Why do people expect free entertainment?
No one expects a dentist, plumber, or hair stylist to work for free. But throughout my entire career, I've met a great number of people who think that I should be performing my show at no cost to them. Although performing is how I pay my bills and feed myself, and despite the thousands of hours I've spent developing the skills needed to entertain a crowd, there are still many people who cannot understand why I won't donate my services to their event.
Why do people think this is acceptable? And what can we (performers, artists, and other creative businesspeople) do to combat this expectancy?
I've been studying this phenomenon for a while, and it's very common among almost all artists. From what I've learned, most of these people will justify their requests by promising that their event will give the artist exposure.
While these people may truly believe that their exposure is worthwhile for the artist, it's really pretty useless. These same people would never expect someone in another industry to work for mere exposure.
"Dear landlord, I will no longer be paying rent. However, all my friends will know I live in your apartments, and I'll be sure to tell them how great they are."
It sounds ridiculous when you put it in any other scenario, but to a new performer or aspiring artist, this type of exposure can be very enticing. They believe that many people will see their work and hire them for future events, the "client" will spread a good word about them, and ultimately they will earn a great reputation. But unfortunately, the only reputation these performers earn is "the guy who works for free."
These new performers and artists are a huge reason people still believe we should all work for free, and it's why this expectation exists. They for the "exposure" trap, and it gives the pubic the impression that we should be working at no cost.
The “exposure” scam is so common among creatives, The Oatmeal created this comic.
If some type of creative work makes up any portion of your income, please never do it for free. If someone has paid for your work in the past, you know it has value. Don't diminish that value by letting someone take advantage of you.
Don't let them guilt you into it either. Even charities and fundraisers have budgets (that's how they pay for bouncy houses and DJ's and security and a venue.) If they need entertainment (or art) for an event, they could put it in the budget and compensate the worker. And if you do care about the organization's mission, or you know they're tight on cash, it's okay to explain why you can't work for free and offer your work at a discount (I do this all the time, and most people are totally understanding and hire me).
When too many people are doing work for free, they greatly diminish the value of the entire industry. You don't have to work for exposure; if you're good enough for someone to beg you to work for free, you're good enough for someone to pay for it.
