I played four nights at the Jazz Bakery with saxophonist Ernie Watts the week the financial markets tanked. The gig was a release party for the live CD we’d recorded there last year, and I was looking forward to getting out of my pit job for a few days to play a few notes above ground. Last year we had a decent turnout every night, as Ernie doesn’t play around LA very much these days. This year was quite different. Wednesday and Thursday ’s turnout was bleak, and though the weekend was better, there still weren’t as many folks there as last year.
Ruth Price, the woman that runs the Bakery, was bemoaning the fact that bands from out of town are charging more money, but aren’t drawing enough for all to break even. The Bakery is a non-profit organization that probably has some donor money to get them through the rough patches, as they have prevailed for some twenty years now. But they’re probably in a unique position.
CD sales are down and jazz venue attendance is off. Artists are encouraged to give their music away as promotion for sales that never seem to happen. Where does this spiral end? Perhaps the not for profit model is the way to go for both venues and labels.
