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90 miles for $200.00? Reasonable?

#21
Carpools are cool, it really helps to stay awake when you have someone to talk to. That is unless they fall asleep first haha.

When I do my long drives (which is often), I usually have certain music that I keep on tap that gets me amped up and stimulated enough to make it home.
 
#22
glocke1 said:
50, pretty healthy for a guy my age compared to my peers and even folks ten years my junior.

Biggest issues for me are:
1) Pay isn't really that great to me...by the time you factor in vehicle wear and tear, gas, etc...You are probably down to it being a 100 dollar gig.

2) Details are vague and I was hoping that with this band vague gigs would be a thing of the past for me. My perception of this current band is that they wouldn't be ones to run into territory that was vague or offered no details, but so far all I've heard is $200.00, private party..No start time, no end time...etc. Chances are it's all good, but still.

3) Again the thing weighing on my mind the most is the ride home. I've recognized I have a problem staying awake at the wheel on hour plus rides home, so need to now figure out what to do about it.

Chances are I'll go ahead and do it and do what i have to about the post gig drive even if it means ambien/motel/4-5 hours sleep.

Oh, one other thing. I forgot to mention..the B.L. is setting this up, but isn't even going to be there himself..he's getting a sub for himself....:woot:
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Is he getting a sub for himself because the gig is sketchy? Personally I would play the gig. I enjoy the occasional possible awkward gig. Keeps things interesting.
 
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#24
I would drive 90 miles for a guaranteed $200.00.

If BL or talent buyer played funny with the money and I got significantly less, I would feel taken advantage of and make my disappointment clear. Then, I would be reluctant to accept similar gigs in the future.

Beyond that $200.00 constituting pretty good money in my neighborhood, I would also factor in the networking and marketing aspect, which is invaluable. On the Colorado Front Range, you often have to go up or down a couple thousand feet in elevation to play a sweet gig, and if you want to market your band and develop brand recognition and a good reputation, you sometimes have to drive a little.

Interestingly, when I work with musicians from the East Coast, and I worry about the distance to rehearsal and gigs, they shrug their shoulders and tell me all about how they often had to cross two or three state lines to get where they were going.
 
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#28
glocke1 said:
2) Details are vague and I was hoping that with this band vague gigs would be a thing of the past for me.
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That's the more likely thing to kill it for me. Especially since the BL won't even be there. Could get sticky should things go wrong without BL involvement.

3) Again the thing weighing on my mind the most is the ride home. I've recognized I have a problem staying awake at the wheel on hour plus rides home, so need to now figure out what to do about it.
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We're all different. I regularly head directly home all night (7-10 hours, depending on where the gig is) immediately after the last note of multi-night gigs that I might drive to. hell, I even did a 14 hour round trip with the gig in between one time because it was lucrative enough. It's not a fun drive home, but doable if I plan ahead (stay up 'til 5 in the morning of the last gig day, sleep as long as possible so I can get the body on a night schedule). 4 hours of adrenaline after the gig, coffee at the halfway point, I'm good to go.
 
#31
glocke1 said:
Gig came up thats 90 miles (about 1 hour 40 minutes from me) and will pay $200.00.

Details overall are sketchy/non-existant but so far the B.L. that sets these things up hasn't led us into anything thats been truly bad. It's supposed to pay $200.00 per person.

Is that reasonable? I've driven as far or further for less in the past but these days I try to keep those long distance gigs to a minimum, mainly because I have trouble staying awake on the drive home...That basically means stopping every 30 minutes or so to nap, or worst case getting a motel room, taking an Ambien and sleeping for 4-5 hours in a real bed.
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Car pooling is a good thing. As for mileage, the std deduction is $.54 a mile. So better than half of that $200 is coming off of your taxable income from your musical pursuits. The gas and wear and tear is out of your pocket, so you need to work out the math to see if it works for you.

Personally, when I travel over 100 miles, I always rent a vehicle. The net-net is cheaper, and odds are you will never have car problems.hpoe this helps.
 
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#32
Nah. Add another $100 and maybe, but it wouldn’t be worth it for me between the travel, setup and breakdown unless someone else was driving me free of charge to and from the gig in their car/van and there was backline there for me to use. I put 50 minutes one way as the threshold for a $200 gig if I’m driving myself there. Anything less is “no thanks”. That’s just me and my situation, but everyone’s is different. I’ve had bands ask me to travel much longer for much less and I’m not in those bands anymore. Bear in mind I’m not 19 with rockstar dreams (well, maybe a little) so that makes the decision much easier for me.
 
#33
I'd do that, but only because I wouldn't have a problem driving home after.

Whatever you do don't try to gut it out and drive back if you tend to fall asleep at the wheel. I have a buddy who had an hour work commute each way and started falling sleep on the way home. Turns out he had severe sleep apnea. Lucky he never killed himself one night.
 
#34
A private party booked by someone who will not even be at the gig? Be professional, but make sure you are very clear with the agreement and get paid before you start playing or there will be a high likelyhood of getting stiffed after the show. The same thing for any event where there is alcohol or a wedding- nobody wants to spent two hours after the gig trying to get a drunk brides maid or new mother in law to hand over payment for the gig at 1 am. If it was with a good group of friends, I'd likely take the gig and consider it a paid rehearsal.
 
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#37
glocke1 said:
Gig came up thats 90 miles (about 1 hour 40 minutes from me) and will pay $200.00.

Details overall are sketchy/non-existant but so far the B.L. that sets these things up hasn't led us into anything thats been truly bad. It's supposed to pay $200.00 per person.

Is that reasonable? I've driven as far or further for less in the past but these days I try to keep those long distance gigs to a minimum, mainly because I have trouble staying awake on the drive home...That basically means stopping every 30 minutes or so to nap, or worst case getting a motel room, taking an Ambien and sleeping for 4-5 hours in a real bed.
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For me, $200 in my pocket at the end of the night after gigging is worth it for 90 mins each way, but I do this as a hobby and love doing it. Carpooling is a great idea (as mentioned previously).

Good Luck!
 
#38
Man, BL can’t even give you load-in, start, or finish time? You struggle driving long distance and at night? You’re thinking about spending money on a hotel and/or renting a van? Pay is not even guaranteed? Your gut is screaming “just say no!”?

Answer is easy for you: No.

Personally, I’d probably do it but it would need to be 3 hours or less of performing and I’d need load in and set times first, but I am a road warrior and like driving a lot.
 
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