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Cover band fees

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#21
10cc said:
Your venues are a small fraction of what is out there. They should be charging your band a percentage fee along with the other acts they book, so the money they pay every year to ASCAP is your money.
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I'm pretty sure all licensing fees (ABC, ASCAP, etc) are budgetary considerations for any successful club, bar , restaurant and reflected in drink / meal prices, remuneration for performing artists, cover charges, and what-not. This is not a Mickey Rooney / Judy Garland "...hey, my uncle has a barn! Let's put on a show!" scenario.

Riis
 
#24
As I get older, I'm more and more hesitant to book and perform at a gig where there isn't a signed contract in place. I have a contract, drawn up by an attorney friend (also an amazing drummer) that is one page long and clearly defines responsibilities. One of the responsibilities is licensing fees being paid and current. There are some liability issues in it as well.

The contract, in theory, should protect the band from litigation over licensing.

It's a great tool for booking a a gig as it also says how much we get paid, when we get paid and so on. It also says what time we perform, for how long, and gives the club owner a "warm fuzzy feeling" he is getting a professional act for his money.

I won't say that I've booked every gig with the contract since it was written for us... But most of them.

I can't share the contract online, my attorney friend asked me not to.
 
#25
No sour grapes here. I've made a great deal of money playing live. Ironically more in the past three years than most. I do realize the download era has put a hurt on record sales. That's why I've always made my albums available for free downloads at our site along with any other download site that will host it. So it's not sour grapes here, I am lucky to live between two towns that are thriving and rich in original music. It's very cool to just hear something new.

Now playing devils advocate. I guess one could have the same argument about downloading music. That I am guilty of on the reg. haha. So basically I just shot my entire argument out of the water. Oh yeah I should probably change my user name as well.
 
#26
10cc said:
Your venues are a small fraction of what is out there. They should be charging your band a percentage fee along with the other acts they book, so the money they pay every year to ASCAP is your money.
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At this point it is seldom that I get offended by a statement on Talkbass, but you have succeeded. The myoptic and naive viewpoint you state here is an obvious need to justify why you are not making as much as you think you should as an original act.

So consider this, when I research songs I may want to play I either pull up the itunes I purchased, which the composer/original performer was paid for, or I search utube where advertising dollars also go to the original composer/performer. I then play it out in a club where other people hear a song they remembered, but didn't know who the artist was. I always answer questions about the songs. These people frequently pull out their iphones and download the songs. Should I expect a finder's fee from itunes and the composer.

As a musician, I am not taking any money out of River Cuomo's pocket when we play Hash Pipe. But I may let 20-30 people know that Weezer is playing downtown in a week. In order to make money, composers need to have their music heard. Whether that is by the original performer, or by a cover band.

While I can't speak for them personally, I would expect most successful recording artists appreciate bands covering their material. Like they always say, any attention is good attention.
 
#27
Floyd Eye said:
Incidentally, outside of The Wall, Waters isn't the songwriter who contributed most to PF. Just sayin'.
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Apparently you missed The Final Cut. Pink Floyd's last release with Roger, if you read the back of the album it actually says a Roger Waters album performed by Pink Floyd.

This is not a recommendation to listen to the album, not their finest effort.
 
#28
DiabolusInMusic said:
Apparently you missed The Final Cut. Pink Floyd's last release with Roger, if you read the back of the album it actually says a Roger Waters album performed by Pink Floyd.

This is not a recommendation to listen to the album, not their finest effort.
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I didn't miss it. I listened to most of it. Once. I don't consider this even a PF album. Neither does the rest of PF.:)
 
#30
10cc said:
I know back in the days of old a lot of the artists especially in country performed songs by other writers but, the songwriters were given credit and paid.
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If I record someone's song I get a license to do so. Bill Monroe didn't think much of Elvis until Elvis recorded "Blue Moon of Kentucky" ... and when those royalty checks started hitting the mailbox he changed his opinion right quick.
 
#31
It is what it is. Sour grapes is not original either. But if you feel better about being a copy cat saying it, well then have at it. If you think you are making people aware of a song by playing a watered down version of a song well... Keep up the good work. I play and write songs because that is what initially sparked an interest in learning how to play in the first place. Creativity. I hear people talk about this and that and who has the chops and the pipes and all the other lingo that amounts to squat. For me I'd rather hear a horrible sounding original than something I can listen to in my car without the help of some local band with a slick name like hammer down banging out the latest el grosso tune the public mass finds awesome.

If you haven't noticed other than with the few exceptions like some of the more popular copy cats, the only place you'll find cover bands making a statement is in front of the drunks in the local watering hole.

But most people are not capable of making their own decisions on what sucks and what is descent, not only in the music industry but across the grid fashion, automobiles etc. etc. oh yeah jeans and haircuts too.

I blame this all on that first band way back when that folded and ask the crowd for requests. Shame on you! Boy we really knocked them dead last night with strangle hold and wagon wheel. Hahahaha.

Here for example is what most people would call horrible. But for me is much more entertaining than any cover band.
Invalid Link Removed
 
#33
For the most part, I prefer original music too. I support my friends who have original bands as often as I can. I would rather buy a CD from a guy I met on TalkBass than the latest AIC CD or whatever. I do check out cover bands too though. They are my peers and my competition. They also support me by coming to my shows. I actually just last week started jamming with some cats that do a lot of their own music. They have no gigs lined up, but it is fun and rewarding.

That said, my horrible, playing to bar drunks, copycat, weekend warrior cover band has put about 7k in extra cash in my pocket this year, all of which was blown on gear and beer.
 
#37
Some of you guys I guess didn't take notice of the earlier post, where I stated I make fine money playing. I'm not jealous of the money other bands make at all. When it comes to recording another artists song thats a little different. The artist might have some connected reason for recording it or not. But night after night playing three hour long sets of others tunes. I don't see why the time and energy are not spent on something creative and new. I love hearing new songs good or bad. Also good is only my opinion. I have noticed a heaping load of "taste for sh!t" long live Syd Barrett!
 
#38
I'm thinking the lines are blurring between cover bands and original bands.
Many of us write songs, (and play them in front of appreciative audiences.)
We put out CDs.
How are they financed? 3 guesses...........

To make blanket statements like Cover Bands Bite the Big One is shortsighted at best,
and IMO just trolling for a reaction.
 
#39
nojj said:
I'm thinking the lines are blurring between cover bands and original bands.
Many of us write songs, (and play them in front of appreciative audiences.)
We put out CDs.
How are they financed? 3 guesses...........

To make blanket statements like Cover Bands Bite the Big One is shortsighted at best,
and IMO just trolling for a reaction.
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I write songs
I play them in front of appreciative audiences
I put out CDs
I finance

So what are you getting at.
Cover bands bite the big one well you said that.
 
#40
10cc said:
But night after night playing three hour long sets of others tunes. I don't see why the time and energy are not spent on something creative and new
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Sewwww... this is just another "originals are better than covers" troll thread...

Somebody pull the alarm, the fire is out of the fireplace!! :p

But to help you understand; I play covers because I like it, and I have no desire to write songs. You like to write, that's great, good for you. Oh, and the music industry has decided that venues pay the license fee, NOT cover bands. Don't like it? I don't care!! :D
 
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