Learned something from a sub drummer

[Bullitt5135]

My cover band is just a weekend warrior group that plays for fun. We’re a solid band (IMO), and we put the music and the hang above money. Our drummer just had hip replacement surgery, so we needed a sub on short notice to make a gig happen. I reached out to an acquaintance—a really talented drummer who plays with some of the top event bands in the area. I’d never played with him before, but I knew he was more than qualified. He was available, came in cold with no rehearsal, and nailed it. No issues at all—it felt like a normal gig for us.

During soundcheck, I mentioned I was recording multitrack. I usually use it between shows to fine-tune my mix offline and to polish audio for the occasional video clip on social. He immediately said he was NOT okay with being recorded. At first I thought he was joking, but he explained he’s been burned before—thinking he was hired just for a live gig, then finding out his performance was used for marketing a pro-level band — or even as backing tracks after the fact. Totally fair, and it honestly hadn’t occurred to me. He’s a pro with a day rate for recording sessions, where expectations are clear. From his perspective, he doesn’t know my band, and it wouldn’t reflect well on him if we were a bunch of hacks posting videos of him playing with us all over Facebook.

In the end, it was only awkward for a moment and didn’t affect the show at all. Everything went fine, and I walked away with a good lesson learned.

 

[Dlew919]

Recording. A double edged sword. A good lesson learned and great he said it you did it (or didn’t do it) and all was fine. Hopefully you’ll work with him again in the future.

 

[jerry]

My cover band is just a weekend warrior group that plays for fun. We’re a solid band (IMO), and we put the music and the hang above money. Our drummer just had hip replacement surgery, so we needed a sub on short notice to make a gig happen. I reached out to an acquaintance—a really talented drummer who plays with some of the top event bands in the area. I’d never played with him before, but I knew he was more than qualified. He was available, came in cold with no rehearsal, and nailed it. No issues at all—it felt like a normal gig for us.

During soundcheck, I mentioned I was recording multitrack. I usually use it between shows to fine-tune my mix offline and to polish audio for the occasional video clip on social. He immediately said he was NOT okay with being recorded. At first I thought he was joking, but he explained he’s been burned before—thinking he was hired just for a live gig, then finding out his performance was used for marketing a pro-level band — or even as backing tracks after the fact. Totally fair, and it honestly hadn’t occurred to me. He’s a pro with a day rate for recording sessions, where expectations are clear. From his perspective, he doesn’t know my band, and it wouldn’t reflect well on him if we were a bunch of hacks posting videos of him playing with us all over Facebook.

In the end, it was only awkward for a moment and didn’t affect the show at all. Everything went fine, and I walked away with a good lesson learned.

He's not wrong, especially these days.

 

[Mister_GothFrak]

Oh, I'm always telling people and businesses I am not okay with being recorded. Not necessarily in this context, just in general. lol.

The world has become a very scary and intrusive place. I want the peace and quiet and relative anonymity we had back in the 90's. Back when cash was common and CCTV was offline -- the only line -- and meant "closed circuit" rather than "cloud connected".

 

[DaveParker39]

Having a sub drummer that is good enough to have been "burned" in that context would lead me to believe your band is more highly regarded than perhaps you realize.

 

[smperry]

Yeah, it’s been an issue in indie bands I’ve played in, including times when I’ve been a sub or left the band. There wasn’t real money involved but I wanted the credit.

 

[Carl Hillman]

My cover band is just a weekend warrior group that plays for fun. We’re a solid band (IMO), and we put the music and the hang above money. Our drummer just had hip replacement surgery, so we needed a sub on short notice to make a gig happen. I reached out to an acquaintance—a really talented drummer who plays with some of the top event bands in the area. I’d never played with him before, but I knew he was more than qualified. He was available, came in cold with no rehearsal, and nailed it. No issues at all—it felt like a normal gig for us.

During soundcheck, I mentioned I was recording multitrack. I usually use it between shows to fine-tune my mix offline and to polish audio for the occasional video clip on social. He immediately said he was NOT okay with being recorded. At first I thought he was joking, but he explained he’s been burned before—thinking he was hired just for a live gig, then finding out his performance was used for marketing a pro-level band — or even as backing tracks after the fact. Totally fair, and it honestly hadn’t occurred to me. He’s a pro with a day rate for recording sessions, where expectations are clear. From his perspective, he doesn’t know my band, and it wouldn’t reflect well on him if we were a bunch of hacks posting videos of him playing with us all over Facebook.

In the end, it was only awkward for a moment and didn’t affect the show at all. Everything went fine, and I walked away with a good lesson learned.

Perfectly understandable.

I’ve been burned before. I was hired to play an outdoor festival several years ago. There were a couple of cameras there that I figured were either a local news crew or the municipality sponsoring the concert.

The gig went fine and I got paid a fair rate for it.

Cut to a year later. I happened to stumble across the website of the person who hired me. It turns out that they had hired the camera crew, and were selling a live DVD of the show without a word to anyone else who played the gig.

 

[jimmydean]

Unless your a recording artist and or legal rights issues involved , not enough to worry about . I do understand his point , a cover band I have worked with for years has had it's live gig videos audio posted on YouTube selling on some European music site and they can't profit a dime from it .

 

[Number179]

Where can I send you payment for the live CD? PP G&S?

 

[Pings Bass]

When I was a beer league hockey defensemen, a substitute goalie gave me some unsolicited tips about my skating. At first I thought it was out of line, but he wasn't wrong. (I've always felt like the relationships between bass and drums and D and goalie was analogous.

Anyway, carry on, and don't (professionally) record anybody's performance without consent.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

At least he thourally explained his position. And since you weren't planning on burning him in that respect, its a no harm, no foul situation.

 

[iammr2]

I'm with the sub. I do NOT like being recorded, unless it's with my permission and/or my project.

 

[jimmydean]

Where can I send you payment for the live CD? PP G&S?

I feel the love , it's all good .

 

[KenSmithFan]

Someone is really full of themselves. Unless you’re a national act, no one knows or cares. We’re not the center of the universe that so many seem to think they are.

When I left my last band I let them know, in writing, that they were free to continue to use all of the promo items I was on.