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Pay to Play...Literally

#44
Bar owner did it again tonight except he didn't ask if we wanted any. He just brought them during the middle of our first set and set them on the stage. Drummer's GF, sitting at the bar, watched him write them down on our tab.

Oh, and the place is packed plus they're charging a cover again. I'm not in it for the money but that's a pretty lame thing to do.

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#47
Jamvan said:
Bar owner did it again tonight except he didn't ask if we wanted any. He just brought them during the middle of our first set and set them on the stage. Drummer's GF, sitting at the bar, watched him write them down on our tab.

Oh, and the place is packed plus they're charging a cover again. I'm not in it for the money but that's a pretty lame thing to do.

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So he brought you all drinks *without* you asking *and* he's charging you too, ***!!:(. He's straight up robbing you guys!! What if none of you wanted to drink? ...

I would not play there again on principle and id warn other local bands!!
 
#48
dbase said:
We always got free beers from the owner. I myself didn't drink much but we had a lead singer who became an alcoholic from all the patrons buying us drinks, we were that good.. Then the freebies stopped. Our dressing room was in the utility room where they had a walk-in beer cooler and ice machine. The lead singer used to steal beers from cases in the back of the cooler as not to be missed. When they put 2 and 2 together they figured we took them and fired us. Before we ended that gig, the singer took a wiz into the ice machine. The bartenders would come back and forth scooping up the ice from the machine and take it to the bar. I would never buy another mixed drink again at that bar again.
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Eating the yellow snow... classic
 
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#49
hintz said:
So he brought you all drinks *without* you asking *and* he's charging you too, ***!!:(. He's straight up robbing you guys!! What if none of you wanted to drink? ...

I would not play there again on principle and id warn other local bands!!
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Ditto, I'd make myself scarce in short order. If somebody did a similar thing in insurance, I think it would be tied selling, or perhaps failing to hold out (or not telling somebody important pieces of information), and at that point I'd make a stink about it and let people know. there was/is one bartender back home who would offer to do a shot of wiser's, or whatever the new "standard" changed to with me at the end of the night, it was on the house, so I'd buy another round, and I'd hand my buddy my car keys. It wasn't a very regular thing, but sometimes he'd offer, and I'd ask my friend if he'd mind driving home. Keep in mind as well, as much as I tried to make the band into a profitable thing, the "band leader" wanted it to be effectively a passion project, so it was definitely not a money thing.
 
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#50
Jamvan said:
Bar owner did it again tonight except he didn't ask if we wanted any. He just brought them during the middle of our first set and set them on the stage. Drummer's GF, sitting at the bar, watched him write them down on our tab.

Oh, and the place is packed plus they're charging a cover again. I'm not in it for the money but that's a pretty lame thing to do.

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If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious what bar that is? I'm from MN and last played throughout the metro area 10 years ago....
 
#51
HolmeBass said:
That's super lame. At least last night the venue I played was upfront about charging us for everything. It's been a long time since I had to pay for my soda at a gig. Last night got hit for $2.50 for a soda gun ginger ale, something that costs the club 20 or 30 cents at most. I'll be fine with not playing there again.
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I'm a non-drinker, and I can't tell you how many times I've gotten to a club and been told that beer is free, but a water or a soda is going to cost me something.

Bajo Clarkko said:
Some time after my Brother started gigging he asked me how to (politely/diplomatically) tell a patron why they couldn't get up and jam with the band. (I'll grant you that this is probably an exercise in futility if they are really hammered.)
Anyway, tell said person, that the establishments liability insurance doesn't permit patrons on the stage, as the drum kit and cables constitute a trip hazard. Oh yeah, OSHA recognizes the stage area as a work area, as well, so OSHA doesn't allow them up there either. Is any of that true, or actually applicable? Beats me, I'm just a Bass player, certainly not a lawyer.
My Brother said he has used those reasons, and that they usually worked.
Cheers.
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I can't think of any reason why "no" wouldn't suffice as a real answer.
 
#52
In my last band at one of the numerous "free" biker charity events, the lady at the door was insistent that I pay the $10 donation to get in.

I told her "Lady, I am already donating $100 of my time for free to this event. If you don't want my band to play today, no problem."

(As an aside- bikers are some of the WORST audience around, they either stand outside and smoke the whole time, or ignore every song you play, even when it's supposedly their favorites.)
 
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#54
The bar is a business, and musicians who rely on band earnings are also in business. Playing a gig in a bar is a business transaction. Bands need to formalize that with a contract. That sets all the expectations of the relationship into a legally enforceable vehicle that will end the abuse of your band, i.e. added shots, change in payout, requests to do one more set, etc. This usually keeps bar managers on the level. If you actually need to take it to the next step, the money involved will likely fall under small claims court and can be accomplished with a minimal court fee, $10 or so.f
 
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#55
Bajo Clarkko said:
Some time after my Brother started gigging he asked me how to (politely/diplomatically) tell a patron why they couldn't get up and jam with the band. (I'll grant you that this is probably an exercise in futility if they are really hammered.)
Anyway, tell said person, that the establishments liability insurance doesn't permit patrons on the stage, as the drum kit and cables constitute a trip hazard. Oh yeah, OSHA recognizes the stage area as a work area, as well, so OSHA doesn't allow them up there either. Is any of that true, or actually applicable? Beats me, I'm just a Bass player, certainly not a lawyer.
My Brother said he has used those reasons, and that they usually worked.
Cheers.
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I've actually used that one too, shockingly it works about 75% of the time.
 
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