The Music Is Over

[squirrelboy]

Simply this: The police didn't get protection money from those bars as they always close on time.

I remember the stick that North Gate got when the no-smoking ban was enforced. It was over the top - brownshirts everywhere looking very pissed.

These places obviously provided the authorities with a easy target what with the farrang and muso-Thais enjoying themselves without paying the right people.

After a while (it's been 6 years or so) you really see what an oppressed, fantasy world this country is.

My advice...stay in your bubble!

Peace.

[EODghost]

See next article:

[rich54321]

The problem is, that Thailand as a whole is not UNITED!! pockets of idiots all over the place, working for personal gain, immigration against Police, Police against Army,Army against politicians, politicians against their people and the people against us, we should teach them a lesson and just piss off for a while, taking our money with us!!!!

Hmmm, this is too touchy for me, maybe i shouldn't comment ....

Here here - the truth is written - they are all working against each other for monetary gain!!!!!

[aechzen]

that's he point my boy, never gonna happen....

This may sound arrogant,but show me a Thai musician, who can do a better job than me!!! very hard to find my friends, not only are we artists,we are specialized entertainers,making people feel great and that's the name of the game,people feel great in a place ,they come back!

Well good for you. Now get a work permit, like any other worker, and everybody will be happy.

how much it will be cost ????

[smiles793]

The 2 music venues mentioned in the post have regular paid performances from 'resident' farangs (in addition to occasional unpaid jams which may or may not include passing tourists). The laws in Thailand regarding illegally employing foreign nationals are pretty much the same as anywhere else in the world. It's the responsibility of the employers to ensure work permits are in place.

[bristolgeoff]

they do not cause any harm,it is only music,but everyone knows the visa rules about work in thailand.they can be very tuff sometimes over these issues.look at the issan area foreigners who marry thais and live on the land can not pick up stick without breaking visa work rules.even driving a tractor if that is the only transport is cause for that too.no work is done but thais see this as work related.farlang can win over this issues

[terrymedli]

come shag our women but leave your guitar at home, hmmmmmmmmm

[arrowsdawdle]

A lot of <deleted> written here by posters.

If a Thai musician, or sportsperson, comes to UK or USA to do their thing, they need a performers or sporting visa. No difference here.

I knock Thailand a lot, but I don't see why people who can strum a guitar, or play the piano, should get off with financing their stay here by earning a few baht without the proper permissions and permits.

We are not talking about musicians who are being paid to play. We are talking about people getting up on stage for a open mic and playing for fun. No money involved, yet they are arrested for "working."

Taking this to the next level, karaoke performing is generating revenues for the proprietors. Better close 'em down.

[wisdomwizard]

I got caught up in this kind of stuff. My wife owns a restaurant and I go by for coffee and to talk to the customers. One morning I was sitting behind the counter drinking coffee and checking my email and up came immigration and arrested me saying "Because we had a complaint from Thais regarding illegal work activity. We (immigration police) are compelled to act."

Notice it mentions this in the story.

I showed them when they walked up the email on the computer to no avail. Locked up and booked. The rest of the story I can't talk about.

Moral of the story. Watch out for jealous business owners.

[animatic]

The word "artist" is thrown around far too casually in the article. What is being talked about are "performing artists" (to use the term very loosely) who are doing little more than hacking their way through bad covers of somebody else's songs. Virtually none of them will be people of unique talent losing the opportunity to compose and refine original compositions of any quality.

Edit for spelling.

Worse the duffers come and do the same 3 songs, for 2 years running for no money,

and never adding a new song, unless their Thai girlfriend wants to sing Zombie... yet again,

and just play because they get the itch to play, and the usually paid house band must

play the same song yet again so the jammers are 'happy'.

Vicious circle... jerk.

But better than no music.

[arrowsdawdle]

Lets be honest, Thais simply can't handle foreigners involved in anything that foreigners can do better.

Thais slaughter live western music. It's usually beyond awful. I will not even go into a venue if a Thai band is playing.

Many of them don't/can't even tune their instruments properly for professional recordings. Their guitars are often out of slightly tune even for top recording artists. How not a single person at a recording studio doesn't catch this is beyond me. Tuning an instrument "good enough" doesn't work, you're either in tune or your out of tune.

I understand about WORKING. If you're going to work, get a work permit. But JAMMING... come on. What if you want to jam with a bunch of other foreigners at your house? They going to put an end to that too?

I think it all boils down to local musicians losing face once a foreigner takes the stage, because most of them are as bad a musician as they are home builders.

And electricians.

[TimTang]

The word "artist" is thrown around far too casually in the article. What is being talked about are "performing artists" (to use the term very loosely) who are doing little more than hacking their way through bad covers of somebody else's songs. Virtually none of them will be people of unique talent losing the opportunity to compose and refine original compositions of any quality.

Edit for spelling.

I think that's a pretty cruel assessment of amateur or semi-professorial musicians trying to establish themselves in the music scene.

I can remember seeing "Heart" in a nightclub long before they were famous, and apart from a few exceptions they were practically a "Yes" cover band. If you were a "Yes" fan at that time, their renditions were not exactly up to snuff either. When they eventually had enough original material to release their first album on Mushroom records, you could tell instantly how heavily influenced they were by "Yes". They were an "instant" international hit. The word "instant" neglects the fact that they slaved away for years in stinkin' low-life night clubs and strip bars to establish themselves.

Brian Adams used to do the "A" circuit pubs in Canada as well, doing mostly cover tunes, eventually replacing material with his own. I finally saw him in concert when he got a break doing warm-up for "Loverboy" on their cross Canada tour. He sucked so bad that nearly half the audience left for the lobby to have a beer while waiting for him to finish. Obviously he overcame the many humiliating experiences he might have endured and today millions around the world are fans, while hardly anybody remembers "Loverboy".

I'll agree that some musicians truly suck, and maybe suffer from self delusions picking the wrong career, but I usually try to encourage musicians with applause even if I'm not really impressed with their performance; quite often they play better. I don't believe in discouraging new musicians because you may be oblivious to their ultimate potential.

[KeyserSoze01]

A lot of <deleted> written here by posters.

If a Thai musician, or sportsperson, comes to UK or USA to do their thing, they need a performers or sporting visa. No difference here.

I knock Thailand a lot, but I don't see why people who can strum a guitar, or play the piano, should get off with financing their stay here by earning a few baht without the proper permissions and permits.

There is a difference between someone getting up for a couple songs during open mic night and a someone who is a professional musician that is being paid for their services. The OP referred to 'open mic nights'.

Once again, amazing thailand.

[humqdpf]

It never ceases to amaze me that a city like Chiang Mai where there are so many illegal workers from Burma and where so many Thais are doing illegal things that the one thing the immigration dept (and the police) have to do is to try and catch someone singing or playing an instrument with the requisite work permit.

It is the same old story - the letter of the laws in Thailand are very stringent but are only applied when foreigners are involved or the "perpetrators" not have connections. The only way out for such people is to pay up as in corruption. Viz the unevenly applied tax laws, laws on food preparation and many other forms of legislation used for trapping foreigner business owners.

I interpret the overzealous immigration official as saying - if you don't have a work permit and you happen to sign of play an instrument in public, you need to pay up. Immigration will ensure that visiting musicians will not have the time to be able to process the paperwork so as to have the paperwork done in time for their visit.

It does not matter if Chiang Mai suffers as a cultural centre. Just the same as it does not matter if Thailand suffered during the infamous airport scams.

[TimTang]

This may sound arrogant,but show me a Thai musician, who can do a better job than me!!! very hard to find my friends, not only are we artists,we are specialized entertainers,making people feel great and that's the name of the game,people feel great in a place ,they come back!

I recently went to the opening of a open mic bar in Pattaya, they had a few foreign groups lined up and one group of Thai's, the foreigners nearly went home after hearing how good they played, they were possibly one of the best groups I have heard in Thailand and they were just 14 and 15 years old.

That's a good call!

Music is an art form NOT an Olympic sport (unless you're a heavy metal shredder where notes per second seems to be more important than taste). I've seen, met, and befriended many Thai musicians and to me they are just "musicians"; being Thai has nothing to do with it. They love music and they love playing their instrument, which is no different than anywhere else in the world. Music, much like Love, is an international language.

[dunkin2012]

This may sound arrogant,but show me a Thai musician, who can do a better job than me!!! very hard to find my friends, not only are we artists,we are specialized entertainers,making people feel great and that's the name of the game,people feel great in a place ,they come back!

I recently went to the opening of a open mic bar in Pattaya, they had a few foreign groups lined up and one group of Thai's, the foreigners nearly went home after hearing how good they played, they were possibly one of the best groups I have heard in Thailand and they were just 14 and 15 years old.

That's a good call!

Music is an art form NOT an Olympic sport (unless you're a heavy metal shredder where notes per second seems to be more important than taste). I've seen, met, and befriended many Thai musicians and to me they are just "musicians"; being Thai has nothing to do with it. They love music and they love playing their instrument, which is no different than anywhere else in the world. Music, much like Love, is an international language.

Music, much like Love, is an international language. really touching ...........haha..

Can I borrow?

[TimTang]

It never ceases to amaze me that a city like Chiang Mai where there are so many illegal workers from Burma and where so many Thais are doing illegal things that the one thing the immigration dept (and the police) have to do is to try and catch someone singing or playing an instrument with the requisite work permit.

Could it be MONEY?

Who do you think the Brown-shirts are going to focus their attention on: A Burmese making less than 100 Baht per day, that would cost more to send back than their worth? or...some clueless Falang, strumming his heart out while belting out his best rendition of "Peaceful easy felling"?

The fact that the Falang is here means he had enough resources to get here in the first place, and may have other resources to exploit: a bank account at home, rich parents, or friends that are willing to pitch in.

It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that this is just another scam to exploit Falangs.

[BlueSmurf]

they do not cause any harm,it is only music,but everyone knows the visa rules about work in thailand.they can be very tuff sometimes over these issues.look at the issan area foreigners who marry thais and live on the land can not pick up stick without breaking visa work rules.even driving a tractor if that is the only transport is cause for that too.no work is done but thais see this as work related.farlang can win over this issues

valid point there! Am I allowed to cut the grass and tend the garden at my house owned or rented? Or even paint or do repairs?

[TimTang]

Music, much like Love, is an international language. really touching ...........haha..

Can I borrow?

Yes! of coarse you can borrow it! I could tell by your response that it obviously brought a tear to your eye.

Just out of curiosity, how much did it cost at customs to import all those "PLATINUM" albums that you've obviously won?

Edited June 2, 2011 by TimTang

[ozzieovaseas]

Under this legislation, the Department of Employment will consider whether the 'work' could be undertaken by a Thai, whether the foreigner is appropriately qualified and whether the job fits the needs of Thailand. After these factors are considered, the individual requires an organisation such as a company or charity to sponsor them.

"Normally" this is not an issue, however, if they make it an issue who decides to what degree and quality standard the 'work' would be undertaken by a Thai.

What happened to some healthy competition and may the best win?

great idea mate, and may the best บูลชิท artist win

[101734]

they do not cause any harm,it is only music,but everyone knows the visa rules about work in thailand.they can be very tuff sometimes over these issues.look at the issan area foreigners who marry thais and live on the land can not pick up stick without breaking visa work rules.even driving a tractor if that is the only transport is cause for that too.no work is done but thais see this as work related.farlang can win over this issues

valid point there! Am I allowed to cut the grass and tend the garden at my house owned or rented? Or even paint or do repairs?

No you need to employ a local.

[TimTang]

valid point there! Am I allowed to cut the grass and tend the garden at my house owned or rented? Or even paint or do repairs?

NO!

While it doesn't happen very frequently, you can actually get busted for doing normal house-hold chores for working without a permit.

There's been several forums on this very topic. It usually occurs when you piss the wrong person off.

[DavidBayes]

I got arrested for talking to a customer ,

I was taken away , by 5 officers , in two vehicles for talking to a Thai 8 year old with his father , testing their English on me , and sat nearby was a Immigration Officer , who came back later .

They came in photo -photo -photo , taking pictures of me cleaning my mobile phone , i was taken away , and during the journey told it was because "talking to a customer encourages them to stay longer"

I was eventually released .

But i thought how petty , and next time what do i say to a child asking "whats my name and where do i come from " "Sorry i,m not allowed to speak "

[khaowong1]

ya this is informative but i'm not sure if it is correct outside Chang Mai.

i have heard from many sources that volunteer work does not violate the Alien Work Act.

you cannot do work that a Thai can get paid for. Thai's don't do volunteer work.

No, Thai's don't do volunteer work, BUT, they would do it if some one paid them to do it, and if no one volunteered, then someone would have to pay to have it done, therefore, the person who is volunteering to do the work for free is taking away paid work for the Thai. Simple.. yeah right.

A couple of days ago, they were talking about it's agains't the law for farangs to get Buddhist tattoo's, now it's agains't the law for farangs to play music for free. What's next? maybe they will make a law that's agains't the law for farangs to go to the bathroom with out paying the towel person.

[blabla1]

hehehehe, no platinum,no gold, and after my ex wife took 80% i have just enough not to have to work anymore

Music, much like Love, is an international language. really touching ...........haha..

Can I borrow?

Yes! of coarse you can borrow it! I could tell by your response that it obviously brought a tear to your eye.

Just out of curiosity, how much did it cost at customs to import all those "PLATINUM" albums that you've obviously won?

[TimTang]

valid point there! Am I allowed to cut the grass and tend the garden at my house owned or rented? Or even paint or do repairs?

No you need to employ a local.

Actually, being a bit of a musician myself, I wrote a little tune which I'm hoping will be an International hit. It's called "Mama don't let your babies grow-up to be Kwai-boys"

I'm still looking for a label that will have me; they fail to see the genius and originality.

[blabla1]

Moderators,someone is using my name to make stupid posts!!!!!!

[TimTang]

maybe they will make a law that's agains't the law for farangs to go to the bathroom with out paying the towel person.

Maybe? It's already against the law. If you get caught wiping your own ass you could be in deep $hit! (no pun intended...well...maybe). There are Thais that are more than willing to perform that duty for a wage. Don't even think about masturbating; what do you think the hand-job bars are for?

[retell]

lets say i want to get a workpermit to play at the bars,pubs etc.

should i get it renewed or changed every night i have a gig ?

as far as i know theres only one employer at the time in your workpermit

anyone knows?

[ozzieovaseas]

maybe they will make a law that's agains't the law for farangs to go to the bathroom with out paying the towel person.

Maybe? It's already against the law. If you get caught wiping your own ass you could be in deep $hit! (no pun intended...well...maybe). There are Thais that are more than willing to perform that duty for a wage. Don't even think about masturbating; what do you think the hand-job bars are for?

:cheesy:

dont tell me...errr...what about the farang "working" on starting a family with his new thai wife??