I have found that a lot of the people here do things as friends without much
more than maybe a second thought if the effort requires travel. Harvey
sends JohnnyV a Soundtracs console, he and I go up and pick it up and no
questions that just that was going to happen (pickup was near BWI). Harvey
wanted the MCI and people came and helped at Blevin's place to get it
loaded, and at the trailer to get it in through the wall (including taking
out the wall). Scott, Mike, Phil (an old one, Mothra666) show up without
question when I've needed them, and Scott has to come up from Williamsburg.
I believe I owe Scott at least one sci-fi thing in Boston, at the least.
And Melissa, too, because she's worked just as hard on my jazz festival
projects as Scott did. And she's not afraid to put a big knife to a screw
to fix a piece of equipment either! g

However, I don't find the spirit here these days and so I don't spend my
mornings here like I used to. Oh well, you guys have probably appreciated
the absence.

In the case of Mike or some other RAP reporter going to shows, it's not
cheap. I spent years on my dollar going to CES shows and we're not talking
about just getting something back in terms of pennies per word, but travel,
accomodations, food, and simple wear and tear on the body walking big spaces
for small finds. And certainly no sponsor would pay for all that Mike has
taken the time to look up and write about. They'd edit it down to one page
and he'd get maybe $75. Hardly worth the effort if you don't take love of
the job into account.

Hmmm, kinda like doing music in the first place. 99% of the people involved
with music other than being active and paid musicians or major label support
people do the job for the love of music. That pretty much says that
participation is mostly the love of music, and it means that anyone wanting
a bargaining chip mostly doesn't have one.

Or, more succinctly, the big guys have all the chips, and so the little guys
get one that falls on the floor once in a while.

--


Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio
http://blogs.salon.com/0004478/
"Getting married for sex is like buying a 747 to get free peanuts"
Jeff Foxworthy
"Ty Ford" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 07:09:10 -0400, Mike Rivers wrote
(in article . com):


wrote:

I wonder... what if you posted a paypal link for people to throw a
little cash your way? I'd pay a few bucks for your report to these
shows... provided, of course, you promised to keep doing it!

Better would be to get a web site or magazine to pay me a generous
fixed amount. Donations wouldn't amount to a hill of beans (as many
software writers who try to put their work out as tryware have
learned). Out-of-pocket cost for me to attend a show is on the order of
$750. Add a modest $50/hour to cover about 25 hours at the show and
about another 20 hours writing it up, that's about $3,000 worth in the
real world.

Back when the concept of posting show reports through the Internet was
new, I'd spend the day at the show, go back to my hotel room and write
for a few hours about what I saw that day, go to dinner, come back and
write some more, and post a daily report before I went to bed. It was
novel, and it was sufficiently real-time so that if someone had a
question about something I had observed, I could return to the booth
and fill in the blanks or correct the mistakes. But that got old after
about 10 years and as shows got bigger.

For a couple of years, I did get paid pretty decently by a web site for
an "exclusive" but eventually that morphed into the Mix organization
and how they have their own editorial staff posting a daily blog plus
doing the write-up for the print and web versions of the magazine.
Recording thanks me for my input, but doesn't pay me.

I can be bought, but not for donations. But thanks for the thought.


I always wondered about Mike giving it away for free. He and I have talked
about this several times over the years. Even if a publisher did pay him
for
a show report (as others have paid me in years past) I doubt the publisher
would be cool with him also giving it away for free to this newsgroup or
anywhere else.

That line of what we do as friends and as professionals may be thin here,
but
it's not invisible.

There were several rather large companies with integration services for
audio
systems at the show. They sell information and expertise; nothing wrong
with
that. I do it as well, but on an obviously smaller and more personal
scale.

It was a great show for me. I learned a lot. I also had the revelation
that,
after going to enough of these over the years, I could stand anywhere on
the
display floor, turn in a circle and see at least one person I considered a
colleague or friend. Usually more than one.

Regards,

Ty Ford



-- Ty Ford's equipment reviews, audio samples, rates and other
audiocentric
stuff are at www.tyford.com