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Am I diva for not wanting to play for free?

BillyIVbass

BillyIVbass

Sep 24, 2008
1,035
35
PA
Disclosures
Gear Reviews Guitar World Online
#1
Little background. I'm in my 20s, in my teens I played any gig I could get. Lets say 8 yearsish of non-stop gigging. I have pro-gear and will take the time to learn your songs.

All I ask is minimum you pay for my travel costs (couple bucks for gas and a gourmet meal at a fast food joint) So sure I'll come out for $20 rather than sit at home on my duff.

My friends give me endless hell for this. I don't have much of a day job, I'm building decent contacts and I have plenty of free time to practice on my own.

I've been emailing back and forth about filling in for a show that I can tell there's going to be no people at, 3+ practices and I'll need to lug amps. Today I find out "yeah I can't pay you anything" so I said "Sorry man, I'm not going to take a hit for your gig" I thought I was nice, now this guy is getting snooty.

Am I a jerk or am I just watching my own back? I'm interested to hear how some of you got started and your personal rules on what gigs to take and what ones to not.
 
#2
i would say it depends on the individual situation. If he isn't getting paid for the gig with only three people or not that much he would have to pay you out of pocket so he would be taking a hit so you'd be asking him to take a hit so you don't have to
 
#3
It all boils down to what you think. Some people here are going to say you should make money. Some are going to say do it for the experience and possible contacts down the road. There is no definitive answer.
I have played both ways. Nowadays, I play for free only if it's a benefit or a gig I really like. (A local pioneer village has festivals where I like to play oldtime music at, but they only pay with a homecooked meal!)
I don't think you are being a jerk.
 
#5
There's a rotating herd of people on craigslist here around nashville that go in studios privately and record their material with studio musicians then try to put together bands for free to promote it via free shows. Usually telling the live musicians that they're going to go into the studio 'soon' and they'll go with them. Which never happens.

See the same people popping up over and over looking for new musical meat to feed off of.
 
#7
BillyIVbass said:
Little background. I'm in my 20s, in my teens I played any gig I could get. Lets say 8 yearsish of non-stop gigging. I have pro-gear and will take the time to learn your songs.

All I ask is minimum you pay for my travel costs (couple bucks for gas and a gourmet meal at a fast food joint) So sure I'll come out for $20 rather than sit at home on my duff.

My friends give me endless hell for this. I don't have much of a day job, I'm building decent contacts and I have plenty of free time to practice on my own.

I've been emailing back and forth about filling in for a show that I can tell there's going to be no people at, 3+ practices and I'll need to lug amps. Today I find out "yeah I can't pay you anything" so I said "Sorry man, I'm not going to take a hit for your gig" I thought I was nice, now this guy is getting snooty.

Am I a jerk or am I just watching my own back? I'm interested to hear how some of you got started and your personal rules on what gigs to take and what ones to not.
Click to expand...
you should ask for what you consider your fair price......if you don't you become the go to guy when someone wants a freebee.....it's no fun trying to get out of a corner you paint yourself into.....better to take a little flak now for expecting a fee for service,than to save it for later when you tire of playing everyones shows for nothing.....'cause no matter how many freebees you give away now,no one is going to give you credit for them when you stop later....
 
#10
I've grown in my confidence as a bassist that unless it's a good friend I don't take gigs for free. Look at it this way.....so what if they are not making a lot of money at the gig. They need you more than you need them. If you're professional and can learn the material, then you should be paid for your services.
 
#11
No, you're definitely not in the wrong. I was in the same situation. I was told I would be paid, and then as the gig grew closer, I was told otherwise. Needless to say, I wasn't very happy, but I had already put in a lot of time into learning the songs, and the band were really good friends of mine, so I took the hit. I calculated all of the expenses I incurred for this gig after it was all over, and it ended up costing me about $96 and a few hours of my time. I definitely won't be doing that again, ever. :-\
 
#13
Alright, thanks my bass bros! I don't feel so much like Donald Trump haha.

Yeah I make exceptions for close friends, some church stuff or if it's like a "really really cool show" (opening for a Nat'l Act or something.)
 
#14
Mudcat35 said:
I would play for free at a benefit for a charity that I support and believe in, but I would certainly not play for free at a regular club gig or similar, and definitely not as a fill-in.
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I think this ^ about covers it. When filling in, you really need to get the money part out of the way first. Finding out later on that your not going to get paid is kinda your fault, but this is how you learn. Like Mudcat said, playing for free at a benefit or charity is a good reflection on you, but unless there is a gig that your really, really want to play at, you need something for your trouble.
 
#15
In no way are you being a jerk.
I'll book my band maybe 2 or 3 free shows a year.

I liked this article on specific vs. general exposure: "when to take an upaid gig as a musician"
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#16
Those are reasonable exceptions. I'd keep an eye on the close friends though... sometimes they're the first people who try to play you for a chump IMO.

On the charity tip, many people don't realize that peoiple get paid at charity events too. If you want to donate your pay that's one thing. I've known people who got their "band" to play for free while getting paid themself.
 
#18
salcott said:
When you play for nothing, you're telling people that's what you're worth.
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Can't say I agree with that at all.

I play for the fun of playing. We play originals, not covers, so we don't exactly expect paying gigs. A couple free drinks is more than enough for payment.


Edit - OP, it totally depends on what you play, where you play and whatnot, there are so many variables that only you can be a fair judge of this. Having pro gear and learning songs doesn't instantly mean you deserve to be paid, I'm happy having a hobby that doesnt pay.
 

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