Play New Year's Eve for regular Bar Pay, or No?

[cnltb]

Go ahead, if you want to.

 

[LukeSlywalker]

What’s the normal “bar rate” for your band?

 

[friskinator]

I'm still trying to figure out why we as a society celebrate NYE to begin with. It's strange.

 

[el murdoque]

When I was younger, I used to work NYE.
I did not care about that kind of party.
What I did care for was that you could easily ask for double pay (plus bonus), sometimes even triple.

When I play out, I'd not do NYE for the normal rate.

I don't play for the money - but there are those that do.
If my band accepted playing NYE for a normal rate, we might take the spot from another band that insisted on more pay because NYE.
We also might warm that venue to the idea that
NYE gets no special monetary compensation.

 

[Brother Goose]

Why should they change their hobby to make room for you? And they will always undercut you because they don't need the money.
But frankly if you aren't playing better gigs than a hobbyist maybe you should rethink the amount of effort you are putting in or how realistic musician is as a career for you. Even international touring sidemen aren't making a huge amount of money.

Dude. Some people play for a living and do just fine. Telling someone to change their career without any first hand knowledge is a serious troll move.

Doubling down is even worse.

I don't know what you do - but you should probably stop doing it because someone younger who lives at home is going to accept less pay.

Better yet - your job is going to be off shored to someone with superior skills/qualifications who will accept less pay.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

We have had an offer for two gigs at a place we used to play a few years ago. It's a restaurant/bar that used to have bands every week but stopped for a few years for various reasons. We know and like the owner. One of the dates is New Years Eve but he, supposedly, according to the BL, can't pay typical or even elevated, but normal for NYE, pay. So, play NYE for regular bar rates? Take the gig or No?

No way José! New year's eve should be TRIPLE SCALE

 

[two fingers]

I wouldn't be concerned with some "principle of the thing"...

is it better than whatever else you'd be doing?

If yes, then I'd do it, especially since the others want to.

If I read correctly, it seems like the bar owner can't afford NYE rates, so it doesn't seem to be a slight against the band.

That said, I wouldn't put a whole lot more into it than a regular gig.

I've been doing this for 36 years. I have literally played in bar bands since I was 15 years old. And in all that time I have had DOZENS of bar owners tell me what they "can't afford". Usually I get that line of BS about the time they spend thousands on a new sound system, new pool tables, or some fancy car I couldn't afford for years.

These days I tell THEM what I "can't afford". I don't need a dime from playing music. In fact, all told, I likely spend about as much as I make on musical toys. BUT, I "can't afford" to miss out on time with my family if you're going to poor mouth me and tell me you can only pay a few hundred bucks for a band. If that's all you can pay, all you can "afford" is four geezers in white New Balance sneakers and khaki shorts playing half @$$ versions of "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Mustang Sally". You seriously "can't afford" my band.

OP, I'll go watch some other band play on NYE if I can't get premium rates for the most premium night of the year.

Either that guy is lying, or his bar sucks so bad it isn't going to be crowded on NYE. If it's crowded he can pay you more. If it's NOT crowded on NYE, he runs a dung heap. He can't have it both ways.

That bar owner is a liar and your band leader is a pushover.

Now where's my coffee?

 

[lbbc]

NYE is our 37th Wedding Anniversary. My wife is in the band with me. We agreed, many years ago, to NOT play NYE unless we got at least double the "normal" money and comps such as free food, drinks and lodging. So, we've played 6 times in our 37 year marriage (including this year).

Regular bar pay on NYE.....never!

 

[Jerry Ziarko]

I've probably worked more NYE's than years many people here have been alive. I can count on one hand the times it has actually been a fun night. I would always rather have that night off, but the extra pay has helped offset the bother. Fortunately now I'm at the age that no amount would get me to work that night. Regular pay for NYE, nope.

 

[turf3]

New Year's Eve calls for hazard pay as far as I'm concerned. Most weekend nights it's just the professional drunks out on the road, but New Year's all the amateurs get out there and try to drive after drinking a bottle of champagne and the results aren't pretty.

 

[chiphaleonbass]

Know your worth.

 

[51PRI]

No way José! New year's eve should be TRIPLE SCALE

What is scale these days? Just curious ...

 

[john_g]

If it were entirely up to me in my band, i would say no. I dont do it for the money per se, but, venue owners arent having bands play because its their hobby. They are trying to make money and using us to help do it, so you have to keep that in mind.

But if your bandmates all want to do it then it gets sticky. I would probably take one for the team with the agreement that the tip jar will be featured prominently.

 

[garp]

Either that guy is lying, or his bar sucks so bad it isn't going to be crowded on NYE.

+1. There's something fundamentally wrong with the bar owner's business model.

 

[Slevage]

Generally--No.

I used to gig with a band that got hired for the month (every Friday and Saturday). If it was December and NYE fell on a weekend, we played for regular pay. The owner usually gave us a couple hundred extra if the night was good for him.

 

[DblG]

Ask the owner if they think your band sucks, because that's what they're saying.
The answer is sorry, no thank you.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

We have had an offer for two gigs at a place we used to play a few years ago. It's a restaurant/bar that used to have bands every week but stopped for a few years for various reasons. We know and like the owner. One of the dates is New Years Eve but he, supposedly, according to the BL, can't pay typical or even elevated, but normal for NYE, pay. So, play NYE for regular bar rates? Take the gig or No?

Normal pay, for normal times. You don't get holiday pay for doing drywall for your own job on christmas. You either work or you don't.

Take the job, or don't. You aren't on payroll.

A days pay, for a days work.

 

[BEADG63]

No.

 

[tmw]

No.

 

[bassliner50]

If you have no alternative gigs on NYE, and you'd like a night out. then do it. After all is said and done in 2023, I doubt nyou will have any real regrets. If you do, then next year the same night in question, your decision will be clear.