Michelle Ward was joined on the telephone by Bass Player, Singer, Songwriter, Tutor and part of the highly successful Illegal Eagles, musician Trevor Newnham.
So what has caused this mighty stir with local Essex musicians? Its this post from Intu Lakeside on Facebook yesterday and Trevor explains why he and many other musicians are not impressed.
INTERVIEW
INTU LAKESIDE FACEBOOK POST
Calling all musicians! 🎵
If you’re a singer, band or busker looking to get some free exposure over the Summer, then we want to hear from you! Email us your details and a video of your music to lakeside.marketing@intu.co.uk, and we’ll be in touch with further details. 🎤
The post had more than 595 replies and some musicians were not very happy.
I wonder if the stupid PR person who wrote this post has done so for Free Exposure? 🤔 #workingforfree
Pay the musicians. It’s a real job just like working in a store. Why not ask some of the food outlets to give away free dinners cause I’m sure the good feedback about the delicious offerings would be excellent publicity. MUSICIANS HAVE BILLS TO PAY TOO. 😡😡😡
Think INTU you need to clarify if these are paid gigs….guessing by everyone’s comments you’re giving the impression it’s just for exposure?……if you’re after freebies from musicians then sorry that’s so not on.
If this comment section doesn’t perfectly capture the difference between naive X Factor hopefuls, and actual jaded working musicians, I truly don’t know what does. A masterpiece.
If anyone has sense they’ll take this offer up.. even if it’s unpaid you could take CD’s along or put down a hat for money and you’ll potentially make more money in one afternoon than any gig you’ll ever do. Just because we are musicians doesn’t mean we’re immediately entitled to be paid… you only reach that status if you’re worth paying.
Don’t be so shortsighted – the potential footfall for Lakeside is 500,000 per week… and if you’re good at your craft you will tap into a percentage of that and reap the benefits.
Don’t play the ‘you wouldn’t employ a plumber and not pay him so why should I do it for nothing’ b*****t.. you wouldn’t employ or pay a sh*Tplumber would you?
Get a grip people, anyone can pick up a mic and call themselves ‘a musician’… you’ve got to EARN your worth.
Others were in support of the new venture
If anyone has sense they’ll take this offer up.. even if it’s unpaid you could take CD’s along or put down a hat for money and you’ll potentially make more money in one afternoon than any gig you’ll ever do. Just because we are musicians doesn’t mean we’re immediately entitled to be paid… you only reach that status if you’re worth paying.
Don’t be so shortsighted – the potential footfall for Lakeside is 500,000 per week… and if you’re good at your craft you will tap into a percentage of that and reap the benefits.
Get a grip people, anyone can pick up a mic and call themselves ‘a musician’… you’ve got to EARN your worth.
The response from Intu Lakeside to the messages
intu Lakeside This initiative is something that aims to bring the community together. Looking back at our original post, we really didn’t make that clear and we’re sorry that we’ve upset some people as a result – that is the opposite of what we intended. This space has been designed exclusively with the local community in mind and we look forward to welcoming a whole range of community groups, be they performers, artists, schools, local choirs and any others who want a platform to share what they do. We’d love to hear your ideas for how we can use this space to its maximum potential so please get in touch with us at lakeside.marketing@intu.co.uk
A tweet was sent to INTU to ask if they would like to comment or discuss the plans.
