Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
I Don't Remember Getting Gigs Being This Tough
- Thread starter Andy Brown
- Start date
DIY is really the best option for a lot of bands. Punk was born and raised on DIY shows, and punk reinvigorated rock music for decades. A litle elbow grease, fliers, and a cheap PA can go a long way.
We always get a guaranteed fee and never play for the door. That is bad business. The clubs do not hire a plumber and ask them to work for the door or pay their employees based on the number of people who show up. When a club owner or manager asks me if my band has a following, I ask them if their bar has a following and don't people like their place to patronize it on a regular basis and show up no matter what is happening there. 99% of club owners and managers do little or nothing to promote and advertise thier places or do anything to get and retain regular customers.
If a club does not have a reputation for hiring quality entertainment, they will not have a crowd and when a good band is booked there, people will not take a chance on them based on the club's reputation. We have gone into a club at a lower set fee than our regular price to get established but what we see is either the place does not want to book regularly to help establish a following or they expect the band to always play for the lower fee.
If a club does not have a reputation for hiring quality entertainment, they will not have a crowd and when a good band is booked there, people will not take a chance on them based on the club's reputation. We have gone into a club at a lower set fee than our regular price to get established but what we see is either the place does not want to book regularly to help establish a following or they expect the band to always play for the lower fee.
That depends on the bar/club. My now-defunct band used to play a club which paid only the door. The thing was, people would come to this place knowing the bands would be good to dance to. We would generally make between 800 and 1100 dollars to play three sets between 9:00 and 12:30. In fact, the band didn't get any of the door after 12:30 (when the DJ would be on) and we would still make good money.
Aint read everything, but saw people moanin about pay...
People have gotter to stop moanin' about not being paid, or the pay is bad... Really winds me up this.
I'd PAY to play if i had to, I LOVE music with a PASSION.
Richland123, you don't have a clue what your on about... We normally take the door, We get up to and over £500 each then...
If we had a set fee... be like £150 and a few beers between us all... Sounds like to me, you don't have much of a following, if any!
If your bands good, people will come. No matter of the venue!
It's not just upto the promoter to pack a venue out if your bands new to his town/venue. Get on the local radio stations... Put the venue's post code in myspace... add everyone within 5 miles of it... advertise your self!
I could go on and on... everyone stop being so soft and play because you want to... if not... millions of other young bands are willing to take your place.
People have gotter to stop moanin' about not being paid, or the pay is bad... Really winds me up this.
I'd PAY to play if i had to, I LOVE music with a PASSION.
Richland123, you don't have a clue what your on about... We normally take the door, We get up to and over £500 each then...
If we had a set fee... be like £150 and a few beers between us all... Sounds like to me, you don't have much of a following, if any!
If your bands good, people will come. No matter of the venue!
It's not just upto the promoter to pack a venue out if your bands new to his town/venue. Get on the local radio stations... Put the venue's post code in myspace... add everyone within 5 miles of it... advertise your self!
I could go on and on... everyone stop being so soft and play because you want to... if not... millions of other young bands are willing to take your place.
Au Contraire DanFold. I more than have a clue. I have been performing professionally for 40 years and every band I have ever been in has made money without playing for the door. Obviously, you do not live in the U.S. and the music scene here might be different than where you are.
Regionally, the bands that play for some type of door deals are all having problems because the club owners and managers short them at the end of the night, the doormen pocket money, or the doormen let people in for free, etc. The alternative it for the band to hire their own doorman, which is not easy, and many club owners do not permit this practice. Also, their is an issue preventing people who are not actual employees working the door and carding people. There are other issues as well.
Bass12 had a good point about performing at a place that had a reputation for booking good bands and people knew what to expect and support the club. He stated they made $800 - $1100 a gig from the door. That is a good deal. You would never see that on door deals where I live.
Well, that is a big part of the problem of getting paid in bar/club venues. When bands are willing to do it for free, why would a bar want to pay? In the end, you are more likely to likely get a higher quality band that requests certain playing conditions, including pay, than those who don't.
Just because it's an art (and not in all cases), doesn't mean it should be free. Just because you love music and it's a passion, doesn't mean it has no value.
Indeed. Playing for free actually ends up costing money for transportation.
I'm okay with a share of the door depending on draw. I am not okay with potentially packing the place and not seeing a cent. I play music because I love it, but if I put in the effort to make the gig happen, I deserve to at least break even.
Musicians who pay to play or play for free are part of the problem for the rest of us.
I love playing... i play at every chance i get... the amount of times i have been to local gigs and they ask me to play 1 or 2 songs while bands change over... i bet you would ask for a few quid if that happened to you!
I go to others bands rehearsals n help them out... because i like good music and seein others enjoying it. If Andy Rourke can do it for me... (he came into the studio with my band for 4 days, never wanted a penny) i can do it for anyone.
We still play for nowt. yeah, if we had to choose out of 2 gig's what to do... more than likely we'd take the better paying one...
And that about the higher quality band... is just nonsense! Our new guitarist was/is a massive session play, he's played with some of the biggest names you can think of. So because he has joined us and doesn't get paid at every gig he does now... he's not as high quality anymore?
If a promoter isn't willing to pay or give you your needs... 99.9% of the time... Your just not worth it... and thats Fact. If they wanted you so badly, they would beg, steal and borrow to have you in that venue.
Your all, well most... just a bunch of snobby fools. i Don't even care if you turn around and tell me you are actually paul mccartney... you should know better.
Musicians who pay to play or play for free are part of the problem for the rest of us?
What gives you the right to play at a venue more than it does me... just because you would ask for more money? Cowboy job that! the most expensive isn't always best. And thats Fact number 2.
I go to others bands rehearsals n help them out... because i like good music and seein others enjoying it. If Andy Rourke can do it for me... (he came into the studio with my band for 4 days, never wanted a penny) i can do it for anyone.
We still play for nowt. yeah, if we had to choose out of 2 gig's what to do... more than likely we'd take the better paying one...
And that about the higher quality band... is just nonsense! Our new guitarist was/is a massive session play, he's played with some of the biggest names you can think of. So because he has joined us and doesn't get paid at every gig he does now... he's not as high quality anymore?
If a promoter isn't willing to pay or give you your needs... 99.9% of the time... Your just not worth it... and thats Fact. If they wanted you so badly, they would beg, steal and borrow to have you in that venue.
Your all, well most... just a bunch of snobby fools. i Don't even care if you turn around and tell me you are actually paul mccartney... you should know better.
Musicians who pay to play or play for free are part of the problem for the rest of us?
What gives you the right to play at a venue more than it does me... just because you would ask for more money? Cowboy job that! the most expensive isn't always best. And thats Fact number 2.
Some of us have bills to pay. Not everyone is rich enough to be able to have a very expensive hobby with no compensation for our time.
He's a whole 21. Maybe in a few years he'll realize something about working for free...there's no money in it.
+1. We all have to realize that plaing music is A) Awesome and, B) Not really that hard. Hence, its economic value is VERY, VERY low. I like getting paid as much as the next guy, but stop thinking its your god-given right to get a gaurantee when you don't bring anything to the table. If your worried about bills to pay and mouths to feed, being a musician is probably not the best career choice.
Sounds like the red-necks on South Park complaining about the "goo-backs"; "THEY TOOK URR JEEEORBBS!!"
This is a business and a job. Just because we have a talent that other people do not have does not mean we should give it away for free. I do not go to the doctor and expect them to treat me for free or ask an attorney, accountant, plumber, etc. to work for free. That is how they make a living.
Sure, but if there were attorney who was awesome AND offered their services for free...wouldn't you rather use them? I don't get why you feel entitled to payment when you don't have anything more to offer than somebody who would do it for free.
No, of course not. I have a valuable skill and I am compensated at the market rate. If I were NOT compensated at the market rate, I would find an employer who would. If nobody would pay me what I think is the market rate, than I would clearly be wrong, and my skills would be, literally, worthless. Which is where you seem to be, if you aren't getting paid.
It took me a long time to scan through the thread, but after reading most of the posts, I consider myself lucky.
I'm currently playing in 2 bands- One is all 90s rock covers, and the other is a blues trio.
Both bands pay out enough to be worth the gigs (although there's still a lot of bogus gigs in there too), and I'm enjoying both of them. It seems like most of you guys are doing the original band thing though, and I don't envy you at all. That's a hard road that I think I'm done with.
In fact, the only thing I would do differently now is find some kind of a dance-band that would get me out of bars completely, and into weddings and parties where the real money is (and no bar owners).
I'm currently playing in 2 bands- One is all 90s rock covers, and the other is a blues trio.
Both bands pay out enough to be worth the gigs (although there's still a lot of bogus gigs in there too), and I'm enjoying both of them. It seems like most of you guys are doing the original band thing though, and I don't envy you at all. That's a hard road that I think I'm done with.
In fact, the only thing I would do differently now is find some kind of a dance-band that would get me out of bars completely, and into weddings and parties where the real money is (and no bar owners).
+1! Most of the professional musicians I know never have to put up with club owners, because they know there's no money in them. Weddings, parties, functions, and teaching is how professional musicians make money. I played my first wedding last week and personally made $450 for 3 hours of work (well, 3 hr set. Much more when you consider rehearsals and load in/out!)
Unfortunately, it does seem that the economy makes it much hard for amature musicians to get "break even" gigs, even locally!
Yeah, I prefer weddings and parties over bars anytime. They pay more, you start and end at a reasonable time, people are friendlier, etc...
I had a funk band last summer that did a lot of these types of gigs. Unfortunately, it imploded due to people acting like prissy musicians
.
I had a funk band last summer that did a lot of these types of gigs. Unfortunately, it imploded due to people acting like prissy musicians
.
