‘Pay for Play’
In his article, “Behind the High Cost of L.A.’s Rock Dreams,” Philips writes that rock musician Mark Mason “received encouragement” from members of the rock group Kiss in his campaign against pay for play. This is interesting, because on their way up Kiss applied the pay-for-play methodology themselves when renting halls and even limos to showcase their act.
Kiss was an original band with enough guts and savvy to invest in themselves, even if it meant starving for a while. To expect club owners to front the bill for a mass of bands who all look and sound alike is not only unrealistic but unfair.
If a band has talent, originality and confidence, nothing is going to stop it, even if it has to pay its dues to play the game.
WILLIAM C. HENDERSON
Hollywood
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