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Should I be reimbursed?

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#21
"Do I have a right to ask for that money back, especially since I didn't even record"

Sorry bro, but it sounds like you never intended to record. In a previous conversation I had with you, you specifically mentioned that you are "lazy" so I don't feel out of line saying that you are just making excuses for why you couldn't make the trip. EVERYBODY works 5 days a week and during hours that make recording difficult. Do you not have any vacation days? Sick days?
 
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#22
I'm sorry about your dilemma.

Yes, you can ask for your money back. You probably won't get it, but it never hurts to ask.

A lawyer isn't going to help you. If you voluntarily gave your bandmates the money, then they're probably gonna keep it, and give it to the studio.

It sounds like you got pressured into coughing up dough. You're not the first. You won't be the last.

The only people in this scenario that are going to win, are the people that run the studio.

Again, I'm sorry. It sucks. But you have learned a valuable lesson about being in the music business. Please carry it with you, forever. Always treat this business like a business. No exceptions.
 
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#25
If you felt they were going to give you the boot, you should have left the band right there. You didn't want to make the sessions because of your own issues. If I were in their shoes, I'd be pretty angry that you bailed.

You can ask, but if they already paid for the session, they won't have the money to give back to you. Plus, anything under $10,000 isn't worth suing for, so good luck with that... You just learned an expensive lesson.
 
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#28
Everbody works dude, you just bailed because your lazy. They wanted you to record so your name could be on the record. Even if the guitar player can do it better(and that's something you shouldn't allow, I mean being a bass player is a whole deffinltly animal then Guitar playing) that's how it should be. They went out of the way to include you, and in return you spontaneously quit.
 
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#29
It was your choice to give the money, it was your choice to bail on the recording sessions because you didn't want to do it. You could ask for your money back, but if the sessions happen, the contract is fulfilled. The money was used for studio time. You may have the right to claim a portion of the revenue from the recording since you paid for studio time, but it would be less than what the other members get since they paid and played for the album. But it really sounds like you don't want to be in a band, or maybe you want to be in a band but just don't have the commitment.
 
#30
Technically they don't really owe you it but I do see where you are coming from. Since one of them is your roommate I'd maybe mention how you spent 800$ on recordings you weren't on in a joking manner and see what he says, maybe what he replies with will give you some insight on the rest of the bands opinions on what happened and how they feel about your money. in the end you can't really expect to get the money back, best of luck
 
#31
From your description, you are the one that bailed on the recording sessions that you paid for, and then quit. Therefore you broke the contract, not the other members of your band.

If indeed that is the case, I don't see how you would have any right to ask for any sort of reimbursement from the other band members, and on the contrary, you could be liable for any financial loss or damages if they lost their money by you not making the trip and doing the recordings you agreed to do...

Simply put, it doesn't look like you have a leg to stand on here.
 
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#32
Well, I'm pretty sure they'll give the money back. They are friends after all. But I think you're all coming at this from a perspective of music being a job. I'm doing this as a hobby and have mentioned it to the band time and time again because of my busy work schedule. I only agreed to the studio time because from what I was told, the studio could work with my schedule. The guitarist found out the first day he went in that that would not be possible. We all live in the same city. One of the guitarists has taken the whole month off of work to record, and is staying with friends. I couldn't do that because I wouldn't have a job. Also, I do not have sick time I can use.
I felt I would be kicked out after I paid the money in advance for the studio time. That's why I didn't quit before paying.
 
#33
Don't know all the history but if you agreed to fund it, chose not to record it, and then outright quit over it, it doesn't appear to be the band that is at fault and they don't owe you anything.

If you ask nicely, however, they may give you a free copy of the CD when it's done. (Do bands even make CDs anymore?!)
 
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#36
newyorkiddo said:
I wasn't really expecting much from the band and am not really good friends with the members, so I saw no reason to stay.
Click to expand...


newyorkiddo said:
Well, I'm pretty sure they'll give the money back.They are friends after all
Click to expand...


So not good enough friends for you to be in a band with, but good enough that they should give you the money back ?
 
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#37
Wasn't there some kind of agreement of how the proceeds from the marketing of the fruits of the sessions would be distributed among the investors? Anyone who contributed should expect to be reimbursed if the sales of the recordings happen to allow for that, whether they remain with the project or not. In most cases though, with an upstart, low budget recording project, that never comes true. You likely knew that the money was going to be a gift when you handed it over.

I would have found some way to make the sessions or at least some of them...one of the most gratifying things a musician can do is record their work for posterity. I predict you will regret your decision to bow out at least a little bit.
 
#38
I'm not quite in the same boat that some of the people here are. You ARE screwed. You willingly handed money over for something that all your guarantees were based on participation. I feel your pain about work and all that. If I agreed to do studio time in town and then was asked to drive to Tacoma (or time on the weekend in Tacoma and then was told it needed to be M-F 9-5) I'd be pissed and wouldn't be able to do it.

If the level of drama was, "Dude, this is BS, we're all doing it and it sucks that you're making us take more time up here to finish." Then this is on you for leaving the band. If the drama was, "Listen you little @#$, you're going to ^&*& come the ^%$^ up here and lay down some tracks or your &*&*& out of this band, got it #$#$%!" then you may have done the right thing.
 
#39
Muttleybass said:
If you felt they were going to give you the boot, you should have left the band right there. You didn't want to make the sessions because of your own issues. If I were in their shoes, I'd be pretty angry that you bailed.

You can ask, but if they already paid for the session, they won't have the money to give back to you. Plus, anything under $10,000 isn't worth suing for, so good luck with that... You just learned an expensive lesson.
Click to expand...

Not true, one of my friends sued a guy for $2,000 he was owed on a car, won the case, and in the same day collected the cash.
 
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