as in a meal is the only payment you receive for your services as a bassist:confused:

No.

i also propose a will rock for food club !:D

I did this at a pig roast once with disastrous effects!!

(See the farting during a gig thread)

Usually food is an added bonus on top of pay, much like free beer. However, I believe that there are certain circumstances in which free food would be payment enough. (Championship winning Barbecue, for instance.)

Food! I like food! :D

I'd rather play for free. Honestly. Call me crazy, but I'm one of the few individuals who believe music should be a FREE art. Kinda like looking at a statue in the park. Should we have to pay to look at it? Nope. Should we pay to listen to something that we could re-create ourselves? Nope. If there's money to made off a gig, it's in merch. Plain and simple, IMO.

(prepares for bombardment.) :hiding:

Sure Why not! I love playing regardless, and since I do have a day job, that makes it alll the more fun.

I voted no. I would not play ONLY for food. Fortunately, one of our best gigs is at a great restaurant where after we play, get paid (very well I might add) and load out, the chef has some "leftovers" for us. These have included:

Caraway Roasted Duck
Duck Burrito
Various pastas and sauces
Garlic mashed potatoes
Prime Rib (last time with a great cranberry, orange and vanilla chutney)
BBQ Prime Rib sandwich
Roasted chicken
Salmon
Rice Pilaf
Lavash

I could go on but now I'm really hungry.

Usually food is an added bonus on top of pay, much like free beer. However, I believe that there are certain circumstances in which free food would be payment enough. (Championship winning Barbecue, for instance.)

Food was usually an add on like the free beer. Some mgrs would try to give the food/beer as total payment, but wasn't worth foregoing what the food costs. We played some nice dinner joints too.

On tour, we used to cook all our meals on a little two-burner Coleman stove and crash on floors; so we'd rather get the cash for gas and rent.

if i was homeless,hungry,and had nothing left but my bass YES

As a poor student, you bet! Pretty much every cent I get goes to food anyway.

I actually did play for food around a week ago, and it was well worth it.

If I were a professional musician whose income was based solely on the shows that I play, then probably no.

But since I am not, yes. :D

I did this at a pig roast once with disastrous effects!!

(See the farting during a gig thread)

:eek:

I'm not even sure what to make of this:eyebrow:

I have played some gigs where I got payed in food. It's not very satisfying. I don't mind playing for free, but all the trasportation and setting up takes a lot out of me and I consider that to be work.

Played an outdoor festival / party thing on Cape Cod that had all you can eat seafood boil (lobster &/or crab, plus taters & corn), and all you can drink beers (good stuff, too, I think I drank Bass or Sam Adams, iirc). It was, excuse the pun, wicked fun and I think I ate and drank well over $100. Easy. Not sure how much the tickets were, but I'd do it again!

I play at a couple of private parties every year that are "free" but I get as much as I can eat. They are fun, so I enjoy playing there.

Just played a fund-raising benefit last Saturday for the school our lead singer works at. She asked us to do it as a favor. The fund-raiser was at a really nice, swanky, nouveau tapas restaurant called Solera (for you Minneapolitans). As soon as I heard we were going to eat for free there, I was in.

The band I am in has done a few charity gigs and I'm hoping I get to with them. So if someone is offering a good feed so my family can join in, then I'd do it. I host BBQ jams at home anyways, they cost me money too.

Food! I like food! :D

I'd rather play for free. Honestly. Call me crazy, but I'm one of the few individuals who believe music should be a FREE art. Kinda like looking at a statue in the park. Should we have to pay to look at it? Nope. Should we pay to listen to something that we could re-create ourselves? Nope. If there's money to made off a gig, it's in merch. Plain and simple, IMO.

(prepares for bombardment.) :hiding:
+1. I'm a bright eyed bunny on that one too :)

But not everyone buys merch. So in time, most musicians would just be those rich kids who, we can all agree, "are the total package!" Bwuahahahaha.

(Yeah we got that show here, they ran that as an ad for weeks :rollno: )

Either that, or music will breakdown to local pockets around the world and we will have to see some major global copyright and internet reforms, woohoo :)

Aaaah, the enjoyment of ideas. Thanks! :hyper:

Food! I like food! :D

I'd rather play for free. Honestly. Call me crazy, but I'm one of the few individuals who believe music should be a FREE art. Kinda like looking at a statue in the park. Should we have to pay to look at it? Nope. Should we pay to listen to something that we could re-create ourselves? Nope. If there's money to made off a gig, it's in merch. Plain and simple, IMO.

(prepares for bombardment.) :hiding:

So *YOU'RE* the reason that club owners keep telling me, "Why should I pay you again? There's this one bassist who thinks music should be free!"

:smug:

Dave

Playing for free and getting fed is one thing, but to have an arrangement where the food is the payment? I don't think so.

I'm not a fan of substituting beer as part of payment either since I don't drink, especially if I am playing.

Food! I like food! :D

I'd rather play for free. Honestly. Call me crazy, but I'm one of the few individuals who believe music should be a FREE art. Kinda like looking at a statue in the park. Should we have to pay to look at it? Nope. Should we pay to listen to something that we could re-create ourselves? Nope. If there's money to made off a gig, it's in merch. Plain and simple, IMO.

(prepares for bombardment.) :hiding:

+1
-1

I completely agree. Music should be free. That is what the idea of music was in the beginning, a nice tune to enjoy. I play because I enjoy it, and who am I to say that people can't enjoy it with me.

But in reality, someone is going to be making money off of your playing. If it's not the manager profiting from the added business from the people you bring in with your excellent music, it's the bartender serving more customers who are trying to drown out that thing you call music. Either way, someone will be profiting off of you, and with a basic set of nickel-wound D'addario's for a four string starting at $20, sometimes it doesn't hurt to get a little back.

In a perfect world, I'd love to play for free, but sometimes I just can't...

I completely agree. Music should be free...
In a perfect world, I'd love to play for free, but sometimes I just can't...

Yes, music *should* be free. But it's not.

Your...

- instruments
- amps
- cabs
- cables
- strings
- straps
- cases
- lessons and/or music school
- books
- gas/mileage/insurance on your van to get to the gig
- flyers & posters you made for the show
- your internet connection pro-rated for the time you spend on Talkbass learning how to be better
- the time you spend on Talkbass learning how to be better that you could be spending making money elsewhere
- the money you spend hiring studio time
- the computer you use to get on Talkbass & internet forums to promote your shows
- the license fees you pay to play cover songs
- the overhead you pay to keep your band in legal good standing
- the insurance you pay in case your instruments are stolen or damaged
- the microphones
- mains
- subs
- monitors
- mixing board
- compressors
- feedback suppressors
- and snake
- your fogger
- T-Rexes
- light trees
- and cans
- the money you spend to hire a photographer for the night
- the money you spend to have a *quality* soundman run your set
- the fees you pay to professional associations like AFM, ASCAP, and BMI
- the money you spend to mail CDs and promokits
- the money you spend to MAKE CDs and promokits
- the CDs you buy so you can stay on top of your game
- that Tascam Bass Trainer CD thing you bought but never use
- the money you spent on that miniature screwdriver set for adjusting intonation
- the clothes you wear to the gig
- the business cards you got for free (plus shipping, and a $15 charge so they don't say "Vistaprint.com" on the back)
- the money you pay to an attorney and accountant every few months to make sure you're not farting things up
- the money you spend each month renting your rehearsal space
- earplugs
- picks
- batteries for your basses and/or tuners
- preamps
- rack cases
- the $10 you gave to each of 3 college studnets to put up posters in their classes
- the $10 you slipped the guy at Streetside Records to put on your new CD instead of "Million Dollar Bash"
- the doorguy you have to hire to stand beside the "real" doorguy to make sure he doesn't stop charging at 10:30
- your website hosting
- your website design
- No-Doz and/or Red Bull and/or Rockstar
- the list goes on...

That all *should* be free, too. But it's not. And if you don't pay for it from the money bar owners pay you - OUT OF THEIR PROFIT, I might add - then you have to pay for it out of your own pocket, from a day job. Unless you're lucky enough to have a patron of the arts, music *isn't* free.

No offense to the guys that say music is about having fun. It is. But if music is just "fun" for you, then for chrissake, do it in your basement. Some of us are trying to make a living here!

<rant mode off>

:bassist:

:D

Dave

P.S. I've played for food before... sometimes, good bbq... man, it's worth it, too.

Yes, music *should* be free. But it's not.

Your...

-....

Sticky please.:p

here's an ad for just that scenario, currently running in Philly. It's so absurd on the face of it that I'm not surprised that they've been running this ad multiple times.

what chump would agree to this?

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/muc/327702481.html

I said "depends" I wouldn't do it often, but I could see playing for the right food once in a while, and I have inadvertently played for food when it was provided and the door was so bad that we really didn't make any money. (I rarely play for the door anymore)



I'd rather play for free. Honestly. Call me crazy, but I'm one of the few individuals who believe music should be a FREE art. Kinda like looking at a statue in the park. Should we have to pay to look at it? Nope. Should we pay to listen to something that we could re-create ourselves? Nope. If there's money to made off a gig, it's in merch. Plain and simple, IMO.

:scowl:


I'm sorry, I just had to laugh at this. Obviously not spoken by a professional musician. If musicians were not paid, we wouldn't have very many good musicians. The only musicians would be those independently wealthy enough to pay their own way, or those content to reside well below the poverty line.

By the way, someone paid a pretty penny for that statue in the park.

Classical and Jazz musicians sellingt t-shirts and patches to make a living? Come on now, that's just silly.

Are you kidding?

Our band trailer doesn't leave the driveway for under $100 a person... and that's a 'first date' type deal.

here's an ad for just that scenario, currently running in Philly. It's so absurd on the face of it that I'm not surprised that they've been running this ad multiple times.

what chump would agree to this?

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/muc/327702481.html

i would totally be there if i were in philly :cool:

I know a jazz club that organizes concerts in a restaurant here, and the payment is a 40 euro cheque you can eat for at the restaurant at any time, plus you get a good dinner before the gig too. I haven't played there but my brother has done it several times and he don't mind getting paid this way sometimes. It's a good way to go out and eat without paying yourself to bancrupcy. :)

I think the problem for me is that all the restaurants that have food worth playing for don't tend to have much live music. None of my favorite "nice" places have any live music outside of the ocassional flamenco guitarrist or somesuch.

I'd play for food at Think, Vermillion, Gejas, Shaws, Ambria or any of the other great Chicago restaurants that I can rarely afford to go to, but not for bar food.

Kinda a different scenario here, but this is an incident I ran into a few years ago, when I was more wet behind the ears.

We did a local citywide Battle of the Bands a few years ago, and I and a few friends were in charge of helping get stuff set up. It was outside in the lot of a bar, with flatbeds for stages.

We ended up provideing alot of equipment ourselves, just to be niec and help out, including a few pieces of P.A. equipment because the city was too cheap ass to rent a real P.A. After some time of busting our backs in the heat, the owner of the club comes out and says, "Hey, if you guys are hungry, we've got some stuff inside for sale, if you want." :mad:

I was so pissed I about left. Never again, for people that disrespectful.

It's not my preferred method of payment, but I have played for food. There was one party in particular where I got to eat sushi off a chick dressed as a mermaid. Yes, that is as cool as it sounds.

here's an ad for just that scenario, currently running in Philly. It's so absurd on the face of it that I'm not surprised that they've been running this ad multiple times.

what chump would agree to this?

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/muc/327702481.html


I was born and raised in Malvern, PA... If anyone goes to the party, let me know the address, I probably know the cheepskates... :D :) :hmm: :eyebrow: :crying: :bawl:

There is a mod here who's TB name is Willplay4food.
Something like that anyways...

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

By the way, someone paid a pretty penny for that statue in the park.

Well put. The Cloud Gate "Bean" in Chicago comes to mind. Very, very, cool. Also 20 *million* dollars.

I mean, come on. That's taxpayer money. If professional musicians were subsidized by the gov't like they are in France, oo baby. I'd play for food then.

http://www.gallagher.com/photos/2004/Chicago_Millennium_Park/cloud_gate.jpg

It's not my preferred method of payment, but I have played for food. There was one party in particular where I got to eat sushi off a chick dressed as a mermaid. Yes, that is as cool as it sounds.


Well, that's different. You're not getting paid as much with the food as you are the atmosphere.

:D

I've just started praciticing with other plays and stuff now who're looking to start gigging in the summer.

I've assured all of them I would be amazed to play for dinner. I mean, play a few songs and get food for it? Isn't that like... GODLY?

Saying that, I'm very open to the concept of dinner AND money, and I'm sure as soon as I get paid once I'll want it more and more :D

I've just started praciticing with other plays and stuff now who're looking to start gigging in the summer.

I've assured all of them I would be amazed to play for dinner. I mean, play a few songs and get food for it? Isn't that like... GODLY?

Saying that, I'm very open to the concept of dinner AND money, and I'm sure as soon as I get paid once I'll want it more and more :D

Pssh, I just wanna be asked to play ;)

for food, oh yea, give me some food:D

Pssh, I just wanna be asked to play ;)

for food, oh yea, give me some food:D

No offense to you at all, meev, but that just makes it that much harder for people who really do this for a living. Playing is a service, and while yes, it's fun, you're providing something that has value. By giving it away, you're devaluing yourself and everyone else's music, too.

Imagine you have a town with a five well-established bars. They charge fair prices for drinks and they do pretty good business. Now, imagine that you have 50 or 60 other bars that aren't as good, but are just so excited that someone would consider going to them that they never charge for drinks. The owners of those 50 or 60 other bars don't mind losing money, because they're just doing it "for fun" anyway. How long do you think those five bars that charge a fair price for their product are going to stay in business, even if they are more polished and more professional?

Like I said before, I agree that music is fun. But, decide if it's a fun hobby or a fun job. If it's just a fun hobby, play in your basement for your friends and family. If you want to play out, charge a fair price for the valuable service you're providing. The clubs are making money off of you whether they pay you or not. If you're playing out, music is a *job.* It's a fun job, but it's a job. Would you work at your day job without getting paid? No? Why are you working for free at your night job?

Dave

My band primarily plays benefits - so food would be increasing our normal pay! I'm fer it.

No offense to you at all, meev, but that just makes it that much harder for people who really do this for a living. Playing is a service, and while yes, it's fun, you're providing something that has value. By giving it away, you're devaluing yourself and everyone else's music, too.


I completely understand your sentiments. Perhaps I have the skills, but as a young-in, it would be a lot of pressure for me to be paid to play (don't want to dissapoint).

I hope I can one day, play for money, instead of sitting in San Francisco with my guitar...although, making change that way is nice:smug:

Well put. The Cloud Gate "Bean" in Chicago comes to mind. Very, very, cool. Also 20 *million* dollars.

I mean, come on. That's taxpayer money. If professional musicians were subsidized by the gov't like they are in France, oo baby. I'd play for food then.

http://www.gallagher.com/photos/2004/Chicago_Millennium_Park/cloud_gate.jpg

20 million dollars for that??? Oh come on I could have made ten of those for that surely :D :D

20 million dollars for that??? Oh come on I could have made ten of those for that surely :D :D

With 20 million dollars, I'd rather have a huge jelly-bean factory :D

Food! I like food! :D

I'd rather play for free. Honestly. Call me crazy, but I'm one of the few individuals who believe music should be a FREE art. Kinda like looking at a statue in the park. Should we have to pay to look at it? Nope. Should we pay to listen to something that we could re-create ourselves? Nope. If there's money to made off a gig, it's in merch. Plain and simple, IMO.

(prepares for bombardment.) :hiding:

Somebody paid that artist to create that statue. Artists and musicians have to eat and pay for gas and electricity just like everybody else. If a bar owner has a band playing it's being he/she believes that more people will come and buy more drinks than if there isn't a band there. It's all about profit. If he/she thought the band caused less people to show up then there wouldn't be a band at that bar.

I've played for free at homeless shelters but I don't make a habit of it.

If someone wanted to provide me with a steak dinner to go along with my fee, fine. I have enjoyed some nice complimentary catering before too, and getting a proper dinner is much better than just a sandwich assortment or a bowl of soup, but I wouldn't complain about those either!

Oh hell yeah I'd play for food. That would be fantastic. But I'd like to be compensated for the load in and out to pay for gas money or the sound guy. Growing up around the live music scene it's usually been free or half priced beer, free soda, half priced food. If it's anything less than that everyone I know will usually be a little ticked.

Somebody paid that artist to create that statue. Artists and musicians have to eat and pay for gas and electricity just like everybody else. If a bar owner has a band playing it's being he/she believes that more people will come and buy more drinks than if there isn't a band there. It's all about profit. If he/she thought the band caused less people to show up then there wouldn't be a band at that bar.

I've played for free at homeless shelters but I don't make a habit of it.


Yeah but payment should be in proportion to the quality of the product delivered, not just because the artist has expenses. No way should that artist have received $20 mil for that big shiny poop sandwich, I don't care if he/she spent every waking moment of their entire life on it.

I played a steady duo gig (real book - sax/guitar) that was twice a week for a summer and they gave us $100 each PLUS a $25 gift certificate for their restaurant every gig. I spent mine throughout the summer, but the guitar player saved all of his and had a big party there on the last day of summer that he paid for with his gift certificates!

Never, but I like the gigs that include food, drink, and pay. Saturday night was tapas, Guinness, and cash.

What really annoys me is having to pay a bar tab after a gig. Lame.

I spent mine throughout the summer, but the guitar player saved all of his and had a big party there on the last day of summer that he paid for with his gift certificates!

LOLZ I bet the restaurant owner is going to think twice before handing those out again:smug:

Actually meev991, he was a really business savvy guy and realised, A) the hundreds of dollars of gift certificates only cost him a minor percentage in true cost (due to mark up), 2) and he was getting people in to try his food and have a good experience.
Plus we had initially asked for $250 a night and I credit him with thinking outside of the box and making a good deal to sub $50 a night as gift certificates. There's a thread someone should start:
BEST AND WORST CLUB OWNERS!!!!! (I'll bet there would be plenty of stories on that one!)

I always play for food. I also play for rent, gas, car insurance, clothing, and all my other needs.

How 'bout a "H&!! No!"

Well put. The Cloud Gate "Bean" in Chicago comes to mind. Very, very, cool. Also 20 *million* dollars.

I mean, come on. That's taxpayer money. If professional musicians were subsidized by the gov't like they are in France, oo baby. I'd play for food then.

http://www.gallagher.com/photos/2004/Chicago_Millennium_Park/cloud_gate.jpg

Actually, all the funding for that came from private donations.

I sure have ! :cool:

my band did this once. Just to get our name out there. Played a hell of an early show at a school coffee house just to get our name out to the students in my school. we got free coffee along with cookies ^_^ .... well worth the performance.

my band did this once. Just to get our name out there. Played a hell of an early show at a school coffee house just to get our name out to the students in my school. we got free coffee along with cookies ^_^ .... well worth the performance.

+1

School coffee and cookies are so expensive:rollno:

IMO, totally worth it:D

how about food and gas?

...and gas for all the practices.... whoops that means regular pay LOL

Now that it is getting closer to Christmas, is it me or are more people trying to get away with just offering food as payment for playing at a party?

Wow...

I can tell not many people in here play original music anywhere close to Los Angeles...

A lot of the clubs are pay TO play!

We make our money licensing songs to tv and movies.

Play a show for food in LA...Hell yeah!

if its pizza or something like that i`ll do it

as in a meal is the only payment you receive for your services as a bassist:confused:

I can't say I never have, but I generally feel a musician should be compensated with money so that he or she can decide whether to buy food, or not to buy food with that money. Leave the choice and discretion as to the form use of the compensation to the one who earned it, rather than the one who distributes it.

Somehow, I think people who are responsible for or who have been given the duty of compensating musicians often feel it is perhaps less offensive to give someone a meal (as nice as that meal is) than to give them the monetary equivalent (anywhere from $5-$15) of that meal.

Something is better than nothing, and in these tough times I don't want to be an ungrateful SOB, but I sure prefer money.

Or am I wrong?

How about $275.00 and a meal. I get that every Thursday during the summer. Leave my house at 5:30 home by midnight. Actual playing time about one and a half hours. I think alot of musicians sell themselves short.

I think alot of musicians sell themselves short.

Correct. Some do. Some don't. Some are overhyped and I'm sitting there thinking "I paid what to experience this?". Some are underhyped, and I can't believe I get the privilage of seeing the music, live.

I've played for sandwiches and tips. I've also been with groups that were ultimately unable to play the wedding gig because our baseline, basement-bottom figure was still well out of reach of the couple that wanted to hire us.

My point is, regardless of how/if a musician/group sells themselves, the financial requirements sometimes preclude an agreeable deal. Sometimes you can compromise. Sometimes you can't.

Yes, it's called going on tour!

In a post-nuclear war situation , maybe.
'Till then , no.

I would never pay 200-400 for a meal......

I'd never play a tough show for free (as in, hefty set up or intense playing that takes extreme mental processes for long periods of time).

Though I did just play all 53 movements of "Messiah" at school and was one of two in the orchrestra not getting paid (only two students out of about 20 musicians).. that was different though. because now every year I can get a gig playing the thing (having played all of it once)

i never get paid anyway.. so i'd gladly play for food. cheeseburger, sprite, bag of chips or plate of fries, and ill play your party.

How about $275.00 and a meal. I get that every Thursday during the summer. Leave my house at 5:30 home by midnight. Actual playing time about one and a half hours. I think alot of musicians sell themselves short.

wow.. thats pretty snobbish. im lucky to get my gas money back, and im GLAD to get the gigs i do. ive been kicking $*** for 3 years with this band, and we are talented enough to get paid, but i wont demand 200 bones for a show.

and given the chance, we will play at LEAST an hour of music, if not more.

Yes, I have actually done this. I was sitting at home on a Friday evening relaxing from a long week at work when I get a phone call from a youth pastor I know. He asks me if I could come and play bass at a youth rally that night, since his bassist was sick. In my mind I wanted to just stay home and relax but then he mentioned pizza afterwards. I went ahead and grabbed my bass, kissed my wife goodbye, and headed off to church. I would have stayed home that evening but then he had to go a mention FREE PIZZA!!! You can't turn that down.:D

If it's for a good friend, or a charity I want to help, or a way of meeting new people that can benefit me down the road with paying gigs, I will play for food only. But I won't play for long, and God have mercy on their souls if they get paid and I don't. Anyone else better have at least a 3-figure check at the bottom of my mashed potatoes. I have food at home. I play music for money. It's how I make a living. Someone else in this thread called that attitude snobbish. Whatever. I have enough paying gigs that I don't need someone to rip me off. If that's snobbish, so be it. Wanna make music your business? Treat it like a business.

wow.. thats pretty snobbish. im lucky to get my gas money back, and im GLAD to get the gigs i do. ive been kicking $*** for 3 years with this band, and we are talented enough to get paid, but i wont demand 200 bones for a show.

and given the chance, we will play at LEAST an hour of music, if not more.

Well, you see, that's the difference between an amateur and a professional. No, I don't play for food, do chefs cook for music?

If I play for free it's a gift. A meal is not payment for it. If someone wants to pay me with a meal, it's a joke.

For a charity gig or a cause I believe in -- Children's Hospital, March of Dimes, American Cancer Society -- of course. I do several times a year.

For some guy having a party -- depends on the guy and the food. A friend or really great food, probably. Some guy just throwing a party, probably not.

For a club that's making money and paying the other staff such as bartenders, doorman, and waitresses -- instead of paying me -- NEVER!




dcr

If it was a local jam evening, and the only reason for the open scene to be there is to create a meeting place for musicians to enjoy jamming together, I'd definitely play for food and beverages during the evening. I have done this many years ago when we had wednesday jam / open scene and I was the organ player in the band that where hosting the event. It was a very popular thing and it led to lots of new gigs both as organ player and as a complete band, and of course, lots of good times and laughs with other musicians...

D.Don

free beer = payment enough

I don't do gigs at all but I were doing this professionally, I'd rather starve than playing for food. Though at my state, if someone were to tell me, they would treat me to a michelin star restaurant if I played for some people for a while I definitely would accept :D

wow.. thats pretty snobbish. im lucky to get my gas money back, and im GLAD to get the gigs i do. ive been kicking $*** for 3 years with this band, and we are talented enough to get paid, but i wont demand 200 bones for a show.

and given the chance, we will play at LEAST an hour of music, if not more.If your talented enough to get paid then why don't you? My band makes at least $1200 a night, even when we play bars. Nobody is going to pay you more than you ask for so why do you sell yourself short?

I'll play for free if it's short small thing, if I'm offered food I'll take it. Food on top of pay is always nice, especially when you get into some really delicious restaurants. Then playing for a block party for small or no pay usually is made up by great home cooking.

I am a working musician but at times especially with the group I'm in we sort of weigh the idea of charging someone if it's for some community charitable good will kind of thing. Food is always nice though. We don't take free beer most of the time though, most recently we all went on a clean living lifestyle together to remove the pollutants in our lives.

If your talented enough to get paid then why don't you? My band makes at least $1200 a night, even when we play bars. Nobody is going to pay you more than you ask for so why do you sell yourself short?
Well, to be fair, originals bands really can't make any money to speak of because the vast majority of them don't draw. So I can kind of understand them wanting to play out just to get heard and develop a following if they can. Anyone playing covers, though, it totally baffles me. At least try to get a C-note for yourself out of it.

I'd be happy to get back gas money, but that's the difference between a pro and everybody else. If I had to make my living playing, I'd probably be skilled enough to deserve an actual payday.

For a charity gig or a cause I believe in -- Children's Hospital, March of Dimes, American Cancer Society -- of course. I do several times a year.
dcr

Sometimes, charity and money for musicians are NOT mutually exclusive things. I've done gigs in support of diabetes causes and have earned money from it. At some point, if you're a professional musician, and it's what you do for your living/bread and butter, you simply have to be paid a reasonable amount to do anything at all, otherwise you're sacrificing twice: first, on that charity gig which you didn't make enough money on, and secondly, the opportunity cost of taking that gig, in place, potentially, of another that would actually pay what you really needed in the first place.

I tend to think people are not money grubbers as much as it may seem on the surface, and that may musicians do see the value in supporting causes and doing events even when their circumstances require payment for them to be involved.

Or in other words, just because I was paid and perhaps paid enough that I don't have to care, doesn't mean I don't care about the underlying issue, charity or reason for performing.

The bottom line is that I play for pay when I must, and I play for less (maybe even "free") when I can.

Is there a garage out there that will fix your car for a sandwich? or can you pay the DR. with a salad bar?

If the economy keeps going like it is, that kind of bartering system might be what we ultimately have to have to fix cars and pay doctors. Uggg...

...but I understand your point vey well, and the answer to both is of course, no.

http://i.pbase.com/o4/08/432908/1/53558373.willplayforfood.jpg

if by food you mean beer then yes

Before I turned 21, I always played for Alcohol, but food would have done the trick 2.

I'll play for food if I get to actually enjoy the food.
If they will give me a nice dinner with good food and wine for my wife and I to enjoy before the show then it could be worth it as those outings can cost my wife and I a pretty penny. But, if it's some bar food that I gulp down between sets, then it's not.

As I have told others who tried paying with food, "I have food in my fridge, but no cash in my pocket."

I play in cover bands, and we do not generally play for free. We have done a couple of fundraisers (really low key, low $$ donations) for free, but those are really just gifts of time. These events usually include food as a perk.

I don't play music for a living, but I believe my band does provide a service for the bars we play, and we expect to be paid.

I played for food last friday.

40 (forty) Minutes of improvising with my guitarist got me 1 (one) whole christmas dinner.

Totally wrth it.

We play for $$, BUT our booking agent (also our drummer) has specific instructions to barter in food whenever there is food to be had.

Wedding gig=good food.

Recent standouts:
-All you can eat shrimp
-Prime rib
-Salmon in some kind of spicy bread crust. Flippin awesome!
-Steak in a Gran Marnier sauce.
-Cheesecakes of many varieties

Its a good thing the gear is so heavy. Its the only thing keeping me from blowing up like a blimp.

I don't do chemical engineering for food, why should I play my bass for a plate of mediocre-quality food? That's suggesting that my 3 hours of playing in the local bar is worth nothing more than an overcooked burger and soggy fries that become cold because the wait staff brings it out during sound check, a nominal monetary value of $8.00 at full menu price. No thanks! Bartenders & waitresses don't work for free, and there is a much higher level of skill involved in playing music than pouring liquids into cups and carrying trays of food & drinks.

Playing for church or charity is a completely different kettle of fish. By providing your skills and efforts, you are making the trade of 'donation of playing' for 'fulfillment of altruistic needs'. There is still a transaction that is accomplished, and by accepting it, you agree that that transaction is a fair one. Accepting a transaction that is far below fair market value is not a good business move for one's self or his fellow musicians.

$$ PLUS food means Ian's there & ready to play.

ian

I'd play even for free, I like playing on stage. So if I would even get some food as a reward, even better :)

Our band is a hobby and we play only charity gigs or private parties for our friends. The fee is a meal and drinks for the band. On the few occasions when we play other occasions, the fee is a donation to the charity of our choice.

How 'bout a "H&!! No!"Let me change my answer to 'if it's for family or a close friend'.

A free meal doesn't pay for the gas needed to get to the gig...depends on the gig, of course. Charity I believe in, and no one else (servers, chefs, etc.) are getting $$, then I'd play it for free food. At a bar, resturant, other for profit venue, I'd want to see some $$ in my pocket...

Food! I like food! :D

I'd rather play for free. Honestly. Call me crazy, but I'm one of the few individuals who believe music should be a FREE art. Kinda like looking at a statue in the park. Should we have to pay to look at it? Nope. Should we pay to listen to something that we could re-create ourselves? Nope. If there's money to made off a gig, it's in merch. Plain and simple, IMO.

(prepares for bombardment.) :hiding:

What you've missed is that the artist that did that statue got paid. It's not free. Your tax dollars, sales tax etc. pay for that statue. It was selected or commissioned by your local govt. I lived in Santa Cruz. That alone could affect your viewpoint.:hiding::):)

Doctors should heal us because we are all people and we all get sick. So how is he/she to feed his/her family? Pay for his/her education? His health care?

Many musicians I know would rather play for free than for chump change.

I agree with the old phrase, "we get paid for cartage". Why? I'm a musician. I'm going to be playing music. You're just asking me to do it where you are. Hence you are paying me to move my gear.:)

You voted for or didn't vote or didn't vote for the person who commissioned that giant poop sandwich. Get involved and make the decision that string quartets or kiss tribute bands play in the parks instead of another expenditure on a giant poop sandwich.

Some of the best music I heard as a teen was at Summer in the Parks concerts which were almost every night in the summer at many locations simultaneously. Many local semi famous groups got steady income those summers. Some of these local groups would be paid to practice during the day at an empty high school then get paid to play at night.
The colleges in Wash. D.C. had student unions who would hire small time touring acts like Mountain, Steve Miller, Allman Bros., The Who, The Dead and Procol Harum. Tuition paid for these. Demonstrations would have small time groups like Canned Heat and the Jefferson Airplane. These were free concerts. Who paid? Donations and grants. Where did that money come from. Someone made it to have it to donate.

or for food or any other non monetary compensation:

Write a contract that stipulates time start and end and total time played. Add in travel time, travel costs, cartage, gear rent, pay for the band (inflate it), etc.. Make a total of the amount. Then put in a contribution in kind clause- basically this says you would normally charge $xx. but you are donating your time, talent, & efforts to that charity. Then get it signed. This will come off you taxes at the end of the year. It will also mark you as a professional group- you lay it all out in black & white, clearly, and no questions, whether you actually get paid or not. This is the exact same thing as if you give a car to charity- you don't get paid, but you get to write it off.

Food is good, but I prefer to get free beer. If I can go out and play a show and drink all night and come home without spending any money... that's a good night.

No.

Did that once, when I was with my first band. Never again. Ever. For so many reasons.

Cherie

What you've missed is that the artist that did that statue got paid. It's not free. Your tax dollars, sales tax etc. pay for that statue. It was selected or commissioned by your local govt. I lived in Santa Cruz. That alone could affect your viewpoint.:hiding::):)

Doctors should heal us because we are all people and we all get sick. So how is he/she to feed his/her family? Pay for his/her education? His health care?

Many musicians I know would rather play for free than for chump change.

I agree with the old phrase, "we get paid for cartage". Why? I'm a musician. I'm going to be playing music. You're just asking me to do it where you are. Hence you are paying me to move my gear.:)

When people tell me I should do this for love of the music, I tell them that the music *is* for love!!! Its all I want to do! Its my spiritual food, man.

However, having me come to where you are, tote and set up all my gear, work hard to entertain you, then tear it all down at the end of the night...for *that* I expect to be paid!

Cherie :bassist: