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"Commitment"

hrodbert696

hrodbert696

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Jan 15, 2010
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Like old Hampshire, but New
pelicanseyeblog.wordpress.com
#1
Something that's been bugging me watching the musician's ads on our local CL, so I just posted this to it. Comments and discussion welcome.

Can I just make something clear to everyone wanting to start new bands?

I applaud your enthusiasm and devotion to your projects. Good for you.

But I keep seeing these ads insisting that anyone joining their band has to show "commitment" to their project.

Reality check: you cannot make "commitment" a requirement of someone who is just showing up to audition, let alone before they even audition. They don't know you. They don't know if you can actually play. They don't know if you're really nice or a complete jerk. They don't know if you have half the backside of a clue how to get paid bookings. What are they supposed to base their decision to "commit" on?

People will commit naturally if they find you have a well-thought-out project, know your music and play well, run a tight business, and are good to get along with. If those things turn out to be lacking, it's not their fault if they decide to move on and find a better band. That's not a problem with them, it's a problem with you.
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#3
It usually means "we want you to play with our band exclusively". Which is, of course, pure nonsense. When a band can keep me gigging and making as much money as I think I could/should be making at it, I can commit. In the meantime, I'll play with whomever, wherever, and as often as I please. That "commitment" crap wore thin with me ... 30 years in the corporate jungle, and all it got me was a forced retirement about five years before I wanted to retire. I now do what's right for ME ... it may include you, but maybe not.
 
#4
RustyAxe said:
It usually means "we want you to play with our band exclusively". Which is, of course, pure nonsense. When a band can keep me gigging and making as much money as I think I could/should be making at it, I can commit. In the meantime, I'll play with whomever, wherever, and as often as I please.
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I was gona post and then saw this.
Well put and a wholehearted +1.
 
#5
I agree with everything said so far, but a band's desire for commitment from a new member may also stem from having had too many "climbers" pass through the outfit. Climbers are players who use the new band in a premeditated fashion to get practice, get exposure, meet other players, meet agents, steal song lists, and so on -- solely to advance their careers.
 
#8
RustyAxe said:
It usually means "we want you to play with our band exclusively". Which is, of course, pure nonsense. When a band can keep me gigging and making as much money as I think I could/should be making at it, I can commit.
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Not everybody is in it for the money, not that there is anything wrong with that. Maybe the band doesn't want to juggle their practice schedule and gigs around a new member's availability. There's nothing wrong with that either.
 
#11
guy n. cognito said:
I always wondered who these people were that posted angry messages to CL, like it was a chat board........ ;)
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Did it come off angry? A little frustrated maybe. Mea culpa. They call it the "community" section, I thought a little input into the community would be called for. Actually, as it happens, it's now been flagged and removed... oh well...

I was prompted this particular time by a band posting that they didn't want "mercenaries" who wanted to come in, play, and collect the gig money. That set me thinking a bit; the implication is that they want someone who's going to hang around rehearsing for some length of time before the band starts to gig and make money. And THAT implies to me that the people posting are going to need lots of rehearsing before they'll be gig-ready, and that they resent a musician who might show up already knowing their parts and ready to go... which, from the perspective of a seasoned, serious musician (in whose ranks I do not count myself), is to say they want to waste a lot of their time. Am I off base here?
 
#13
I agree with bluewine (never thought I would say that).
To be a legal contract there has to be an agreement and consideration (business law came in handy).
Well the same for these CL commitment freaks, they should at least give you a reason to commit. I think these normally are control freak type guys who lose players to other bands that have gigs. They probably want you to rehearse what they chose for their vision of a band that will probably never the rehearsal space.
 
#17
I got a completely different interpretation of the ad. In this town there are a lot of pro players who - if you give them charts - can show up at the gig and pull it off. They are fast guns for hire, so to speak.
So when I see a request for commitment, to me that just means that they want to have a band with a certain amount of rehearsal (for them, even if you don't need it). The idea is to eliminate those pro guys who are not interested in the musical or social aspects of a regular rehearsal.
 
#20
Demonjrx said:
I've never once actually auditioned for a band, or used a craigslist ad for that matter. Seems unnatural to me. I'm perfectly fine with playing with my bestfriend lol
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Thing is, and I don't know how old your are. If your young, that availability of best friends and playing with best friends might not be an option as you get older.

I am also not sure why you would limit yourself to only playing with friends.

My band is made up of good people, but I'm not friends with anyone in my band and it works.

I might limit myself to playing only with those that demonstrate professionalism.
 

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