A Self-Employed Artist and His Money
Are soon screwed apart
As I’ve mentioned before, my husband is a self-employed jazz musician. He’s taken jobs teaching at Elmhurst College and Northwestern University, but while he enjoys teaching and likes the kids he still considers himself a jazzman. He plays on evenings and weekends; he plays on albums and in improv bands; he travels and jazzes and is basically self-employed; and not a week goes by that someone doesn’t try to screw him out of money.
We are, or at least have been, in a unique position where my salary covered the rent and the bills. This freed my husband up to pursue the money he was owed without fear of repercussion. Essentially we didn’t need his income to pay for anything vital, so if he created a negative situation with one band leader it wouldn’t leave us with an eviction notice.
It’s amazing to see how quickly band leaders will take advantage of their guys. And most of the time, since the musician is depending upon the income as housing and food, they don’t feel free to point out discrepancies or argue that something isn’t fair. Up until now my husband has been free to call people and politely point out that taking his money is not something that’s acceptable. He’s good enough and reliable enough that, as far as we know, this hasn’t really hurt him long-term.
But I can tell you that as his spouse I am sick to death of watching people try and fuck us out of money. We’ve had people bounce checks, had employers over and over and over again send him checks that are about $50 shy of what he should be getting. Andy has chased them down and gotten his money every time, but what the hell? Why should he have to wait an additional two weeks for money that’s his by right? Money that he earned by, you know, working?
The question of copywrite is a big one at the moment, and what I can tell you as a family that depends on my husband’s income, his music and his likeness and anything he might produce is hard work. He practices four hours a day whenever he gets the opportunity and works his ass off to produce great music. He deserves pay for it. The right pay.
It’s hitting closer to home now that I’m going back to school. I’m still making a fairly significant amount, even working part-time, but how are we going to function when I start a full-time Masters program? How are we going to pay for health insurance, much less car insurance?
I have no idea, but I do know it’d be less upsetting if people weren’t always trying to take our money.
Paypacket thieves used to be insulting, now it’s frightening. And it happens, literally, four or five times a month.
I’m sick of it.
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