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How does each band member get paid fairly?

#41
Awesome! Thanks for all the feedback! After sleeping on it and chewing on the new information, I now have a much better way to deal with the issues.

10% booking
10% PA
20% vocalist
20% guitarist
20% drummer
20% bassist

That's how we're going to slice it for now. I am going to invest in PA gear to add and replace old gear. The guitarist is one of my life-long best friends. He complains to me about the drummer's and singer's lack of equipment all the time, so of course I'd like to help resolve it so I don't have to hear about it anymore. He will have to decide how to handle the drum rental going forward with the drummer. The PA is going to be between him and I, so we won't be so pissed at the vocalist anymore lol. The vocalist broke a stand... didn't replace it... got the duct tape out... not pretty. Anyway, he will be advised to invest in a non-chinese microphone, stand, and cables... he's working on the lights... I hope that will be up to par. Well, everything should get better. I'll be buying stage monitors soon... we don't have any and it sucks. Thanks again everybody!
 
#45
I won't play with anyone unless all funds including tips are split evenly. I don't care who you are or what you own. If that doesn't work, you don't need me. That has been my opinion since I was a kid. I'm quite certain this won't work for everyone. If there are four of us on stage, it is split four ways. Period. When the night is over you still take your own equipment home. It is still yours. By the way, over the years, the PA system has always, without exception, been mine.
 
#49
Does anyone do backup vocals? Then the PA is for the band.

If the guitarist is happy providing equipment so you can HAVE a band, then don't worry about it.
Dividing pay based on personal choices of how much spent on equipment is lose-lose situation.

Being in a band should be a happpy experience. IMO, if you keep harping about this situation and have an attitude about it, you may be the first one replaced.:(

+1 for giving the guitar player an extra share for the PA and for hauling the equipment.
Also, if any band member is sharing a ride to the gig, he should kick in for mileage as well.

I suggest letting the guitar player upgrade his PA equipment. IME, the singer will never have the means to pony up a few thousand for a PA. He should buy a pro microphone though.If the guitar player owns the PA, the upside is that you"re not tied to ay specific singer or drummer.

If you're the band leader, then make the decision. If it's a partnership, then have a meeting to decide what the band wants to do. If you disagree with the vote then walk.

I suggest not spending much time on the issue so in the future you can find people that all have good equipment so you won't have to concern yourself over investment calculations and percentages related to the few bucks the band will be paid.

Or, before you organize a band in the future, have each person submit an equipment list and total investment so you can workn out the gig split ahead of time. :)

Good luck.
 
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#50
Yeah, most singers don't own anything. On paper, a singer not even having a vocals-only PA system is as silly as a guitarist not having an amp, but thankfully for singers they're all as useless as each other and so they're kind of 'right by majority' if you will.

We're lucky in that we all have enough parts of a PA to make it a non-issue. We use my subs and sub amp, the guitarist's tops and amp and the drummer's mixer. We all bought a rack and xover from the proceeds from the first gig. Singer has an SM58 and a powered wedge and nothing else, obviously. We have a very simple rule, you are responsible for everything up until the mixer. That means your own instruments, pedals, amps, DI boxes, everything. Even the xlr cable. If your gear isn't up to scratch then you have to sort it and if it is up to scratch then it doesn't really matter if it's a Squier or a Fodera then does it? Because the singer humps and sets up the whole PA, he just about earns his equal share.
 
#51
Uhh, I don't think you should deduct instrument expenses from gig money. Maybe if you were recording a studio album you'd deduct expenses but not for small time gigs, bite the bullet and give the singer the same money, the poopie they put up with to keep their vocal cords clean deserves some compensation anyway.
 
#52
My past experience was that we all got paid equally. Each member was responsible for their own instrument and equipment. You paid your own gas or we would carpool and chip in for gas. On overnighters, we got extra to pay for lodging and split the rest equally. We all helped setting up and breaking down the equipment at each gig. As for recording, the members who invest will reap the profits and those who don't receive a studio fee for the recording session. Each member contributes to the total sound of the band regardless of what genre you are playing and thus is entitled to equal pay. If your equipment costs more than another member's then that is the way it is. That is the instrument you chose to play and therefore you should accept responsibility for the costs of necessary equipment. This policy worked very well for us.
 
#53
DrakeWeiss said:
Awesome! Thanks for all the feedback! After sleeping on it and chewing on the new information, I now have a much better way to deal with the issues.

10% booking
10% PA
20% vocalist
20% guitarist
20% drummer
20% bassist

That's how we're going to slice it for now. I am going to invest in PA gear to add and replace old gear. The guitarist is one of my life-long best friends. He complains to me about the drummer's and singer's lack of equipment all the time, so of course I'd like to help resolve it so I don't have to hear about it anymore. He will have to decide how to handle the drum rental going forward with the drummer. The PA is going to be between him and I, so we won't be so pissed at the vocalist anymore lol. The vocalist broke a stand... didn't replace it... got the duct tape out... not pretty. Anyway, he will be advised to invest in a non-chinese microphone, stand, and cables... he's working on the lights... I hope that will be up to par. Well, everything should get better. I'll be buying stage monitors soon... we don't have any and it sucks. Thanks again everybody!
Click to expand...

With us, with the exception of the PA, everyone is expected to have their own gear. If you need to rent gear it comes out of your pocket not the rest of the band member's pocket. My guitarist and I have been friends for years and we own the PA so we take a 10% cut right off the top we put aside for repair or replacement (this covers speakers, speaker cables, amps, mixer, vocal module, compressor and EQ). All mics, mic cables and stands are the responsibility of the vocalist). We all have booked gigs so there is no cut for booking a gig. We had a vocalist one time that didn't want to unload or load gear so we started a rule for gig payout.

Load in = 33% of your cut for the night
Performance = 34% of your cut for the night
Load out = 33% of your cut for the night.

This fixed the issue with the vocalist not wanting to help. When we had a female vocalist, we carried the heavy stuff and it was her responsibility to get all the mics, stands and cables unpacked, setup and packed at the end of the night.
 
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#54
I think equal shares is the best way. One band I was in counted an additional share for the band expenses like promotion or rehearsal room rental. I've invested thousands in instruments and PA gear but I have no resentment towards the others. In my current situation we've all put a lot of investment towards gear. I see no point in squabbling over $10 when what we all really deserve is 50 times that for all the work that goes into a show. I'd rather play with folks who feel the same.
 
#55
Just pay everyone 25% if one person is doing a little extra work chalk it up as experience for your next band if you decide this one isn't working out and all of this extra energy should be directed toward making great music life really is shorter than you think good luck to you and the band.
 
#56
DrakeWeiss said:
Here is a breakdown on each player's investment into band equipment so far:

$0.00 Singer
$0.00 Drummer
$3,500 Guitarist's Guitar Gear
$2,500 Guitarist's PA gear
$2,500 Guitarist's drum set
$7,000 Bassist
Click to expand...
You can't use your own gear as an investment cost. PA? Sure. Using someone else's gear? Sure...but to value your bass over your vocalists voice is not right. The singer in my band has spent more on training for her voice than I have on gear.
 
#58
If you're doing this for the money, you are in the wrong business.

And I have never heard of a vocalist being responsible for owning a PA.?.?.?
Maybe some feather boas, crazy hats and funky sunglasses?
 
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#60
when you are making $1000+ per gig, then worry about this stuff.
until that time, just have fun.

If you want to run your band like a business, then be prepared for a rotating cast of characters.
You can let the singer/drummer use your stuff at rehearsal, but then tell them that it is not to be taken to gigs.
Then they say, "well I don't have a drum/mic? how will I do the gig?"
then you say, "Good question. I'll let you figure that one out between now and the gig."
then they say, "But I don't have that kind of cash for a new drum/mic."
then you say, "Well Johnny on the spot has one, and he is ready to do the gig. Call me when you get a mic/drum."

Then you call Johnny, he does the gig but demands his $100 regardless of how much you made from the bar.
 

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