This is the most powerful song I've heard since "Blowing in the Wind"

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. Our expences are real minimal since we all volunteer, even the sound person

The museum takes a token donation that is sliding scale depending on how many seats we sell. We sell refreshments but the musicians get the proceeds from that to help bring in enough money to make it a viable tour stop for them. We max out free publicity. Even so, it is marginal. It's hard to get people out to hear live music without alcohol involved to begin with. Then it is hard to get anyone to pay $13 or whatever to hear someone they most likely never heard of, even if the setting is intimate, the music is great, and everyone leaves feeling like they truly got to know the musicians as well as their music. Getting a crowd is always the hardest part for us.

There are so many food and drink oriented venues where musicians play for tips or where the venue pays local musicians who have no travel expenses virtually nothing. Often they are loud and the music gets lost but people get used to seeing free or cheap music at those places on one hand, or they will pay through the nose to see already "famous" musicians at large halls and arenas. It is really hard for independent musicians to get established nowadays - even ones with amazing talent.

I'm sorry the jazz festival your husband ran finally went under. Events like that add so much to a community. I'm sure it inspired a lot of people while it lasted.