money is the root of all evil (extremely long read...sorry)

[Stumpy]

Originally Posted by ibnzneksrul

1 - Steve needs to grow up

2 - Drummer's dad is a wise man

+1

[Akami]

Originally Posted by Steve

Give the guy his money and be glad it's not MY money you have.

I would have taken it from you.

You're just saying that because your name's Steve too.


But seriously, much as the guy sounds like a jerk, the band owes him his $50.

What you guys just did shows how badly government can be when people think they have the right to decide what to do with other peoples money.

Give everyone their money, and look for a guitarist not named Steve!

I think the best way to buy a sound system when one person can't afford it all is for each member to agree on buying pieces, rather than the community pot.

Then if there's a 'band divorce', there is no quibbling over how much of the system needs to be split up; the member leaving takes their power amp, speaker or whatever they own and the remaining members look for replacements.

[dave_p]

1.
who died and left you the wolfman, jack.
2.
i dont know about you but at 17 i was years past dragging my mommy into it.

[dave_p]

Originally Posted by Alan 342

Somebody back there said at 200 a gig it'll take a long time to save up for a good rig. Just exactly how much are you getting paid? I don't know how it works in other places, but here.. you're pretty much lucky if more than a dozen people show up to see your band for chump change on 5 dollar beer bust night. Apart from the bar scene though, it's more likely you're opening for a more well known band at no pay.. unless you get lucky and sell 10 or 20 dollars worth of merch.

Just so I'm not off topic though I will say that I agree with the 5 way split. Give everybody a cut and put some towards the band. If I was Steve I probably would have walked out. 'We voted and you don't get paid' would set me off for sure. Good luck though. Try not to fight. I've been in 2 bands that split from fighting.

really?
in the mid 90's we would get 650 a night and beer up to 30 bucks each. and a bonus if we had a good draw.

[IanStephenson]

split the cash.

I'm sure glad my day job doesn't run on the same basis as your band: "Well Ian, you worked 40 hours this week, but we're going to hold onto your wages so we can redecorate the office".

Ian

[jaaboy]

Originally Posted by IanStephenson

split the cash.

I'm sure glad my day job doesn't run on the same basis as your band: "Well Ian, you worked 40 hours this week, but we're going to hold onto your wages so we can redecorate the office".

Ian

You misunderstand. It was understood between us that we werent in it for the money. we've kept money we have been paid before in the "band account". But steve got greedy once the amount of money we were getting paid increased. Had we just been paid 50 bucks, it wouldent have been a big deal.
You dont need to be so condescending.

[txbasschik]

Originally Posted by ric1312

The whole community pot thing never works out, should have gave everyone their split IMO.

It's also not really a great I idea to go in on equipment together. The band will break up and people will want money or parts of a pa you need for your new band, and it will end badly.

I agree.

I think a better way to approach the "community pot" idea is to do like you're at church and tithe to it.

When we get paid, we take a tenth of it and put it into a pot. That way, we have something with which to buy *emergency* supplies, like a new PA cord, or a pack of 9v batteries, or strings/sticks, etc., or to pay a sound man or a sit-in player if/when we need to.

Big-ticket items, like PA speakers, head, amps, etc., are purchased by the individual, and if the band breaks up, that individual keeps what he/she bought.

That way, there is no fighting over equipment, and band members keep most of what they make.

Cherie

[Alan 342]

Originally Posted by dave_p

really?
in the mid 90's we would get 650 a night and beer up to 30 bucks each. and a bonus if we had a good draw.

Maybe it's just a location thing? My band makes absolutely no money at all. Granted we're not exactly up and running yet, but we're a few grand in the hole easy. Nobody expects to break even unless we can really hustle some CD sales.

What I said was gathered from people I've talked to and bands I know that play around here locally. Mostly rockabilly/psychobilly and punk rock n roll. The general trend is if you don't headline you don't get paid, and if you do headline you shouldn't expect much. Maybe it's just the lack of interest in 'underground' styles of music around here, but we have real trouble getting more than a dozen people out to a free show. The bars and venues make such little money from bands they can't afford to pay good money. I've even talked to some well established bands touring through, and they say they're basically doing it for gas money and free beer.

650 would be amazing.

[T-MOST]

ask him what he really wants, the money, or the band


See there you go again.... it's HIS money PERIOD.

[hbarcat]

Originally Posted by jaaboy

.... I thought that it was understood between us that we were in this for more than the money, and any money we got would be used to advance the band. .... We are all pretty ambitious. We actually kinda want to go somewhere with the band. ... Perhaps ill just talk with steve and ask him what he really wants, the money, or the band.

Experienced bands know these truths:

1) All money the band receives should always be split equally among band members at the earliest possible convenience (preferably right after the show) with no questions asked and no strings attached.

2) Playing music is a reward unto itself, but any money earned from a show pays for things that a musician needs or wants, whatever that happens to be. Other band members questioning the motives of how another musician spends his money is arrogant.

3) Bands that are serious enough to create special "band funds" to finance PA's, recording time, albums and t-shirts and other advertising are also serious enough to form themselves into a legal entity. Simply registering "The Buttkicker Blues Band" with the government and setting up a bank account with that name that takes in and pays out money forces the band to be formally accountable for the flow of its funds by requiring that decisions about money that benefit the band as a whole are discussed ahead of time and written down as agreed upon.



You unknowingly contradict yourself when you say that you're not in it for the money but you want the band to seriously advance. Bands can't advance without money (all serious undertakings require money) and there's nothing wrong with that because that's what the purpose of money IS: a tool to advance your cause. Your belief that the money is somehow a corrupting agent (you called it "the root of all evil") is clouding your judgment and causing you to become the moral decider of money in your band and actually preventing you from advancing your music. The real challenge is to keep the money issue seperate from the art and make sure that the handling of the money is done in an open, honest and accountable manner that is fair to all parties.

[ryco]

The money thing really should have been discussed and agreed upon before hand.

If I was in your position I would split the money from this gig evenly between everyone. Now call a meeting and make an agreement how future monies earned by your band are going to be divied up.

Members
Support crew and gear rental (PA and lights)
Expenses (gas, food, rooms, etc)
Promotion (promo pak, ads, posters and handouts, etc)
Equipment maintenence

[rap138]

sorry man, but is his money.