Pay To Audition?

[honeyiscool]

Just part of the beauty of living in an area where you can buy a three bedroom/two bath house with a finished basement for well under $200K.

Yeah, but...

And I bet when we get a quarter inch of rain on Saturday, my friends will all act like Katrina just happened.

 

[Drgonzonm]

My take,
OP, can I borrow a cord,
Could I borrow your chorus pedal, my batteries are dead,
Lend me 10 bucks I need to get to work in the morning,
Can you drive me to my P.O.?
Can you pick me up for practice?
Bring your electric guitar, I broke my high E about 10 minutes ago.

 

[leegreenman]

Hmmmm. Definitely in bad taste, but I'm not sure it's worst thing in the world. Maybe the guy is trying to rule out the deadbeats. It's pretty standard for bands to split the cost of rehearsals at hourly places. Maybe he wants to avoid having to deal with that band member who is always broke.

 

[MichelD]

That'll be the f**king day!

 

[micguy]

If someone told me it’d cost $12 to audition, I’m not sure if I would have hung up before or after laughing at him, but I certainly would have hung up without further discussion.

 

[juancaminos]

Geez I dunno...If I knew ahead of time that this guy and/or the band was top notch the answer would be yes. Otherwise I just think it's absurd to ask someone to pay for an audition. I do get the weeding out broke wanna be's and if a bunch of people collectively agree to try something project wise knowing that they would have to chip in for the practice space ahead of time. But this just rubs the wrong way. I guess it would depend on a lot of things.

 

[madbass6]

After several weeks of texting back and forth with the guy who contacted me to come try out for the bassist in a country band he is forming, this coming Sunday, it looks like it will happen. We will be meeting in a local studio, and the time is charged at a reasonable rate. I just found out today, that we (prospective band mates) will be expected to split the cost of the time! It's a small amount ($12), and that's not the issue, so I'm still going to the audition, but shouldn't he have mentioned this before? The last time I was invited to that same studio to lay down a track, there was no mention of money! The new guy responded that 'it's a new band - who's gonna pay?', and I said 'usually the band leader/organizer does!'.

Has anyone ever heard of this? First time for me!

yeah " don't for get the pizza as well!

 

[Lava]

Nope. Don't do it.

 

[mikewalker]

.... I do get the weeding out broke wanna be's and if a bunch of people collectively agree to try something project wise knowing that they would have to chip in for the practice space ahead of time. ...

I would say that this request to have people pay to audition indicates the people holding the auditions ARE broke wanna be's

 

[Drgonzonm]

One of BL's has a recording studio, really nice, we practice at the place we play, we audition new people there. To me a studio is a very different playing environment than a live playing environment
No sure why a band would audition in a studio?
If you prepare an audition tape, it costs money.
If you are being recorded, the potential band has method of critically reviewing your playing
Interesting thread

 

[3Liter]

One of BL's has a recording studio, really nice, we practice at the place we play, we audition new people there. To me a studio is a very different playing environment than a live playing environment
No sure why a band would audition in a studio?
If you prepare an audition tape, it costs money.
If you are being recorded, the potential band has method of critically reviewing your playing
Interesting thread

This must be one of the terms (like "jam") that has many meanings. The "studio" I went to was an industrial space cut into three rooms. Next door was dominos pizza. Actually that’s kinda funny.
One room did have a window that allowed for the owner to record a live session if the band wanted to. Anyhow, I recorded with my little Tascm and evaluated my own and the bands playing.

 

[leegreenman]

One of BL's has a recording studio, really nice, we practice at the place we play, we audition new people there. To me a studio is a very different playing environment than a live playing environment
No sure why a band would audition in a studio?
If you prepare an audition tape, it costs money.
If you are being recorded, the potential band has method of critically reviewing your playing
Interesting thread

Rehearsal studios are common in New York City, and its suburbs. They're rentable by the hr, and have amps, drums, and a PA. They don't have much in common with a decent recording studio.

 

[honeyiscool]

This must be one of the terms (like "jam") that has many meanings. The "studio" I went to was an industrial space cut into three rooms. Next door was dominos pizza. Actually that’s kinda funny.
One room did have a window that allowed for the owner to record a live session if the band wanted to. Anyhow, I recorded with my little Tascm and evaluated my own and the bands playing.

Yeah, pay-by-the-hour studios are very common here, and they get a ton of bands come through. They usually have a PA, mics with stands, a couple of half stacks, a bass amp, and a drum kit. You bring cymbals, bass pedal, snare, and some guitars and bass, and you can rehearse for a couple of hours. You just go on a website and sign up, basically.

There's nothing glamorous about most of these spaces, and a lot of them sound awful through stock gear. But hey, they have sound, and you can practice without worrying about neighbors. And some of the nicer places have air conditioning.

 

[LBS-bass]

I'm lucky to have a rehearsal space at home, and most of the bands I've been in through the years have had a private rehearsal space. But I have been in a few that rented space. It's not uncommon. There's a musician's rental hall not far from where I live, in an industrial park, and they do a lot of business. I think it's common to call it a rehearsal studio. Studio is a word with a lot of different meanings, depending on context.

 

[CarpeBasso]

I'd do it simply out of curiosity, just to find out what's up with them.

 

[xnewyorka]

I can certainly understand their position and their reason for wanting to get the auditionees to help pay for the studio time. From his perspective, it makes business sense. For your perspective, it seems cheap and petty, especially if you only consider the $12 and not the $48 or $60 that he might actually be receiving.

I would have no problem paying it IF I already knew that the band was good enough that I was going to want to join it.

How I would handle it is to tell them that I am happy to chip in for the studio time for the audition, but before committing to audition, I would like to hear some recordings of him and also of anybody else who is already in the band in order to make sure that we are a good match, i.e. that we are all at the same musical level.

I DO feel it's a little weird that he didn't disclose the "fee" up front, and I would ask him in a non-accusatory way why he left out that detail in the initial conversation. For example: "I've been doing this for a pretty long time, and I just wanted to mention that this is my first time ever being asked to help pay for studio time for an audition. I don't mind paying it, I think it makes total financial sense. I'm just wondering why you didn't mention it up front, since it's sort of a non-standard thing." If I thought that asking this question would hurt my chances of getting the gig, and I really wanted the gig, I would ask the question after my second or third successful rehearsal with them.

 

[Grahams Groove]

If the band has a decent regular gig, they shouldn't need to charge players to audition.

If they don't have any gigs and are in early stages of organizing the band, they have no grounds to charge players for an audition.

So...nah.

 

[Drgonzonm]

Is this any different than playing golf In a private club? Green fees, cart rentals, minimum food fees. It's pay to play, and with some luck, you'll make enough to cover studio rental.

 

[LBS-bass]

Is this any different than playing golf In a private club? Green fees, cart rentals, minimum food fees. It's pay to play, and with some luck, you'll make enough to cover studio rental.

Yes it is, because golfers are there to have fun with their friends, not to audition for a band. An audition assumes that there's someone at the helm calling the shots and always, in my experience, footing the bill or providing the venue. You're coming in as a potential hired gun to try out, not to play a game.

 

[DavC]

i think they'd owe me money ... simply state that they will pay you as a 'studio bassist ' for the day ... and make up an hourly rate that suits your mood ... but it needs to be some multiple of 12 .. like $24 per hr ... tell him a check will be fine ( with Id ) ...