To the Editor:
To the editor of Villages-News.com – I was surprised that you would publish an article listing the pay rate of all of the entertainers in The Villages, and have since learned that the writer of this article had an axe to grind with The Villages, and apparently this was his ammo. Being an entertainer who has played several dates in the squares myself, I was also surprised to find that our contracts are public record due to the fact that The Villages receives a grant from the tourism board.
If I can do this within 1,000 characters, let me try to explain to you and your readers how posting these figures is not a good thing for these entertainers.
The pay scale of $200 for a sideman and $250 for a solo or lead is NOT unreasonable pay for a four-hour public restaurant or club gig, so I’m not sure what the point of the article was, except to stir up unrest amongst the bands themselves (which, in some cases, it did).
My band (The Buzzcatz) didn’t happen to appear in the article, but I can tell you that ALL of these groups on your list book private events and other gigs (festivals, weddings, corporate parties) that pay them five times what a gig in the squares at The Villages pays. As is the case with a good number of the bands in The Villages, we drove the three hours round trip and performed in the squares to promote, and as a showcase to get the “real” paying gigs – the private club and recreation center events that do pay well for a three-hour weeknight performance.
It’s apples and oranges, I know, but try explaining to a guy who is paying your band $8,500 to play at his daughter’s wedding in Orlando (our current rate) why your band will drive all the way up to The Villages and play at Brownwood for $1,400 ? It’s just not good for business to post these prices publicly. The Villages is a fun place to play – the crowds are very appreciative and we always enjoyed playing there. Unfortunately, your article publicly humiliates entertainers for playing at The Villages for what amounts to local club gig money. No good deed goes unpunished, I suppose. My band did very well in the squares, and packed the place when we would play there. It’s a damn shame, but due to your article, I have canceled all of our future dates with The Villages. Perhaps this is what your writer wanted. You guys need to “grow up”!
Richard Sylvia
The Buzzcatz
