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Touring for "exposure"
- Thread starter Acoustic356
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Yeah, I guess. I was blown away when the bandleader told me xyz band paid him 1500$ to open the show we did at a great theater. They got a 45 minute set and was billed as 'an opener' not co-bill. They were a great band. They took advantage of our video guys(im sure paid them well) got great video of thier sets, posted all over fb, and now have a gig at same theater...with another band opening for them. you never know.
Classic case of "music business" really meaning "making money off of musicians"
I don't think this instance is making any money. More like, "Getting musicians to work for free to support my charity"
There's a common trend among the arts and humanities, that if you do something out of passion, then you don't need to get paid. Sorry, but that's exploitation with some arts sprinkles on top. Odds are most acts would LOSE money playing one of these shows. If they value your music and your performance (and their website talks a lot about the value of art) then they should pay you. "Exposure" is just talk for "we want people to work for us for free." It's disrespectful, to say the least.
So Anyway, I attended something like this when I played in a church band about 25 years ago. It's a well-worn plan.
Our guitar player got an invite for the band to audition for a spot on a touring show. We showed up at a local church with about 100 other participants. A few people sang to tracks then we got to play a few songs. After that, there were 'breakout' sessions where information on touring, marketing, promotion and management was for sale. It reminded me of a Tony Robbins gathering where there were lots of people selling you programs to make money.
I bugged out after we finished playing. I had a bar gig that night with my regular band... the kind of band where you get money.
Our guitar player got an invite for the band to audition for a spot on a touring show. We showed up at a local church with about 100 other participants. A few people sang to tracks then we got to play a few songs. After that, there were 'breakout' sessions where information on touring, marketing, promotion and management was for sale. It reminded me of a Tony Robbins gathering where there were lots of people selling you programs to make money.
I bugged out after we finished playing. I had a bar gig that night with my regular band... the kind of band where you get money.
Since the music business has changed, the only way anybody makes any money these days is touring.
So NO way would I do it for exposure, someone's getting paid in that situation, they're just not willing to share.
Now if you have nothing else to do with your life then sure have at it.
Good luck.
So NO way would I do it for exposure, someone's getting paid in that situation, they're just not willing to share.
Now if you have nothing else to do with your life then sure have at it.
Good luck.
It's my opinion that anyone who offers you "exposure" instead of money can't give you either money or exposure.
Time for a quotation from The Temptations, courtesy of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, intended solely to illuminate and contextualize the immediate matter at hand:
Heard some talk Papa doing some storefront preachin'
Talking about saving souls and all the time leechin'
Dealing in dirt, and stealing in the name of the Lord
Momma just hung her head and said
Papa was a rolling stone (my son)
Wherever he laid his hat was his home
And when he died, all he left us was alone
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No offense to anyone, but this Extreme Tour thing screams People's Temple.
Organizations that are "professional" and interested in you (or your group) performance will meet with you in person or, even as much by phone? This crap of blanket soliciting over social media is always a red flag situation. Solicitation like this brings out starry eyed wannabes. Smart folks stay away from things like this.
Right, and what does it say about you that your group has been randomly selected for something like this. Do they even care what you sound like?
Rich said he doesn't think they're making money, just trying to get free work for charity, which may be true, but my first thought when seeing something like this is that somewhere along the line they will be asking you for a fee in order to take part in this so-called wonderful event they're promoting. Maybe not, but that's what I'd be waiting for in their pitch.
I bet there's plenty of knuckleballs in their toolbag, for sure.
Brings back memories... I was in a few Contemporary Christian rock bands back in the 80's and 90's and "opportunities" like this were common.
They generally fell into three categories:
1. Hopeful dreamers who wanted to put on some kind of great event or build a great ministry for themselves but didn't have a clue of what they were doing (but made grandiose faith-filled promises nonetheless).
2. Dubious "ministries" who viewed ambitious Christian musicians to be easy targets to be used and who, often times, completely believed--or at least had mentally found a way to justify--their own *BS*.
3. Outright cynical scammers who knew it was a scam and viewed ambitious Christian musicians as easy marks to take advantage of.
I'd guess that this one falls into category 2.
They generally fell into three categories:
1. Hopeful dreamers who wanted to put on some kind of great event or build a great ministry for themselves but didn't have a clue of what they were doing (but made grandiose faith-filled promises nonetheless).
2. Dubious "ministries" who viewed ambitious Christian musicians to be easy targets to be used and who, often times, completely believed--or at least had mentally found a way to justify--their own *BS*.
3. Outright cynical scammers who knew it was a scam and viewed ambitious Christian musicians as easy marks to take advantage of.
I'd guess that this one falls into category 2.
