That's what I'd think too... less work for them. I offered to provide that exact setup for this gig but it was a completely foreign concept to the sound person. They only seemed comfortable with using their exact setup as-is... they didn't even seem to know how to adjust the gain stage on an individual channel strip.
In hindsight, there's a lot that I did wrong here. Shoulda just used their gear. Shoulda just smiled through the bad sound/no monitors/no kick mic, Shouldn't have said anything to the booking guy. It's definitely a strange position to be in, to be at the mercy of a third-party and having to suck-it-up if they're not good at their job, but that's the deal sometimes.
It makes it easier to understand what happened now that we know what your act is all about. In this case, it looks like most of what I came up with in response to your original post is not actually applicable. Not the first time
that's ever happened.
For you, one thing you may find helpful is to work these things out before you show up at the club to perform. In the construction / contracting industry this is called pre-fielding the job. With an act like yours which is highly specialized, I would make it clear to the venue that you
must use your rack for the performance to work. In the event this is somehow not acceptable, then its time to pass on the gig. You have a lot to offer, you've put a lot of time, money and effort into making what you're doing work which is very unique, and it does you no good at all for there to be a train wreck. Any time you perform without the setup you have designed specifically for your show, its predictably going to be a nightmare. Other than
possibly giving FOH a vocal feed, I wouldn't do that.
It's not uncommon for bands to send a venue / sound company a stage plot prior to performing. In this case you could print up something on one page blocking out your setup and highlighting the stereo feed your going to give FOH. Be sure to stipulate whether your feed is going to be mic or line level. I would suggest a balanced mic level feed via 2 labeled chassis mounted male XLR connectors. You don't have to go into much detail regarding your rack since that doesn't concern FOH, really. Just block out how much space everything takes up on stage, where everything goes, your AC requirements, indicate down stage / up stage, etc. Have the name of your act in large, bold letters on top of the page and provide dotted lines labeled (in smaller print) to include the name of the venue, the date and time of the performance, your contact information, etc. On the bottom of the page include a stipulation that: "My performance with no exceptions is contingent upon the setup described above, which I will provide." Leave out any references to your performance fee on your stage plot.
Upon closing a deal for you to perform, give two copies of the stage plot to the talent buyer, have them sign both copies, and (at the time) retain one copy for yourself to bring with you to the gig. Hopefully the other stage plot or a photocopy will wind up in the hands of whomever is supposed to be responsible for sound. That's how it's supposed to work, anyway. In the event the talent buyer isn't there when you show up and someone objects to your setup, show them the stage plot with the signature, advise them that the talent buyer retains a copy, and tell them take it or leave it. You don't need another situation to occur like what you described.
As you become more and more well known and start to make more money from your performances, you can start asking for advances which will usually be 50% of your performance fee which is
non-refundable. Sometimes, how much of the additional 50% you receive is made contingent upon attendance at the performance. In your situation I would avoid any arrangement like that unless you are a headliner. An arrangement like this with an advance will mean that problems like you described will then result in the cancellation of your performance on the date of the performance with you keeping the advance. When your starting out, you can stipulate that if something like this happens the venue may apply the advance to another date. The details of the financial arrangements which will then include your option to cancel, etc., will eventually go on a separate document (keep it one page) which is your performance agreement. So I'm suggesting that when your just starting out you may want to keep your financial arrangements based solely on a handshake, but because of the kind of show you do,
do not fail to get a signed stage plot for every gig.
Originally, the way it worked was that venues / promoters would sometimes attempt to stiff an act for the other half of their performance fee. Sometimes, this was avoided with a no pay, no play policy, i.e., with the act not going on stage until they had the cash in their hands. EFT's, Electronic Fund Transfers, streamline this process and you'll receive the other half of your performance fee sometime after you have completed the performance. I'd like to see some video's of your show.
Edit: Obviously, you draw has to be sufficiently big so that talent buyers are willing and hopefully anxious to agree to a more formal booking arrangement. Good luck.
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