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How do I (NOT) pay for rehearsal rent?

C

crow01

Sep 1, 2008
332
2
chicago
#1
Hi TB,

Excuse the improper grammar of my title, but I need advise on this matter.

Drummer who is a professional musician, rents this place where he also teaches drumming lessons and spends most of his time...drumming I guess.

I joined his indie band to play 2 days of the week, for a couple of hours.

There is also a full time guitar (hobbyist, like me) and a part time guitar (I rarely see that guy).

Drummer asks for rent money about a 15% share. Around $150.

IMO room is too big for only 3 and sometimes 4 people. And he spends most of his time there working (teaching and drumming).

But I think he is asking for too much.

I asked him to bring another band to share the room, but he didn't want to.

What do you all think?

***Update
$150 each (me and other guy, that's $300), drummer I guess pays like $500. Total rent $800....$800??? For a hole in the wall? I used to pay $800 for rent a while ago, and that included 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, washer and dryer in unit, balcony.

Here in the windy city I have played at very crappy places and average to nice places. At this place I would pay no more than $400 total. A $50 or less share would be fair game I think.

I mean they are just a hole in the wall, with outlets. You gotta bring in your own equipment, your own soundproof, your own PA.

What is the average in other cities?
 
#2
$150/month share of the rehearsal space rent to play two days a week = $18.75 per practice session. (I get a Junior Math Achiever award!) Ludicrous. I guess it depends on how much you want to be in this guy's band, but I'd try to be as diplomatic as possible and note that the situation seems to be that since he's primarily using the space to conduct his business, the profits of which you presumably don't share in, then expecting you to carry 15% of the cost of renting is simply not going to happen. Then offer him what you think is a fair share ($25? $50?) and go from there. Be prepared to be fired if he doesn't see eye to eye with your figurin'.
 
#3
cap'n crunk said:
$150/month share of the rehearsal space rent to play two days a week = $18.75 per practice session. (I get a Junior Math Achiever award!) Ludicrous. I guess it depends on how much you want to be in this guy's band, but I'd try to be as diplomatic as possible and note that the situation seems to be that since he's primarily using the space to conduct his business, the profits of which you presumably don't share in, then expecting you to carry 15% of the cost of renting is simply not going to happen. Then offer him what you think is a fair share ($25? $50?) and go from there. Be prepared to be fired if he doesn't see eye to eye with your figurin'.
Click to expand...

my band now has no place to rehearse and we get stuck going to hourly rooms, and its usually anywhere from 10-16 bucks per 2-3 hour rehearsal (for each guy, btw). paying to jam sucks.

i think 25-50 is a little cheap of you, but if you threw in 70ish thatd be a bit under 9 bucks per jam, wich isint too bad.. explain that to him.
 
#6
are you in the music garage? that is where i am & it is a bit expensive. but really you are going to pay no matter where you are. hourly rehearsal rooms are at least 20 an hour & i figure you are practicing more than one hour so that 18.75 figure is more like 6 bucks an hour & that is not bad. when i first got a room in another building i hated paying out of pocket for a space but once music covered the costs i quit caring.

but if he is using the room during the day for teaching he is making cash there but if you are paying only 15% out of 3-4 people he is still picking up about 50-60% of the room himself.

and if you are in the music garage you should pay the 150 & make as many contacts as you can. everyone practices there & i have gotten quite a few gigs from just chatting & jamming there.
 
#8
Round here people rent storage units for a practice space. It's less then 150 a month to split between 3-4 people.
I would pay less then that since you don't have permanent access to it.
$20 a month?
Especially if he needs the place to make money. I might not pay anything, but 20 a month to keep a band together may not be too bad..?
 
#9
crow01 said:
Drummer asks for rent money about a 15% share. Around $150.

IMO room is too big for only 3 and sometimes 4 people. And he spends most of his time there working (teaching and drumming).

But I think he is asking for too much.

I asked him to bring another band to share the room, but he didn't want to.

What do you all think?
Click to expand...

He uses it for his own job? Sorry, but I wouldn't contribute any money if he was also using that for activities outside of the band that benefited only him. He might be paying the bulk of the money, but $150 is ridiculous. Especially if the room is already too big for what it's being used for.

I'd bail.
 
#11
groooooove said:
my band now has no place to rehearse and we get stuck going to hourly rooms, and its usually anywhere from 10-16 bucks per 2-3 hour rehearsal (for each guy, btw). paying to jam sucks.
Click to expand...

The difference is that your drummer doesn't own the rehearsal studio ... does he? ;) Also, this is why hourly rehearsal rooms blow and should only be used as a stopgap. Ain't there any 10x15 ft. industrial warehouse space for rent up there on Strong Island? FWIW, I don't think the OP should be paying anywhere near rehearsal room per-practice rates, either. $70 is still too much IMHO.

groooooove said:
i think 25-50 is a little cheap of you, but if you threw in 70ish thatd be a bit under 9 bucks per jam, wich isint too bad.. explain that to him.
Click to expand...

Hey, you say "cheap," I say "thrifty," "fair," or "commonsensical." Tomayto/tomahto.
 
#12
His rent is about $1000.00 a month. He's using it full time. 10 hour days 6 days a week works out to about $4.00 and hour. A 40 hour week works out to about $6.50 an hour.
You're in there 8-10 hours a month. $50.00 a month sounds more than fair, especially if thats per member.

By the way, is he giving receipts?
 
#13
crow01 said:
Hi TB,

Excuse the improper grammar of my title, but I need advise on this matter.

Drummer who is a professional musician, rents this place where he also teaches drumming lessons and spends most of his time...drumming I guess.

I joined his indie band to play 2 days of the week, for a couple of hours.

There is also a full time guitar (hobbyist, like me) and a part time guitar (I rarely see that guy).

Drummer asks for rent money about a 15% share. Around $150.

IMO room is too big for only 3 and sometimes 4 people. And he spends most of his time there working (teaching and drumming).

But I think he is asking for too much.

I asked him to bring another band to share the room, but he didn't want to.

What do you all think?
Click to expand...

$150 a guy or $150 between the three of you?
 
#14
how much are rates in the cities the rest of you live in? the cheapest i have seen in chicago is about 400 for a really crappy room. a really crappy room. i have been to a lot of spaces here & they are all about 2 bucks or so a square ft.
 
#17
Not nice. I wouldn't pay a penny for it. I mean, it is the bloke's place, he already pays to use it, and he makes money with the place, so howcome he asks for the people of his band to "help" him to pay the rent? I would rather rent another place just to make him pay his fair share.
 
#18
k. If it's $150 total between you three? Jump on it.

But I'm assuming we're talking $150 each here, hence the post.

So, the band's paying $600 of $1000 rent per month (including drummer and random guit dude). The space is only used by your band, let's say...six hours per week. So, judging a 40 hour work week, that, indeed, is 15%. Total. Not individually.

A $1K/mo rehearsal studio's over the top without a couple bands or a revenue generating recording studio. If not for drummer guy, depending where you are - you'd probably be splitting a $4-500/mo studio with some other band.

He's using it to generate revenue for himself, for his own business, which has nothing to do with the band. And charging himself 40% for 85% usage. And that's considering it just a 40 hour work week. Though he's probably not teaching all that much, he's there all the time.

As a four piece, you guys could be playing at a professional hourly practice studio where you drop $25/hr, play through nice gear and a PA that's already there, and pay the same. Or find some engineer just out of recording school with a decent Pro Tools LE rig, and record your demo for the same price.

Now, the guy's probably just trying to keep his head above water in order to avoid a day job, and afford a wicked cool studio where he can teach and bang on things. But. That's not the band's problem. You don't need that space, you don't need 24/7 access. That's his problem.

Figure out what you consider a fair price for the entire band to pay for it (yes, you should be contributing at some level) - then divide that by four.

I've worked with these types before. Sometimes they just don't think - sometimes they try to get a leg up on whoever's nearby. Either way, they're usually explosively stubborn when you tell them no.

Best o' luck with this guy.
 
#19
"A $1K/mo rehearsal studio's over the top without a couple bands or a revenue generating recording studio. If not for drummer guy, depending where you are - you'd probably be splitting a $4-500/mo studio with some other band."

i had a 400 dollar room & there was no way you could get another band in there. enough room for a small PA, 1 kit, 1 bass amp & 1 guitar amp. there was a little nook in the corner we put our coats on a chair but that was it.

i still want to know what everyone else pays for space.
 

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