What Do We Get Paid For?

[onosson]

It's 100% true. We get paid to own, maintain, transport, set up, and tear down our gear.

We get re-booked from our performance.

 

[jmverdugo]

To give the Jukebox a rest

 

[devnulljp]

Remember, your gear is tax deductible.
You get paid $100 to play somewhere. Great. But the real bonus is the tax deduction of your $3000 bass.

 

[Ox Boris]

If you want pay you need to be able to prove you can bring hard cash there with your presence.

I just want to nuance this a little because I think by insisting that a band's value is solely dependent on their "bringing" a "following", you're leaving out the venue that "has bands" and has it's own following, the actual band being largely immaterial (excluding utter disasters, of course).

 

[Ox Boris]

"You know if the band implodes or any of us quit, I don't think these beautiful women would come to our homes and dance around in our living rooms while we sat on the sofa. Plus we might get fat".

Stealing that! Thank-you.

 

[btmpancake]

Whatever happen to the good ''ole days'' when a band got paid ''decent''- we felt then that it was never enough but we broke even. But now it's sickening.

 

[Korladis]

If you're playing music for the money, you're in it for the wrong reason, because it's no shaging way to get rich, that's for sure. There are way better paying jobs.

 

[pie_man_25]

wait, you get PAID?

 

[lbbc]

I down-sized gear this past year. Bose PA system, 1 bass, RadialTonebone (no amp) and a wireless system. I also down-sized my band...guitar, bass, singer. All 3 of us sing and are making more money (per hour) than ever before. But we are having more fun and seeing more success than we did as a "full band". BTW, it now takes 15 min. to set up as opposed to 1+ hours for our previous endeavors. I'm finally getting paid to have fun to play music with my friends.

 

[brianrost]

According to my guitarist, we play music for fun. We get paid for loading in and loading out.
Yes, we were packing up after a 4 hour gig when he said that.

Jazz legend Count Basie was quoted saying essentially the same thing thing many years ago. "We don't get paid for the hour we're on stage, we get paid for the other 23 hours it took to get there."

 

[lfmn16]

We get paid for keeping the drummer in time, the guitarist in key and not beating the snot out of the singer no matter how much they deserve it.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

If you're paying a fee for the chicks you're doing it wrong.

Or you're the bassist.

I am the bassist.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

IMHO, Musicians generally get paid to play music, entertain, create ambiance, etc. Compensation & rewards may include money, drinks, food, friendship, applause, sex, drugs, a place to sleep, transportation, validated parking, personal gratification, fun, etc.

For those of you who suggest you are getting paid to set up and move equipment: Next time you do a gig, don't play and see if you still get paid for simply being a roady.

Did you notice this is the Bass Humor and Gigs thread?
I know, you left your sense of humor in your other pants.

 

[Bassdirty]

We get paid for people to clap their hands, stomp their feet, two step and line dance. Of course they could do that just as well to the juke box.

SSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! (you're not supposed to say that part..Jeez)

 

[MoeTown1986]

I always tell people I'm just an alcohol salesmen when they ask about getting paid for playing music.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Remember, your gear is tax deductible.
You get paid $100 to play somewhere. Great. But the real bonus is the tax deduction of your $3000 bass.

Yep. Then you get audited and the IRS says "hobby loss" -- pay plus penalty!

 

[electracoyote]

I play music to entertain people.

If I wanted to play music purely for fun, it would be a hell of a lot more fun without the significant amount of dirt-cheap labor that goes into public performances.

I played for fun for many years in much more comfortable scenarios that didn't involve all the work of a public gig. Now I get my kicks vicariously through the happiness, enthusiasm, and love from my audiences.

 

[Wesley R]

Back in 1974 I played in a sleazy cowboy place and made $37.50 per night. 9:00 pm to 1:00 am. It was great, with much fun to be had for a 20 year old. Most part time workers back then that I knew were making $2.25 an hour or some such.
A pro musician I know has always said that playing music is the best part time job ever.

 

[logicman69]

According to my guitarist, we play music for fun. We get paid for loading in and loading out.
Yes, we were packing up after a 4 hour gig when he said that.

Both me and my guitar player take this view. We get paid to load in, load out, and to maintain our gear. We play because we like to.

We like performing. If we didn't have to load our gear, we would probably play for the free drinks. But we have an entire sound system to setup and take down plus lighting (average about an hour and a half to two hours tacked on to each end of the performance) and that is hard work. Harder than playing to a room full of crazy college kids, that is the fun part.

 

[repoman]

They treat my band sort of like hookers...that is, they pay us to leave.