Wants to be payed for practices

[Pulverizor]

I don't know how much a band could be expected to be paid doing The Killers but seems like they'd have a lot of young up and coming musician fans that would enjoy playing drums in your band.
For peanuts lol.

 

[Rayjay]

Also, while we’re on the subject, he hasn’t accepted the gig yet. He let you know what his terms were before he accepted the gig. Not after. He doesn’t need to discuss all that at the audition, he just needs to have it all discussed before he accepts the gig.

 

[elgranluis]

Isn’t it “paid”?

 

[funkymonk13]

if your mind set is “well I’m a professional musician and deserve to be paid for my contribution”.. Ok but what about the other members contributing just as much to the musical whole of the band. The only real difference is they are also paying bills and providing their own gas money and not asking anyone else to pay it.

Tbh, that doesn’t matter tho. You’re worth what someone is willing to pay you and a lot of the times that can come from you setting your own worth(in addition to other things obviously). Even in corporate 9-5s the people making the most are the ones who climbed the ladder or got themselves in the right spot, not necessarily the ones who are the most talented or working the hardest.

I was talking with my brother about this. He got a job thru a temp agency and when it was time to get fully hired he asked for more money. His manager told him there were people in the company who had been working there longer, had more experience who aren’t making that amount. My brother ended up getting his desired pay and admitted to me that other people there know more and even worked harder than him but made less. I asked him how this was possible and he just said “well they didn’t ask”

 

[sflajimmy]

I'm thinking about poking my eyes out after reading all 11 pages of this thread. Shame on me. It's all relative...Professional,non-professional, hobbyist, weekend warrior...etc. You are what you say you are. If you're making money playing and it's your primary source of income then you have choices and you set your own boundaries. It's your business and livelihood. Your motivation for playing is your own business. Of course this has nothing to do with OP's original question but neither did most of the replies to this thread.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I saw what he drove to the audition, he is definitely not in my league. As far as music being his only source of income, yes you right, he has me beat hands down.

Warren Buffett drove an older Buick for years after he was a billionaire.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I'm thinking about poking my eyes out after reading all 11 pages of this thread. Shame on me. It's all relative...Professional,non-professional, hobbyist, weekend warrior...etc. You are what you say you are. If you're making money playing and it's your primary source of income then you have choices and you set your own boundaries. It's your business and livelihood. Your motivation for playing is your own business. Of course this has nothing to do with OP's original question but neither did most of the replies to this thread.

You are what you are. You can say you're an astronaut, doesn't make it so.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

That’s actually 9hrs LOL

Hahahaha. Oh yeah, you're right. Hahaha

We both suck!

 

[IamGroot]

Depending on the difficulty of the music, anything beyond two rehearsals is usually amateur land bullcheat.

A lot of bands rehearse, when they probably should be practicing alone.

 

[nnnnnn]

Does what he wants it for really matter? He's going to spend it however he sees fit. He could say it's for the Wayward Kitty orphanage. Or spoons. Some people really like spoons.

The way I see it it does matter that he explicitly said it was for gas because that shows he's happy to wildly exaggerate his expenses, so what other facts will he fudge? I don't want to do business with dishonest people. If he had simply said he expects to be paid then that would be honest and he could name any dollar amount. And use it to expand his spoon collection as he sees fit.

 

[Real Soon]

He was so pro he spared you the trouble of firing him!

Nah it sounds like he's used to the corporate / wedding type circuit, the kind of stuff where the music budget is on an expense account. And that's cool, but the conversation could have happened faster.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

That’s actually 9hrs LOL

It's funny dude. I tried to get my drummer in on my reggea band a couple years ago. He tried to pull that same crap. He was like, "Okay. Yeah. Sounds good. Hit me up for next practice." Then practice comes around again, and he pulls the whole "are you gonna pay me?" crap. I was like, "dude. I'll give you 20 for gas. I'm trying to get you in my band. I'm pretty sure I'm doing you the favor here." He's not even that good. He can keep a beat...most of the time, but I'd never pay him to play. Anything, anywhere, anytime. Especially not to practice original songs that he doesnt know, and didn't write. &#%$in wierdo.

 

[murph7489]

yeah, no...I got two words...beat it..

 

[fakeneckplate'65]

Do The Killers have enough material to have a dedicated tribute band?

 

[2112]

OK... so either you pay him, or you look for somebody else. not really seeing what the big deal is here.

 

[Raoul_Duke]

This drummer sounds like a strong and independent man/woman who knows what he/she is worth and don’t need no man/woman, and good for him/her.

Seriously though, if I were a pro, I’d be asking for money in exchange for my time, because that is how a job works.

 

[Groove Doctor]

It’s common practice for top tier players. I’ve played some shows like that myself. They expect perfection on the first (and often only) rehearsal.

- If you can’t deliver that standard, you don’t deserve to be paid for it.
- they could be making money doing a gig elsewhere that night. Would you take a day off work for a band rehearsal?
- it makes you a better player because you know you’re expected to deliver 250% first attempt.
- Heck, I even got paid half fee for a cancelled gig once, which is also normal for top end players.


If you’re not at that standard, I suggest:

- Get the rest of the band to rehearse together until it’s faultless.
- If you’re running backing tracks, IEMs, BVs, etc to get them completely seamless too.
- Then call in the drummer. You’ll be amazed how much you all improve when you work that hard.
- approach booking agents to get access to the best-paying venues in town. Set your fees high (& make sure you can still book your own gigs without their cut).


If it’s just for fun, pocket money, and bar gigs (no problem in that), then please disregard my comments.

 

[okcrum]

The way I see it it does matter that he explicitly said it was for gas because that shows he's happy to wildly exaggerate his expenses, so what other facts will he fudge? I don't want to do business with dishonest people. If he had simply said he expects to be paid then that would be honest and he could name any dollar amount. And use it to expand his spoon collection as he sees fit.

Let's say the guy lives on the other side of Phoenix. That'd be an hour and 40-50 miles around or through town each way. That's with a smooth ride; traffic can make it much longer. In AZ it's not uncommon to work gigs 100 mi away. I do it every time I play in Phoenix, for example.

$75 for a rehearsal in this case might mean $15 for gas and $60 for two hours' travel plus rehearsal time, say 5-6 hours.

I don't think $10/hour or so is wild exaggeration of his expenses or the worth of his time. Nor does it seem to be fudging anything. It's second hand knowledge to the OP that he told the BL it was for gas. WE DO NOT KNOW what the drummer actually said. So I'd tap the brakes on careening to the conclusion you're trying to draw.

 

[Sean Brookes]

Would echo what a lot of others have said. This guy does this for a living. He’s professional, as most tribute / party bands are. He doesn’t really need or want to rehearse as most of those scenarios involve travelling up to an hour, rehearsing for 2-3 hours, contributing money to the rehearsal room, and then travelling an hour home. Potentially over half a days work! What other job would involve that. The exception is to put yourself out in this way for an audition or first jam / rehearsal. I wouldn’t say I’m professional, but I had to leave a band this year because they were adamant on rehearsing every Sunday for three hours. We were a covers band.

 

[okcrum]

OK... so either you pay him, or you look for somebody else. not really seeing what the big deal is here.

If the discussion had ended there in agreement, you're right.

The big surprise is how few TBers seem to think of music as a business or even as a job.

Here's a read that might shock some here:

https://www.amazon.com/This-Business-Music-10th-Definitive/dp/0823077233