Jay C. Batzner is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida where he teaches theory, composition, and technology courses as well as coordinates the composition program. He holds degrees in composition and/or theory from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, the University of Louisville, and the University of Kansas.
Jay's music is primarily focused around instrumental chamber works as well as electroacoustic composition. His music has been recorded on the Capstone, Vox Novus, and Beauport Classical labels and is published by Unsafe Bull Music.
Jay is a sci-fi geek, an amateur banjoist, a home brewer, and juggler.
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1/08/2007
Payola-ing your dues
I've been thinking a lot about money recently. With the holidays and all it is hard to not think about money. When you live in an expensive place, especially when you moved from a rather inexpensive place, you think about money.
The money I'm thinking about now is the money that it takes for me to do some of the basic things that I am expected to do. In a tenure-track gig, I am supposed to get performances of my works and present my research. But these things all come with significant out-of-pocket expenses. I get some funding from my department, but not nearly enough to cover the cost of my successes.
I think that is the main oxymoronic aspect that has stuck in my proverbial craw. When I am rewarded with having my music selected for a festival or am asked to present my research at a conference, I end up paying the price in a very real way. I develop professionally for it but my credit card bill rarely gets any smaller. I make a point to not send scores to calls with submission fees. Some of them might be worth it but, at this point, food comes first. And I do make use of the free postage through my department. But I am using all my own materials to generate the mailings, so I end up breaking even.
I am reminded of the whole "payola" scene. Yes, I've paid for recording costs to put get my music "out there." I know others have done the same and will continue to do so. The main goal is to get enough commissions and royalties to cover these kinds of professional expenses but I don't foresee that happening too soon. My last commission paid for my TV and futon and I thought that was pretty sweet.
It is nice that I have a "day job" to cover these kinds of expenses and, when possible, help fund them. I just wish that my success at my day job didn't depend on this kind of financial outpouring. Maybe some of those grants I wrote will come through. That would be sweet.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
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