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Great venue, "difficult'' soundman.

#61
RHA III said:
Thanks again. After the show one of the organizers asked if we could play another fund raiser in September! I respectfully declined...
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now you're getting it!

playing for free mostly gets you the "opportunity" to play more for free.

even if you're all well-off, insisting on paid gigs acts as a b#%^&$*t filter, keeping you away from these kinds of scenes. outside of high-profile charity events, the gigs where folks are getting paid tend to be the ones where everybody is organized and competent, and are just more fun.

oh, and real soundguys tend to not do it for free ever. you can be sure the staff and the light bill isn't free either.
 
#66
modulusman said:
Well maybe you learned a lesson. Next year don't play the event. Almost anytime someone wants you to play for free everything involved will be crap.
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Got rained out on a benefit gig today - fortunately 45 minutes before we were to go on. "Pile of Oddities" PA, 4x10 over 1x15 bass rig - and no tarps or even trash bags available to cover things when the monsoon blew in. Three "pop-ups" that had to be held down as the rain turned sideways and soaked all their gear anyways. Oy vey :facepalm:.

No mics on the drums at all, guitard with TWO 2x12 amps death-raying everyone - two 2x15 mains plus two older Bose L1's. Not particularly unhappy it was blown off/away LOL.

Unfortunately (or fortunately? ;) ) I rode with someone else and didn't have my van loaded with my PA etc.
 
#67
First rule: never play for free.

You get what you pay for.

But, if you ever find yourself in the same situation with bad sound, give the monitor to the lead singer, and strip down the background vocals. If you have a song that requires that many background vocals (Eagles for instance) I've found that crowding two mics with 3 vocalists is the best option. Keep the highest harmony singer furthest back - those frequencies tend to cut best - and keep the second monitor available for those two mics.
 
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#70
Jeff Bonny said:
You paid pretty good attention to what was going on at that gig. You're figuring things out.

And it's fine to play charity events for free. Anyone who says different is a dick.
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Well at least this dick doesn't ever have to worry about sounding bad.:) The only charity events/fundraisers we do for free would involve something helping an individual. For anything else we might offer a reduced rate. The caterers, sound company and other vendors are getting paid so why not the musicians.
 
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#73
modulusman said:
Well at least this dick doesn't ever have to worry about sounding bad.:) The only charity events/fundraisers we do for free would involve something helping an individual. For anything else we might offer a reduced rate. The caterers, sound company and other vendors are getting paid so why not the musicians.
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Yes.. one of my former bands did "charity" work for a few major charities. We got paid full rate to perform - as did caterers and other vendors.
We do one city festival each year for free as it's where we're based and is kinda like a thank you for letting us work there :)
 
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#74
The problem with playing for free, is that you've just set your price.

If you are playing for charity, and wish to donate your proceeds back as a band, that's up to the band. But, be sure that it's shown as a donation.

Your efforts as a band shouldn't ever for free - you have thousands of hours and dollars invested in you and your gear, and setting free as a baseline to begin performance fees is a bad precedent to set.
 
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#75
tfer said:
The problem with playing for free, is that you've just set your price.
Your efforts as a band shouldn't ever for free - you have thousands of hours and dollars invested in you and your gear, and setting free as a baseline to begin performance fees is a bad precedent to set.
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But this is a common model used by "new" bands trying to get their foot in the door (especially original bands) and to get exposure. Venue owners will have you come in on a slow night - for free - to audition getting onto the weekend rotation. I'm not sure if this is nationwide or just local - but it's real common in my area to get the band name out there.
Once the band gets a "rep" then it's different.
I've played in bands that played for free for exposure - back when I was a little less "seasoned". Friends back yard parties, community events, and so on.
Once a band name becomes known and/or makes it to the "A" venues (if that's the goal) then playing for free isn't really a consideration - unless it's an agreed upon charity event - which we have done.
I wholeheartedly agree with not playing for free - as a matter of principle.. however, many still do that.
 
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#77
I understood this to be a fund raising event for a cause the band supported. If this had been a commercial gig, however, most of my comments would have still applied.

Sometimes you make compromises for causes you support, and for our band that includes reduced prices or even free performances (Cure Search Walk to benefit child cancer research in the Washington DC area is one example, and Give Me a Break From Cancer is another). However, when we have doubts about the sound support, we usually "insist on being generous" and bringing some or all of our own gear. We also always try to have at least one or two folks who know us well out in the audience "coordinating/touching base" with the sound person.

When it comes to commercial venues where we are paid talent, our expectations are a bit less negotiable as this is strictly business - professionalism, competence and respect are either a shared expectation for both parties or we're out.
 
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#79
seamonkey said:
Well organized fund raisers usually have budgets for Entertainment.
You always have the option to donate your personal share back.
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And I always do this when we've played for something like the Washington DC Saint Elizabeth's Hospital Summer Concert Series. As an aside, the St. E's folks have typically provided a dedicated escort/facility coordinator who meets us at the door stays with the band, a sound system, a sound person and very professional, courteous, respectful support.

As with anything in life, quality varies greatly and choices need to be made based on the priorities of each person. it's easier to be generous when you're treated like royalty, perhaps a bit less so when you're treated like the next problem in line.
 
#80
[QUOTE="Al Kraft, post: 18991581, member: 293360 I understood this to be a fund raising event for a cause the band supported If this had been a commercial gig, however, most of my comments would have still applied.

Sometimes you make compromises for causes you support, and for our band that includes reduced prices or even free performances (Cure Search Walk to benefit child cancer research in the Washington DC area is one example, and Give Me a Break From Cancer is another). However, when we have doubts about the sound support, we usually "insist on being generous" and bringing some or all of our own gear. We also always try to have at least one or two folks who know us well out in the audience "coordinating/touching base" with the sound person.

When it comes to commercial venues where we are paid talent, our expectations are a bit less negotiable as this is strictly business - professionalism, competence and respect are either a shared expectation for both parties or we're out.[/QUOTE]

Well you understood wrong. Go read the OPs post on page three where he said it was a chance to play for a couple hundred people and have fun. By the time they were done playing most the people had left and the band wasn't having any fun at all.
 

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