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Playing for free as "good marketing"?
- Thread starter gidbass
- Start date
It's a hobby, if you're trying to make a living doing a hobby and playing in local bars, maybe you should step up your game and be a real pro.
I can see helping out a bar that has a history of hiring your band. Maybe a freebee gig or two to help them get the bar doors open, but following up with a couple of paid gigs to help get your band back on its feet.
I don't like playing for free unless its a pure charity gig. My band played for the Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed here in D.C some years ago. That was great. This pandemic is going to change a lot of things about playing out.
I don't like playing for free unless its a pure charity gig. My band played for the Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed here in D.C some years ago. That was great. This pandemic is going to change a lot of things about playing out.
Thanks to seeing a couple of posts, I will change my tune a bit: If it is a venue we had a good relationship with, I would help. A bad one? NOPE.
The Billy Goats Gruff are under quarantine as well. He's got to work with what he gets.
It's a hobby when you play at your friend's party. Once you are in any arena that is being paid - you are in the pro market.
Many people just love to go out and play - I get that. I do too. I just cannot play for free knowing that someone is making money from my efforts no matter how much I enjoy it.
I had the same crap when I owned a photography studio. The number of businesses that wanted a freebie promising future work was astounding. At that point I would tell them the 10th shoot would be free. Funny how they ran away from that offer - almost like there weren't 10 shoots on the table at all.
End of the day - enjoy your hobby but don't undervalue yourself just because you're having fun. Think of all the sports stars out there - they are just playing a game they love right?
I dunno man - I think I'd stay on that island, myself. Of course, you can't go anywhere anyway anytime soon so there's that
Photography is also a hobby. Sports is a hobby too. You can't tell people what to charge or not charge for anything. If people are willing to play for free - and let'a face it, being paid $100 / head per night is really just about playing for free once you pull out transportation and taxes and equipment depreciation.
Don't blame what others do, make sure what you do brings the value to justify your pricing. In the end, very, very few will be able to make a living doing a hobby.
Sometimes it sounds better. It's not that hard, for the most part. The hard part is to come up with those songs that become popular, in the first place, but playing them?
The only free show I ever played was a battle of the bands at a popular new venue
where it was impossible to get them to listen to our demo.
It lead to consistent paid bookings for a couple of my bands. We didn't make our living
playing gigs, it was worth an hour and a half of our time to get our foot in the door.
where it was impossible to get them to listen to our demo.
It lead to consistent paid bookings for a couple of my bands. We didn't make our living
playing gigs, it was worth an hour and a half of our time to get our foot in the door.
Where do you draw the line at what's a hobby? Welding is my hobby - I save a considerable amount of money by fabricating my own pedalboards, furniture, and shop equipment. That being said, just because it's my hobby doesn't mean that it can't be somebody else's profession.
Sorry, there's no such thing as the child grown old. Are their childish adults? Mos def, but they are still adults. To call them children is an insult to the bright young minds who will one day be practical adults, and in control of who changes my drool cup.
It can be both, but do you enjoy it enough to go out and weld for free for people that aren't family and friends?
There's a place we've been playing regularly (once a month more or less) for the past year.
If they came to me and asked if we could help them out for a show or two once they're back (assuming they do come back) I'd do whatever I could to help them out since they've been good to us.
Anybody else I don't think so.
If they came to me and asked if we could help them out for a show or two once they're back (assuming they do come back) I'd do whatever I could to help them out since they've been good to us.
Anybody else I don't think so.
just playing in a bar with a bunch musically random bands or playing super early when the headliner goes on 5 hours later or playing in a bar for free because they ask? not for me, thanks.
the only times i wanted to play for exposure - which worked, btw - was a very particular set of circumstances. we opened for a popular band with a good draw and very similar music to what we were playing, and we weren't too far away from their set timewise. the venue was a good venue for the type of music and was close enough that new fans would be able to go to our shows without driving a zillion miles.
one of the two times i was in a band that did this, we got tons of people on our mailing list who mostly showed up for our next show, emailed to chat with us about our music, musicians we knew in common and asked about our tshirts (alas, we didn't have any) and were generally our kind of folks.
the only times i wanted to play for exposure - which worked, btw - was a very particular set of circumstances. we opened for a popular band with a good draw and very similar music to what we were playing, and we weren't too far away from their set timewise. the venue was a good venue for the type of music and was close enough that new fans would be able to go to our shows without driving a zillion miles.
one of the two times i was in a band that did this, we got tons of people on our mailing list who mostly showed up for our next show, emailed to chat with us about our music, musicians we knew in common and asked about our tshirts (alas, we didn't have any) and were generally our kind of folks.
I enjoy it enough to tell people where to stick it when they ask me to make them stuff.
Even in high school bands, we got paid. Same in college; same when I was touring; same when I was playing weekends in the 70's, 90's and 2000's.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)
The only exception to that is playing for an hour or so in an outdoor festival fundraiser for a worthy cause, and not for every one of those. Over the last few years, that has been for the Special Olympics for us. We don't play every fundraiser that comes along, but we are more than willing to play festivals when we get paid for it.
One of the real dangers that you might not be considering but that I have had happen to me, is that word gets around that you are are performing for half your rate or less. Next thing you know, nobody is paying you your "real" rate. "Well you played at Joe's for this amount, why are you trying to charge us twice as much? We'll be happy to pay you what Joe paid." That's a quagmire you don't want to get stuck into and you're being naive if you think owners don't talk among themselves.
In my case, that was a friend of the BL and drummer who was starting up a small club. Even after he was well established and making good money, he still wanted to pay reduced rates. So we played there for about 3/4 of what we normally charged while he was making bank on our following and his drink prices. Drinks were not 25% off!! Word got around and all of a sudden everyone wanted that "special rate".
After playing for some 30 years, I still occasionally get asked to play for free by some who wish to benefit from free musicians, with the enticement that it's great exposure. My reply is how much exposure does a person need after 30 years? People have died from overexposure.
I will however, happily play for bonafide charities like nursing homes, hospitals, etc. Sometimes they even pay a little, but I tell them to keep the money.
I will however, happily play for bonafide charities like nursing homes, hospitals, etc. Sometimes they even pay a little, but I tell them to keep the money.
If they're gonna play for free for the rest of the year, you might as well just look for another band because you're not rejoining after that.
