Playing for free as "good marketing"?

[gidbass]

Context: This is a bar band, and we are lucky, as a 4 piece, to get $80-$100 each when we play a gig. We play 12-15 times per year on average. I like the guys in the band, and we get along well together. The music is not my favorite, but is generally kind of fun to play depending on the crowd.

So, I have 2 of the "music, hang, or money" when evaluating my situation in a band although we make very little $$ one could argue I only have the hang...

So, just had a chat conversation with the guys in one of my bands, and once bars reopen they were all talking like we should consider playing for free (actually food and drink, but i don't count that as payment) for the rest of the year to help "give back" to the local bars as they they try to recover from whats going on in the world.

They think it's "good marketing" on our part, shows "we care", and a good way to differentiate ourselves from the other bands as once things reopen, there will be less places to play.

It just doesn't sit well with me, and I declined. While we don't make much money, it's more the principle.

I also told them they had my blessing to play for free with a sub if they desire to do so.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this? (sorry if this is a repeat thread)

 

[dramatwist]

...no how, no way...

 

[lfmn16]

No, no, no, no, no, no. Are the bars going to "give back" to the musicians for all the money they lost?

 

[el jeffe bass]

Absolutely not. Bars are not charitable organizations and will be charging for food and drinks. My take is that if anyone gets paid everyone gets paid.

 

[Discount Bassy]

The term in the movie Tapeheads was "on spec". Will the bars be paying us double next year to make up for it?

 

[80jazz]

For all we know, venues may use this as an excuse to at least trying to stop payment for bands temporarily.

I would not do it. They are not charities and probably would not give back to musicians in this manner.

 

[socialleper]

You forgot "It's that or pay to play, so..."

 

[gidbass]

You forgot "It's that or pay to play, so..."

Good call! Added!

 

[JRA]

the principle

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this?

i played for living for a long time, and i played for a living off-and-on and/or part-time for a long time. i'm retired now. when i was 'in it' there were no pandemics.
then: the "principle" helped everyone.
now: i don't know, i'm not sure.

i've told all of the young cats: "always get paid --- you're 'working' your much needed/wanted skills." but in my position (retired) and my condition (old) i could easily 'donate' and view it as the best for me, personally ('just play'). win/win for me. but i play with cats who are younger than me and they think they're something (they are!). however, as a competitive sort: i've 'underbid' a bunch of worthy folks from time-to-time, in the past, just to get a longer-term advantage in a particular "market" and i've found that to be useful. playing for free (in the 'beginning') could very well be a good angle for the longer term. pretending that that perspective is an easy 'binary' is naive --- i'd outbid you in a heartbeat and get the opportunity to play for the fans you want and need for the long term! something to think about.

per the OP: it's not "either/or." there are advantages to both. good luck with being flexible!



lfmn16
nice to see you.

edit for lfmn

 

[MultiScaleMale]

It really depends on the situation, both your's and the bar's. I can think of scenarios where it makes sense and scenarios where it doesn't. Of course, if you do it for free, it will be difficult to get them to pay later on. You know the relationship you have with the bars. There are bars that I would help out and bars that I would not.

 

[David Jayne]

One of the guys in my band suggested maybe we should be willing to play for less, for awhile, in order to remain visible/viable. His idea is that if we don't others will and they might push us out. I think he's nuts but that's just my opinion.

 

[Renaissance]

I don't think it's a bad idea to help the venues that have helped you in the past. I don't think it's necessary to play for free for the rest of the year!

I would take each venue on an individual basis and offer a gig or two for free if you have a good relationship with them. Let them know you value the relationship and you're willing to throw in some for the common good.

Business is about building relationships.

 

[lokikallas]

If, and that's a big if, the bars that we used to play at still exist, and If, big if, they can have enough occupancy to justify having a band, I might play for free just to get out of the house. If you asked me that in February, I would have snarkily said "F that S". It's a different world now.

 

[uwrossl]

LOL...No. Bands need to recover just as much as the bars/venues. Not really a meme guy but I do love this one.

 

[Killing Floor]

You're right to expect to get paid as you're providing a service. More so because that service costs you to provide (gear, tort, transportation, your time, dealing with the drummer who spends 20% of rehearsal time klanking long after the song is done, etc). Plus you are not marketing yourself as a charity.
The flip side is that the bar owner, cooks, backs, tenders, waitstaff, etc. are all currently unemployed and given that this bar is not their hobby they might be in worse shape than you and your drummer, who we already agreed plays too long at the end of each number.

First I'd say it's up to you and your mates to name your rate, not the bar owner.

But for fun let's toss this out...
If your friend who works at that bar broke her arm and needed help paying the bills for a month and her other friends arranged a party to raise cash for her at that bar, would you play that show for free if it meant helping your friend? If the answer is "YES" then you might 'consider' the same for the guy who has afforded you a place to employ your hobby and throw a few bucks at you in the past. There's a very real chance that a lot of bars and clubs will go out of business this year. So your other friend, the guy who has let you guys come and play might not be around to let you play again after this pandemic.

So you have every expectation that you should be paid for your work. And you have every expectation that it might be a while before he can afford to pay you. My 2 cents is that some musicians need that bar more than the bar needs them right now.

It's a tough sitch but you might make a longer term opportunity for yourself if you play along. Maybe call a few other bands in town and throw a fundraiser for the staff of the bar, you know they will all be hurting for a while. Then you get publicity, market goodwill, and that bar owner will remember how you did a solid for someone in need. Then I'll bet you'll play there more often.

 

[klokker]

I agree, in a few weeks so much has changed. People are having their rent forgiven for a while. I just leased a new copier for my office and got three months of the lease chopped.

I'm like a few folks here. Last month I would have said "no friggen" way. Now I don't know. I guess I wouldn't want to, but if the guys wanted to do a "free one" I'd go along.

 

[Tommy V]

it's not a different world.
your product has not dropped in value..
if anything, it's gone up in value.

 

[Nev375]

When bars open up again they are going to be packed whether there's a band or not. So the best thing you can do is turn down any offer to play for free so they can keep that extra profit for themselves.

 

[ArtechnikA]

If, and that's a big if, the bars that we used to play at still exist, and If, big if, they can have enough occupancy to justify having a band...

And therein lies, as F.Zappa once observed, the crux of the biscuit...
I expect that for the forseeable future, venues will be on half-capacity 'distancing' rules.
Plus new rules preventing servers from touching money (more overhead headcount).
It's going to be harder than ever to make the breakeven point, since there's no such thing as a packed house...

That said -- to the OP: There's a big difference between agreeing to do the 'intro-rate' discounted show and making it your first offer. They might have a bigger number in mind. You can't go down from zero unless you get into PTP. We might agree to it, but it'd never be our opening offer...

 

[Jefenator]

There is one local venue I would volunteer whatever I can (music, manual labor, etc) to help keep open. The owner is a dear friend of mine - great pianist in his own right - and he's sponsored live music for over 20 years. (I say "sponsored" because there were many nights he was clearly losing money on the band payout.)
With most other venues, I don't have nearly as much connection or history.
I'm sure in the coming months and years there are going to be a lot of compromises. Some venues may have to operate at half capacity, which will limit their ability to hire bands or stay in business at all.
I'll flex where I can, but at the end of the day I have rent & bills, too.