Its a benifit show !

I'd walk myself...

 

you should have played "for the benefit of mr. kite"

like 60 times

 

they made you PAY to play for free?

what? they didn't think you playing for nothing was enough ?

that's ingratitude, hope you all played badly lol

 

If you get a rep for doing these type of gigs all the time then that is all you will be offered. I play with 2 different bands and play 75-80 nights a year. We might play for free 3-4 times a year.

 

You get what you tolerate.

 

Seems like there are no paying gigs anymore.

 

I just played a benefit gig last Friday night. We do them periodically, but not enough to detract from our normal schedule. The last one was in potential conflict with another gig the following night, so we told the benefit organizer that we needed a meager $500 guarantee, and that we would not be doing any promotion due to the need to promote the gig the following night. They still agreed and had us come out. The point I'm trying to make is that doing some charity gigs each year is a good thing, but don't let charity take away from your primary efforts. If they want you bad enough, they'll agree to reasonable terms. Don't get greedy and try to fleece a charity, but also don't undervalue yourself.

 

Let's see. "Charity" wants five musicians to dedicate 7 hours on a Saturday night, load in $10,000 worth of sound equipment, set it up, tear it down and transport it back to their house, for free, and they're not the greedy ones?

 

I wind up doing a few benefits a year. Its always for a good cause and usually a good time. But asking you to pay to get in if your playing is ridiculous.

 

I'm all for helping out worthy local charities, but I still have a day job, so I can afford it if I'm not booked elsewhere. I played for years in a corporate band that did 12-20 charity gigs a year. If I was scheduled to work that day, the gig was my shift. Occasionally I was asked to do a gig on a day off, and I always did unless I was booked.

It'd be a different story if music was my only source of income.

 

"Seems like an excuse for not paying bands..."
Yep. Just like all these bars that have only "Open mic" and then prat on about how they are supporting live music.

My guideline has become, if everyone else is donating their time/proceeds (i.e the vendors/concessionaires, event staff, etc.) then fine so will we. If anyone else is getting paid then so are we. We'll be happy to work out a reduced fee but if that isn't good enough, pass.

 

If you had to pay, then the food wasn't free.

 

Sure , my band will play your benefit for free, equipment rental is $400 though.

 

Things aren't too different on this side of the coast either. I played in a death/thrash band for a couple years and experienced pretty much this ^ or the promoters will show up, but are insanely disorganized. It really is annoying, and led me to quit playing live for a short time.

 

There wasn't free food...you paid $5 for it.

 

Simples:
If you ask us to play a benefit, we look up our history with you, if we have none, we aren't playing it. If we have a history, one where we don't get paid what we were 'guaranteed' or shows have been canceled at the last minute, etc. etc. then you have an outside shot, at that point it really depends on the benefit. If we have a history, and we've gotten paid, in full or usually anyways (things happen, we get that) then as long as there is no conflict with a paying gig, congratulations, you gotta band for your benefit.

Honestly, if I was promoting, that's how I'd work it too, I wouldn't ask a band to play a benefit until I had them on a few bills where they got paid, but similarly, if I'm throwing them shows, getting them paid, and they never do a benefit for me, then I probably find other bands to throw those paying gigs at.