Subbing for free

[jmclearnon]

It depends on the circumstance...

When i sub for quartets i get paid the same as everybody else. Being able to turn up and play with a days notice is something worth paying for.

I do play charity concerts from time to time which i usually do for free if they are local (not if it puts me out £30 in petrol or more).

One guy at church i play with a lot expects me to record for him for free just because i play at church with him every week. He wonders why until i say that i either practice or gig in my free time. While everyone is working at Tescos i'm sitting practicing, then they start to understand.

The even get paid for playing for my old school.

If they really want your hard earned skills they will want to pay and generally musicians who actually value talent properly will pay, i have came across a lot of swindler bands promising this and that.

Luckily about 95% of people offer me paid gigs .

Anyways rant over

 

[lfmn16]

No more free beer and BBQ gigs for me. Those freebies that promise to hire you and pay you down the road never seem to happen. I may be retired but my time is worth something.

Why buy the cow if you're getting the milk for free?

 

[Rickett Customs]

Always remember kiddies:

Time=Money

If I'm going to devote my time away from other things in life that I also enjoy,
compensation is not unreasonable, unless it's for a good cause.

Think about it, if the other folks get paid and you don't, there's something wrong here........

Would they work for free?

 

[Marko 1]

Just following up on this, I got a call last night from the guy and he offered to pay. Sometimes sticking to what you believe in pays off

Yep. Unfortunately in this world, you only get the respect you demand.

 

[Phlipper]

Never.

I charge $100 for bass or guitar, whether you're making $300 or $2800. My time to learn the material, drive to a couple of practices, and then haul my $h!t to a gig is worth something. Period. I've had one large regional act try to low-ball me recently, complaining that they can't always afford $100. They forgot that when I first interviewed they told me their fees run from $500 to $2800. No thanks.

That said, I will fill in on a charity gig for someone for free, and have two scheduled next month.

 

[craig.p]

Probably repeats what some have already said, but I'll sub for people I like, as long as it doesn't turn me into a "permanent sub" and it's not a genre I hate and it doesn't conflict with anything I already have going on, i.e. it can't cut into billable hours.

My P&W band gets a free ride indefinitely because it's small-time / low-key / low-demand, it's for the best cause in the world, and besides, we ain't exactly scheduled to open for Fireflight at the Verizon anytime soon, lol.