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Band "ownership"

#21
Band 1.
Me and guitarist run the band, if we want a gig,let someone go, set lists, etc. If one dosent approve we talk it out, but considering its his place we practice at he does have a leg up on me for puting his foot down.
Band2.
I just play bass and im not involved in band decisions, but they do respect my opinions.
 
#22
I guess I'm kind of lucky. The two groups I'm in, we work fairly well in a democratic environment. Then again, everyone has a strong opinion and good reasons behind said opinion, so it leads to a lot of great debate, whether we're talking about song arrangements, gigs, or other things.
 
#23
glocke1 said:
Case in point, one band I was in I was basically driving 60-80 minutes one way every week for rehearsals, spending gobs of money on gas and vehicle wear and tear, and was basically told that this is "so and so's band and I get little to no say". Now all "so and so" did was provide rehearsal space and equipment, they made little or no attempt to get gigs, and what gigs they did get either did not pay or paid very little. In addition the guy who hosted rehearsals would often "solicit" money from band members to help pay his electricity costs for hosting rehearsal.

Thoughts?
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Helping pay for electricity?? Tell him that you will...once he starts chipping in for the gas it costs you to get to rehearsal.
 
#24
I joined a band that was named after the guitarist/lead singer. Before I joined them, I asked how much input I would have. I will never forget his answer "Even though it's my name out there, this is still a band. We all have equal input and get paid the same". Soon after I joined, he started telling everyone that we were "hired guns" and he could replace any of us at any time. We were doing some large gigs opening for some well known artists until he pissed me and the other two members off enough that we quit. We gave him plenty of notice. He has gone through over 100 different "band" members in the last 8 years. He also been signed and then dropped by several high profile management companies. The sad thing, he is talented. He just wants to have total control of everything, is very arrogant and difficult to deal with. The last time I checked, he was back playing dive bars near his house.
 
#26
glocke1 said:
In addition the guy who hosted rehearsals would often "solicit" money from band members to help pay his electricity costs for hosting rehearsal.
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Best way to do that is to read the meter before and after rehearsal. The rate per KwH is on the bill, so actual usage can be computed to the penny. Doubt it will be more than a buck.

OTOH, if it is a nuisance/maintenance fee to sooth the spouse on site, or to account for cleaning toilets, cleaning up messes on the kitchen floor from getting beers, ice water, etc., those are real costs, but if it is a revolving rehearsal site, the burden is already being split up.
 
#29
glocke1 said:
Case in point, one band I was in I was basically driving 60-80 minutes one way every week for rehearsals, spending gobs of money on gas and vehicle wear and tear, and was basically told that this is "so and so's band and I get little to no say". Now all "so and so" did was provide rehearsal space and equipment, they made little or no attempt to get gigs, and what gigs they did get either did not pay or paid very little. In addition the guy who hosted rehearsals would often "solicit" money from band members to help pay his electricity costs for hosting rehearsal.
Click to expand...

In your case, you are a hired gun and as such, should get mileage and rehearsal pay.

If it was a true "band," then everyone chipping in for rehearsal space isn't completely out of the question. We used to rent a space in the back area of a recording studio for practice. We also got free recording time, provided we used it when it wasn't booked (which sometimes meant getting a "Hey, we need you at the studio in a half hour!" call). The price we paid for the rehearsal space and the bonuses that came with it was $20 a man, per month.
 
#30
WayneS said:
Thats one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.
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I think it's actually spot-on. "Gigs" meaning there's actually a goal in mind, i.e. playing out or recording, otherwise you're just some dudes (or ladies) jamming.

On point, I've found that generally the guy who owns the PA becomes the de facto leader. Case in point, my last band: I came up with the concept, recruited the other members, pitched it to the guy with the PA... guy with the PA decides he will be the lead singer/guitarist and starts acting like a condescending prick. Vetos all song ideas but his own. Has meltdowns during practice, and more embarrassingly, soundcheck. Keyboard player leaves. Drummer leaves. I leave. :(

Next band, PA is co-owned. By rythym guitar and vocals. They lead the band, and are great guys. Life is good, everyone has a voice, but they still have veto power and determine practice times...basically, the de facto leaders.

Frankly, I actually think that is the way it should be. 2c.
 
#31
In my current band the chores are distributed almost equally...auditioned and accepted a female vocal...she then went out and bought a brand new pa, mike, stand and hotspot. Oh, and she sets it up and breaks it down as well...it's a smaller but nice yamaha 800 with the tripod speaker stands. We rehearse at the drummer's house, his girlfriend sells the cd's at gigs... lead guitar and myself book, 2nd guitar built and manages our website, brings a zoom to gigs, designed the logo, banner and t shirts, singer does the emailings, I write the setslist...drummer and myself write lyrics...both guitars and myself write music and hooks for the originals ....and everyone suggest covers....and everyone has a veto if they can back it up.... Great bunch of people and truly the most goal oriented folks I've ever worked with...I'm lucky ;)
 
#32
bluewine said:
Really why? If your were in a band and lets say over 3 months you had no gigs and nobody was trying to get gigs, do you feel like your in a band? I wouldn't.

Again for me,

no gigs and no effort to get gigs = jam with my friends band, not a real band
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I agree with you.

If I want to jam with friends, that's what I'll do. We'll get together, jam, and leave it at that. But I don't consider that a band.

If I'm gonna devote time to a band (which I do), we for damn sure better be gigging (we are) or have that goal in mind when it's started......
 
#33
I think the question you have to ask yourself is are you playing for business or for pleasure? If money is involved, it's business and a business can't be run without a boss. That doesn't mean that no one else should have a say, but imo it's essential to have a leader.
Even before I started playing I had a lot of musician friends and I've seen a lot of bands fall apart because no one would take the lead or it was just never talked about and no one knew who to follow.
 
#34
The guitar player and I write the music, the drummer writes his parts, and I write the words. We got another guitar player a few weeks ago and he's helped out a bit with our new song so I suspect he'll contribute down the road as well. It's totally collaborative & I love writing new music as opposed to rehearsing for shows. It's just a lot more fulfilling.

As far as booking shows go, the guitar player and I do most of that because the drummer moved here from Phoenix a year ago & doesn't know many people. The new guitar player was in a pretty big local band for a long time so I'm guessing he'll help out with booking as well.
 
#35
I guess my singer/rhythm player "owns" the band. it's his deal and the other 3 of us have just tagged along sometime down the road. Although I've helped change a lot of current stuff and bring ideas/arrangements for new stuff, so currently and down the road it'll be "our" band but I'm not that worried about it really.
I want to start my own cover band but I can't sing well enough to be a frontman which sucks.
 

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