Exposure has context. If you are a new band struggling to get people to gigs in your home town, limit 'exposure' to the next town over, trying to get them to gigs you already have. Are you going to make fans that will fill venues from 2 1/2 hours away? If no, then that's not exposure, that's just playing free.
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Is this gig even worth the effort?
- Thread starter Sergius Durante
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@TerribleTim68 , I get the impression the OP's problem is that he's been railroaded into this, not with the worthiness of the event or any benefits to doing it.
It's the simple lack of respect from the guitarist.
It's the simple lack of respect from the guitarist.
Maybe you can find good use of the 5 hours of driving time by bitching out the twit for taking the gig to begin with!
I will do charity gigs all day long if they were close by! But 2.5 hours each way...NO
I will do charity gigs all day long if they were close by! But 2.5 hours each way...NO
well, at this point, the best you can do is write it off of your taxes. Tip for these freebie gigs: Get a receipt. Then you can write it off at full scale, including travel time, gas, food, etc.
PS make whoever booked the gig pay for your gas and food. Ahead of time. 5 hours is about a tank and a half of gas.... No gas money, no go. I'd estimate about $50.00
PS make whoever booked the gig pay for your gas and food. Ahead of time. 5 hours is about a tank and a half of gas.... No gas money, no go. I'd estimate about $50.00
I only took a gig if it checked 2 out of the following 3 criteria:
1. Pay (if pay is high enough, this can count as 2 check marks)
2. The gig will be artistically and/or spiritually fulfilling.
3. The gig will allow me to hang out as a peer with people who I think are successful, cool, and awesome.
Of course, if you end up in a great band, with great people, playing exactly the kind of music you want to play, the trap you fall into is that boxes 2 and 3 are always checked. That happened to me for a couple years, and it led to me going to law school as a means of escape.
1. Pay (if pay is high enough, this can count as 2 check marks)
2. The gig will be artistically and/or spiritually fulfilling.
3. The gig will allow me to hang out as a peer with people who I think are successful, cool, and awesome.
Of course, if you end up in a great band, with great people, playing exactly the kind of music you want to play, the trap you fall into is that boxes 2 and 3 are always checked. That happened to me for a couple years, and it led to me going to law school as a means of escape.
5 hours of driving? For nothing? And you were not asked? Here is what I would say to the band, " One of us is leaving this band now. Him or me. You have 3 seconds to decide."
How much exposure? Is it really a good gig that will get your music in front of people who will be receptive? And who's responsible for booking gigs in this band? That's the real issue that needs to be addressed. Nobody should be booking gigs without consulting the other members.
I disagree. If he takes his ball and goes home on this gig, he's putting other people out and will become the bad guy. If he does the gig and then calmly explains how he would rather handle future gigs, he takes the high road. After that, he's earned the right to refuse others like it in any situation.
I'm curious to know just how many folks saying they'd never do an event like this as an originals project are in or have ever been in an originals project that is truly fully committed. Originals are a hard sell, so exposure and experience are a BIG deal to these kinds of projects. And exposure 2-3 hours away can be absolutely worthwhile if the venue isn't a complete, low-attendance dive. Promotion is expensive, and it's hard enough to punch above the noise floor in the fully committed originals world. You take what you can get and you build on it. If you're overly picky when opportunities come up, and get butthurt easy when they don't fit your ideals, then you might as well pack it in now. Buzz is buzz, and most of these people will be internet equipped, so their buzz will reach farther than it used to if you can get them buzzing. However, if you're not willing to put in a little road time, that buzz will be confined to a bubble around your hometown and that's it. If that's all you want, then fine... but to me it seems like a waste to write originals for my hometown and that's it. For me, if I'm putting in the effort to write originals (and back when I was), I'm going to be all-in. So, I want that buzz to be as big as possible, and would absolutely consider taking the gig if the venue's solid.
Food for thought: where would we all be today if Rush hadn't taken that poverty gig at the Laura Secord Secondary School in St. Catharines, ON over an hour away from Toronto back in 1974? Yeah it probably wasn't a benefit, but I'm betting it wasn't much above that and it sure wasn't the greatest gig in the world.
Just curious as to your thought process.
The world is a different place than it was in 1974. Getting your music out there is far easier now than it's ever been.
I've done countless charity events/fund raisers. They're a pain in the neck and, at least in my experience, historically attended by folks who really aren't paying much attention to the music. The event coordinators typically look to semi-well known local/regional acts that they are familiar to many, be able to pull a few extra bodies and can be counted on to provide quality entertainment and responsible enough to know how to conduct themselves appropriately. So to me, 'exposure' to folks who don't care or aren't interested in being aware of anything new, isn't exposing them to anything.
I feel like the guy who agreed to this without consulting his bandmates did so out of enthusiasm and eagerness to play....anywhere. He was probably afraid that if he didn't immediately accept the offer to play, it would not be available if he hung up the phone to check with everyone, then call the person back.
Most are losing sight of the fact that this is a charity event. Do it for the right reason.
This is funny for us, not for you of course. I'd say he should rent a van and you all travel together with him driving. Once there, make a fun field trip of the area. Explore the scenery, places, eateries. Have a good time outside of the gig. Next time, have a communication procedure in place to prevent these kinds of situations.
You could also refuse to do this one gig. Because it's an originals band, the whole band would likely drop out. Live and learn.
With our group, we are older players and been around the block. We all have our own war stories, and could write a book.
We have rules:
1. Everyone has to agree on the gig.
2. Typically agree any private things require certain amount of pay, no matter where.
3. Limit Charity gigs to one or two a year, they are tax deductible. (You need to run things professionally enough and use tax deductions properly).
4. Freebies or parties can be only limited to immediate band members, period. And don't take advantage of those. Things like daughter's wedding. But generally best for the band member to at least come up with some $$ for the others in the band. Another words, you want to have an event, better have a little pay, and food and drink for the members of the band.
5. If a real "Exposure" gig, all the band agrees it is a good idea, worthwhile promotional stuff guaranteed, and that it will be professionally done. And we aren't supplying the PA or Equipment for others, either.
6. No one takes advantage of the other members time and effort, period.
7. Long haul gigs typically have to be really worth it. (See all the rules above.)
If you can't have guidelines about stuff, the group is doomed to bickering, fighting, and holding grudges. Run it professionally even if you may not be professionals.
We have rules:
1. Everyone has to agree on the gig.
2. Typically agree any private things require certain amount of pay, no matter where.
3. Limit Charity gigs to one or two a year, they are tax deductible. (You need to run things professionally enough and use tax deductions properly).
4. Freebies or parties can be only limited to immediate band members, period. And don't take advantage of those. Things like daughter's wedding. But generally best for the band member to at least come up with some $$ for the others in the band. Another words, you want to have an event, better have a little pay, and food and drink for the members of the band.
5. If a real "Exposure" gig, all the band agrees it is a good idea, worthwhile promotional stuff guaranteed, and that it will be professionally done. And we aren't supplying the PA or Equipment for others, either.
6. No one takes advantage of the other members time and effort, period.
7. Long haul gigs typically have to be really worth it. (See all the rules above.)
If you can't have guidelines about stuff, the group is doomed to bickering, fighting, and holding grudges. Run it professionally even if you may not be professionals.
In this day and age, everybody has a phone, internet, email address and yet, your BL did not communicate that information to other musicians. He just booked.
I would not be happy. It's all about respect.
I would not be happy. It's all about respect.
No. There are too many "charity" events which really seem like an excuse for a promoter to get everything for free or reduced pricing and then charge admission while giving a "portion of proceeds" to whatever charity.
Why doesn't he already have that right? He's not the bad guy, he's the guy who's expecting professional behavior, and personally, I really wouldn't be too concerned about what a bunch of people at this level would be thinking about me, in the first place.
Why is he obligated to something that he never agreed to in the first place? I don't understand why he's even wasting time with these amateurs. This is another one of the weekly 'what pros and amateurs do' thread we see here.
It's fine. Imagine this, weeknight gig, I'm living in Chicago. I leave work at 3pm to get to the rehearsal space, load up, drive 10 miles in 90 minutes because traffic is so horrible to make the 6pm soundcheck, doors are at 10pm, 4 bands 25 minute sets. The band splits $17 four ways at the end of the night. Get home at 3 am, wake up at 7 to go back to work, work late to make up the time you took off for the show.
That's life in an original band.
That's life in an original band.
