Double Bass Grrr!

[FredH]

If she can’t pay you the money she owes you, you could tell her that she has to play a couple of free gigs for you. Find some way that you can save the situation without slamming her name and becoming enemies.
I’ve never seen the sense of going nuclear when you get screwed. I’ve never gotten anything from screaming and yelling that I wouldn’t have got from quiet negotiation.
Spreading the dirt on this chick although I must admit will be satisfying could bounce back and give you a bad image as either a hard-ass or whiny. Both labels that you don’t want, especially when you’re trying to build up your network contacts. Unless you’re a soloist you need other musicians, so you need to cultivate your image accordingly.
I’ve been screwed on gigs, it happens, but unless you’re talking big money in my opinion it’s not worth the hit to your rep to be relentless. If you really think you can sweat her for your dough go for it. But taking a lighter approach might be wiser in the long run, who knows she might be able to do you a favor in the future.
One lesson you learned is to make sure you get paid after each rehearsal; priceless.

 

[Marc Piane]

Well said. +1.

If she can’t pay you the money she owes you, you could tell her that she has to play a couple of free gigs for you. Find some way that you can save the situation without slamming her name and becoming enemies.
I’ve never seen the sense of going nuclear when you get screwed. I’ve never gotten anything from screaming and yelling that I wouldn’t have got from quiet negotiation.
Spreading the dirt on this chick although I must admit will be satisfying could bounce back and give you a bad image as either a hard-ass or whiny. Both labels that you don’t want, especially when you’re trying to build up your network contacts. Unless you’re a soloist you need other musicians, so you need to cultivate your image accordingly.
I’ve been screwed on gigs, it happens, but unless you’re talking big money in my opinion it’s not worth the hit to your rep to be relentless. If you really think you can sweat her for your dough go for it. But taking a lighter approach might be wiser in the long run, who knows she might be able to do you a favor in the future.
One lesson you learned is to make sure you get paid after each rehearsal; priceless.

 

[Aaron Cohn]

If she can’t pay you the money she owes you, you could tell her that she has to play a couple of free gigs for you.

Nice idea. Give her some impossible sheet music, then call a rehearsal for two days later.

 

[Damon Rondeau]

This one's more along the karma line, but you might also remind her that, once word gets around about what happened here, it's not going to get any easier for her to find other musicians to play with. In fact she's got things moving in the other direction.