do. The fact that he is also his own manager and producer is also an everyday occurrence for Arnsek. For example, it is essential for a musician to record CDs, although this has long been a minus business. But without it also does not go. "It's like making a poster," says Arnsek. If you leave in one of the many fields - in your own claim, at the
Practice, in the presence - be quickly away from the window. This was all the more true since, especially in the area of services, the number of bands had increased strongly. This meant that it had become more difficult to get orders. Moreover, the fees were "no longer as lush as before". In Stuttgart, the fees paid in jazzclubs moved between
100 and 200 euros, says Martin Keller. At least € 100 is secured, thanks to the Landesjazzverband: the association subsidizes the concerts in the clubs. This is "a very good model". On top of that, there was a
Considerable number of clubs. "We are super-positioned and must be really proud of it," says Keller, naming as the important places in Stuttgart the Bix, the crate and the Forum theater. Minischulz, who is also convinced that one can live "very well" from the music in Stuttgart, is also full of praise: "Stuttgart supports the jazz scene in Germany proportionally the best City there.
MUSICIAN - COMPOSER - PRODUCER - TEACHER
BRANKO ARNSEK
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