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Originally Posted by PH Quote: |
Originally Posted by B15M Quote: |
Originally Posted by PH In my life I have been a member of 4 different locals. It has been my experience in every case that the unions do not get you any work as a freelancer. Your playing ability and personal connections get you work. If you reach a point where your ability and network causes work to be referred to you, THEN you will want to join the local.
As a jazz musician you would often find that being a member of the union and strictly adhering to union protocol for booking, etc. will bar you from more work than it will provide. This is the reason that most players I know in most cities belong to the union but do a great percentage of their work as non-union "off the books".
Unless you belong to a major orchestra or are in a good relationship with a contractor for shows and recording in a major city, you will probably starve trying to exist on union work alone in the present artistic and economic environment. | If the local contractor has work and you are not in the union, Why would he call you? | There are very few cities in the midwest these days where there is much of this type of work. Most recording these days is non-union. When there is, contractors get your name to sub through references via your network of other players. Young players get calls because they get recommendations from older busier players. After you get one of those calls you should join the union.
A union card will not get you work. It will enable you to keep the work you have and (hypothetically) have better working conditions, etc. |
I guess it's different for you then me.
I had almost no jobs and then joined the union and then played well and got called more and more. Now I'm to the point where I have to turn some down. I also do some non union gigs but most of them are from the union or through connections made from being in the union.