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Pretty sure they would have had a contract. They also have an agent, so I'm positive contracts would have been routine.
Now, trying to claim $$$ based on the contract is another matter, and it won't be quick or particularly easy... and the bar probably knows it.
I agree, having a festival like that right now is pretty dumb... but I would not blame the band, any band, for putting anyone at risk: those who decide to participate did so freely, nobody forced them. It's their own responsibility. Attendees are not exactly innocent.
I think everyone who organizes or attends an event like Sturgis during a global pandemic is acting irresponsibly, the band included. It’s bad enough that people put themselves at risk by attending such events in the first place, but the problem gets infinitely worse because these same people will return to their home states and continue to behave in the same irresponsible fashion. This makes the spread of the infection extremely difficult to contain, and impossible to trace. Anyone who’s infected is contagious for up to three days before the first symptoms appear, and some don’t have any symptoms at all. The ONLY thing that can contain the pandemic is social distancing, wearing masks, and testing. This makes an event like Sturgis mind-bogglingly dangerous.
Interesting story.
What struck me was the Motley Crue tribute band had a gig for $5,000 (split among members) with $3,500 in expenses to get out there to Sturgis, SD and back to Ohio. Leaving $1,500 for the gig (split among band members)......................while 2 waitresses made $70,000 in six day, about $10,000 a day serving customers.
Hummm, sounds more lucrative to be a waitress than a musician.
As for Covid-19, the pandemic. What is with us Americans? Stubborn, hard headed, no obedience, carefree and may I say "stupid"!
What struck me was the Motley Crue tribute band had a gig for $5,000 (split among members) with $3,500 in expenses to get out there to Sturgis, SD and back to Ohio. Leaving $1,500 for the gig (split among band members)......................while 2 waitresses made $70,000 in six day, about $10,000 a day serving customers.
Hummm, sounds more lucrative to be a waitress than a musician.
As for Covid-19, the pandemic. What is with us Americans? Stubborn, hard headed, no obedience, carefree and may I say "stupid"!
I passed on a house party gig next week that paid really well, lol. It's funny, because my band was in a cabin getaway up north last weekend, and there was a big open park up there with vendors and stuff. Wide open, everyone wearing masks that were close, etc. I told the band we should bring the instruments and busk in the park (acoustic act) and they said 'noooo, covid and all, wouldn't be kosher...' and I said OK, no worries. Then they text Monday wanting to play a packed house party labor day weekend...
Uhhhhhhhh, pass.
"...he was told that two of the waitresses at One Eyed Jack’s made $70,000 in six days."
Uhm, this strains credulity. $11,000+ average per day? In tips?
Uhm, this strains credulity. $11,000+ average per day? In tips?
Awesome! We don’t see this kind of wisdom every day.
Not much of an agent, We have these terms
"Payment of the booking deposit is due within 7 days of issue of the invoice, unless otherwise specified in the Booking Contract. The remaining booking payment is made to the Artist 7 days prior to the Event". The bank deposit is in my account before I play.
Yeah. For round numbers, suppose they're working 11 hours a day. That's $1000 per hour or a $20 tip every 72 seconds. I don't think so.
Also, as others have said, I want to hear the bar manager's side of the story. I have a hard time believing that the band played a great set, the crowd loved it, and the manager just decided to stiff them and tell them not to come back. He's going to book another band at the last minute, or just play recorded music, to save 5 grand? When the waitresses are making 70 grand in tips?
I call BS on this whole story.
I can't argue with that, I agree with all of it except where the ultimate responsibility lies.
There were bars in town here that stayed open, busy, etc, in contravention of the rules. Stupid. Very. But I chose not to go there. If I go, and get sick, it's on me, not them.
From a society point of view, a festival like that should not be allowed in these times, but just because it's allowed it doesn't remove individual responsibilities.
It's a bit like these cliffs where people go jump, 30-50m into the sea. If I jump and get hurt it's not somebody else's fault for not putting a fence, it's my own entirely.
"Welcome to the ER - we've got masks and gowns..."
I quite agree. And we won’t be able to beat this thing without people realizing that the results of their actions extend beyond themselves.
In Norway, where I live, we have a lot of tall mountains that base jumpers love to throw themselves off of. What happens when one of these jumps goes wrong is that the jumper either has to be rescued, usually by helicopter, or that the rescue services have to recover the body. Both very dangerous and extremely costly types of rescue mission. The attendees in Sturgis are like those base jumpers, except that their stupidity impacts society at large.
funny how enough 'stupid', by enough people, passes for "karma" these days. everyone seems to have gotten what they asked for...even if it was not what any of them wanted....the difference between "fate" and "karma!" 
Not to mention the people that end up getting infected by people acting stupidly never asked for it at all. «Karma», my pretty pink posterior.funny how enough 'stupid', by enough people, passes for "karma" these days. everyone seems to have gotten what they asked for...even if it was not what any of them wanted....the difference between "fate" and "karma!"
Vintagefiend
I don't care for 410 cabinets at all.
The bar owner stiffed them because he knew something not many at the time did :
That he had an employee who tested positive for COVID and would be shut down with employees quarantined, so he was going to lose that money anyway.
Not saying it's right. At all. He should've paid the band their agreed upon fees and sent them home...
Uh, just NO on the cliff diver analogy.
A Cliffdiver’s risk doesn’t usually extend others. It’s in the same line as riding without a helmet. A personal risk.
But to make the cliff diver analogy work here, imagine after he or she successfully completes the risky jump, 3 days later, they feel great about it so they go back to clifftop to celebrate their success. In doing so they carelessly but unintentionally knock several random sightseeers off that same cliff without warning. Hope those folks can swim too, eh?
That’s what asymptomatic transmission is like. Roughly half the people who catch COVID at Sturgis will go home, never show a symptom or even know they caught it, but they will spend 2-3 days spreading it to others in their communities unless they isolate and mask up for a while.
That’s why mask wearing is NOT like helmet wearing. Masks are not mainly about protecting You.
I fully agree that in free society, personal risk is a personal choice. A right worth defending. But that freedom doesn’t equate to a right to project risk onto others, especially when the outcomes are grave and there are no visible warnings that allow those others to steer around to avoid the risk. Freedom isn’t free.
So please, if you are gonna party like Sturgis, well that’s your choice. But then take the responsibility that comes with freedom: wear a mask, get tested often, avoid vulnerable individuals, strongly consider 10 days self quarantine after a attending big super spreader event like that.
A Cliffdiver’s risk doesn’t usually extend others. It’s in the same line as riding without a helmet. A personal risk.
But to make the cliff diver analogy work here, imagine after he or she successfully completes the risky jump, 3 days later, they feel great about it so they go back to clifftop to celebrate their success. In doing so they carelessly but unintentionally knock several random sightseeers off that same cliff without warning. Hope those folks can swim too, eh?
That’s what asymptomatic transmission is like. Roughly half the people who catch COVID at Sturgis will go home, never show a symptom or even know they caught it, but they will spend 2-3 days spreading it to others in their communities unless they isolate and mask up for a while.
That’s why mask wearing is NOT like helmet wearing. Masks are not mainly about protecting You.
I fully agree that in free society, personal risk is a personal choice. A right worth defending. But that freedom doesn’t equate to a right to project risk onto others, especially when the outcomes are grave and there are no visible warnings that allow those others to steer around to avoid the risk. Freedom isn’t free.
So please, if you are gonna party like Sturgis, well that’s your choice. But then take the responsibility that comes with freedom: wear a mask, get tested often, avoid vulnerable individuals, strongly consider 10 days self quarantine after a attending big super spreader event like that.
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