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how do i start a band without it falling apart

#63
Or at least the cape.

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#65
51PRI said:
I have never been in a band in which a band member, band leader, paid me to be there...to rehearse. Have you? Does that really happen at the local level?
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It does not come down to local, in the early nineties across the parking lot from me in Fremont CA on Thursday nights 50 to 60 cars would arrive and the drivers would go into that building and get paid to rehearse, while our band rehearsed unpaid in my upholstery shop.

I was cash poor, my neighbor, MC Hammer, was going poor.

Life is short, time is money, and if you add up at some point the wasted time you can put a price tag on it. Using that principal you can decide if the wasted time was worth the price, or plan and be ahead of the curve.

So it depends what your goals are.

Spend an evening a week for ten years with some people going nowhere like a mouse on a wheel, or, hone your skills, save some money, and when ready hire some pros once in a while to produce something on a higher level, if you have that quality within you.

Just depends on what we as individuals are seeking vs something being right or wrong.

I have had lots of fun "wasting time" in my life, the bulk of which I do not regret, which kinda means that it was spent vs wasted.

: )
 
#66
Pontiac Thrasher said:
It does not come down to local, in the early nineties across the parking lot from me in Fremont CA on Thursday nights 50 to 60 cars would arrive and the drivers would go into that building and get paid to rehearse, while our band rehearsed unpaid in my upholstery shop...
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Well, obviously you're talking about an orchestra which is a whole different thing. And I do know that orchestra members do get paid for rehearsals. That's just the way that scene operates. I've never known it to work that way in a combo/dance band/dad band/weekend warrior situation though.

OTOH I see quite a few acts, pretty often the acts that perform on the CBS Saturday morning show, that appear to be vanity projects for the singer/songwriter/band leader. I've always thought that those members must be in a situation in which they are paid for rehearsals.

It makes me wonder about big name acts, like Steely Dan. I wonder if the sidemen get paid for rehearsals.
 
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#67
51PRI said:
Well, obviously you're talking about an orchestra which is a whole different thing. And I do know that orchestra members do get paid for rehearsals. That's just the way that scene operates. I've never known it to work that way in a combo/dance band/dad band/weekend warrior situation though.

OTOH I see quite a few acts, pretty often the acts that perform on the CBS Saturday morning show, that appear to be vanity projects for the singer/songwriter/band leader. I've always thought that those members must be in a situation in which they are paid for rehearsals.

It makes me wonder about big name acts, like Steely Dan. I wonder if the sidemen get paid for rehearsals.
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It varies - sometimes they're paid a flat fee to rehearse like a friend of mine who plays with a legacy country artist. Sometimes it's a union-scale-equivalent hourly rate - $100 for two hours minimum, $150 for a third hour in half-hour increments. Sometimes rehearsals are considered part of their per diem rate.

Most are paid in some way.

BTW, not big name acts, but local paying church service gigs often pay a flat fee for each service plus a flat fee for rehearsals, usually 1-2 hours, within an hour of first service.
 
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#69
51PRI said:
Well, obviously you're talking about an orchestra which is a whole different thing. And I do know that orchestra members do get paid for rehearsals. That's just the way that scene operates. I've never known it to work that way in a combo/dance band/dad band/weekend warrior situation though.

OTOH I see quite a few acts, pretty often the acts that perform on the CBS Saturday morning show, that appear to be vanity projects for the singer/songwriter/band leader. I've always thought that those members must be in a situation in which they are paid for rehearsals.

It makes me wonder about big name acts, like Steely Dan. I wonder if the sidemen get paid for rehearsals.
Click to expand...
The M.C. Hammer "Orchestra"

It does have a sorta ring to it : )

Here's a link to how the money went, he had quite a ride for a while.

 

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