Money…..

As I am sure most of you are aware, musicians, especially those at the beginning of their careers, are not well paid. Performance fees are based on the time the musician is actually playing – taking little account of the hours of learning and rehearsal that may have preceded that performance. And those fees are often derisory – £30 for an hour’s worth of music and on occasion, no fee at all because it is ‘for a good cause’ or ‘there isn’t very much money in the pot’.

Although we are a tiny venue with a maximum audience size of 25, we have always tried to pay our performers a reasonable fee, if not a generous one. And we cover that fee by selling you tickets with, sometimes, a small amount over to put towards the cost of food and drink when we have supper.

However, technically, because this is my house and not a public venue, we should not be ‘selling’ you tickets. Instead we should be asking you for a donation towards the musicians’ fees. So as from our next ‘supper concert’ with The Portrait Players on the 24 September, when you book your tickets the site will not sell you a ticket but will ask you for a donation for each ticket booked – the ‘suggested donation’ being £30 per ticket which, as you know, is what you currently pay. I hope this is not too confusing!

Looking forward to seeing lots of you again soon.