Who gets paid

[Liam Wald]

It's not necessarily about how good the band is. It's more closely tied into supply and demand in the chosen market segment. It's possible the same musicians could play different music at the same quality level and make significantly more money.

Agreed, it is all about supply and demand. Really great bands are in short supply and the demand is thus driven.
The supply of poor to average bands is quite high, consequently the demand and compensation are low. Ironically, because the supply is great, there is stiff competition for gigs in the poor to average category which drives pay even lower.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I play in an originals band usually gigging 1-2 times a month, 3 bands per night w/45min sets barroom kinda shows. The pay usually isn’t much, if we make $100 between the whole band it’s a good night, making less than $40 isn’t uncommon. I seem to be the only member of the band who has any concern about getting paid. The other guys are along the lines of “I don’t care about the money, it’s not about that”, and the SOP has been to put all the money into a band fund. Often we’ll give a considerable portion (sometimes all) of our payout to the touring band, “to help get them down the road”. While I get that if you’re on tour playing a show for $30-50 isn’t really enough to get by on, but that’s really not my problem. We also had to move our gear and drive to practice etc which has costs....but somehow I’m the only one who cares about that....
The other thing about it is that splitting up the payout 5 ways is a pain when it equates to everyone getting $6.37, and at that point is it really worth it anyway? Anyone else have a band that doesn’t pay out, or doesn’t care about pay really?

We all have decent paying steady day jobs, maybe that’s the problem lol.

I should note: I’m not desperate for money, the other guys in the band are great people and good friends, and the music is lots of fun and a happy challenge for me, so I have no desire to quit the band. Also, the band fund does get used for large expenses such as merchandise and studio costs.

I play in an originals band that will do a cover gigs here and there. With the exception of a benefit or two per year and or a giant festival gig we demand a minimum of $150(that’s pa is provided and we charge more for cover gigs as we seem to always have to provide PA for those) We all have good jobs and don’t really need the money but it’s a matter of principle. Bands shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket (considering gas, broken sticks, and strings, recording time) when the bar is making money. And for the last couple of years in my area the trend has been for local promoters to book shows and they want to put 5-7 bands on every show. So after a while we were like screw this. We’ve been together and gigging since 2001. we have a respectable following and we were playing these shows where 6 other bands were diluting our cut down to nothing. Now I’m not gonna lie it did cost us some gigs. We don’t play as many gigs as we used to but at this point if we’re going to pay money to play a gig we’d rather just get together and work on new music. Or pay someone with some camera skills to shoot a music video instead of paying out of our pockets to make someone else money.

 

[Dogbertday]

Just pontificating here, but why are original bands still playing these crummy clubs that pay the door. There's probably a bar that would pay 2 bands $400 to split the night (not great, but better than you're making now). Bring both your fans and trade off on 4 sets.
Band A
Band B
Band A
Band B

If you want to build a scene show cooperation between musicians and their fans.

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

it's tough to get paid if you don't bring people into the bar/club/venue.
my originals band gets paid but we pretty much use it to pay for our rehearsal space and more reels of tape and maybe a microphone.

as far as the touring bands go, if we are on tour, we generally get paid more than the other bands, but when we are in our home town, and play with some touring bands, we will accept less $$ so that they can fill up their gas tank. Plus I offer them a place to stay.
typical conversation with promoter at the end of the night goes something like this:

Promoter: we had 180 paid @ $10 each, less door guy, sound guy, so $1500 between 3 bands.
ME: yup
Promoter: $200 for the opener, $500 for you, $800 for the touring band, that cool ?
ME: gimmie the $500 and a bottle of top shelf whiskey to take home and we call it good.
Promoter: OK, shots for everyone!

 

[mikeswals]

There’s no real reason for an original band to play out till you have product to push. Time is better spent working on new material and recording.

Different cities have different music markets. here in Seattle, there are clubs that drive toward showcasing original bands.

When I lived in Cal, no one wanted to hear original 'unkown' bands at all, they only wanted to hear familiar radio music.

 

[Liam Wald]

Different cities have different music markets. here in Seattle, there are clubs that drive toward showcasing original bands.

When I lived in Cal, no one wanted to hear original 'unkown' bands at all, they only wanted to hear familiar radio music.

What you say about California I have found to be true. I can't speak for all of California's music market but in the SF Bay Area at most of the bar/club drink and dance type music venues the audience would rather hear a mediocre version of Mustang Sally than a well crafted original song.

 

[mikeswals]

Maybe I read the thread title differently than many have...

Who, as in the bar, is making the money? Original Bands are bringing their following(s), the following is buying the high priced beer and drinks. And the club is only using the door money to divvy up between the bands.
To go a step further...I've had club owners say they pay the house sound guy with the door money and what ever is left gets divvy between the bands. (seriously, the house sound guy isn't on the bar payroll?)
is the promoter keeping it all, or the majority of it?

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Maybe I read the thread title differently than many have...

Who, as in the bar, is making the money? Original Bands are bringing their following(s), the following is buying the high priced beer and drinks. And the club is only using the door money to divvy up between the bands.
To go a step further...I've had club owners say they pay the house sound guy with the door money and what ever is left gets divvy between the bands. (seriously, the house sound guy isn't on the bar payroll?)
is the promoter keeping it all, or the majority of it?

Well, we know that “promoting” isn’t a fun hobby, so I guarantee they are being paid.

 

[jdthebassman]

I play in a few of those cover bands you mentioned as well as GB bands. I need to play but also make money. this is not a hobby for me collecting basses is.

 

[Altitude]

In the essence:

• As an originals band, you're only worth as much money as the audience you pull provides. People don’t really go to live music places to watch originals bands they haven't heard of.
• As a cover band, if you're established enough to play in good places, people will come to those places with general expectations for the music. You get paid when people come, even though you may have had no direct influence to get them in the door.

I've played at the exact same clubs in both cover and originals groups at different points in time, and made $30 or $40 in the originals bands and $100 or $120 in the cover bands.

I'd rather play in the originals band and make less money if I really dig the material. But I admit, in a cover band it is also fun to see the looks on people's faces when you start a song that they recognize and like.

 

[Charlzm]

I play in an originals band usually gigging 1-2 times a month, 3 bands per night w/45min sets barroom kinda shows. The pay usually isn’t much, if we make $100 between the whole band it’s a good night, making less than $40 isn’t uncommon. I seem to be the only member of the band who has any concern about getting paid. The other guys are along the lines of “I don’t care about the money, it’s not about that”, and the SOP has been to put all the money into a band fund. Often we’ll give a considerable portion (sometimes all) of our payout to the touring band, “to help get them down the road”. While I get that if you’re on tour playing a show for $30-50 isn’t really enough to get by on, but that’s really not my problem. We also had to move our gear and drive to practice etc which has costs....but somehow I’m the only one who cares about that....
The other thing about it is that splitting up the payout 5 ways is a pain when it equates to everyone getting $6.37, and at that point is it really worth it anyway? Anyone else have a band that doesn’t pay out, or doesn’t care about pay really?

We all have decent paying steady day jobs, maybe that’s the problem lol.

I should note: I’m not desperate for money, the other guys in the band are great people and good friends, and the music is lots of fun and a happy challenge for me, so I have no desire to quit the band. Also, the band fund does get used for large expenses such as merchandise and studio costs.

Sounds like your band did it exactly the same way as my originals band did it a decade ago: whatever we make, if we're lucky enough to get paid at all, goes into the band fund. AKA the beer fund.

 

[JZQuantum]

... And one day in like 20 years you might get a .75 check from spotify or something.

Cool...I've already made $.6029 from Spotify in 3 years, so I am way ahead of the curve!

 

[MCS4]

IMO it does not make sense to worry about pay for individual band members unless you are big enough to demand a healthy guarantee, which generally is going to mean that you are already doing at least small national tours.

Until that time, the money goes into the band fund to pay for studio time, merch, incidental band expenses, etc. Speaking personally, my main band earmarks most of our income for recording expenses, which is part of the reason why we are able to consistently put out new EPs. Recording new music and sharing it with others is our main goal, and we would rather use the money to do that than to put the relatively small amount in our own pockets -- not to mention that anything that benefits the band from a professional standpoint is probably a better option for purposes of "making it big" than everyone having some extra change for gas.

Also giving up all or some of your pay for out-of-town bands is absolutely a "thing" and a part of good etiquette when it comes to low-paying shows. Among other things, this helps to encourage bands to travel for shows that otherwise might not be affordable, making the scene better for everyone.

 

[Rob Martinez]

Thanks for the input. It’s more a concern to my wife than to me. She’s expressed concern that I’m not valuing my skill set properly or that I’m being financially taken advantage of. If it was a soul-sucking cover band, I’d have a stronger opinion on the matter lol.

If it were a soul-sucking cover band, you'd be making a lot more money and not have to post here!

Original music is a whole other ball game. It is about the love and joy of it, and the challenge of getting complete strangers (5-10 people in the audience) to enjoy music they have never heard before. As someone already said, enjoy it while it lasts, and put the little money you make toward studio time or merchandise.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I play in an originals band usually gigging 1-2 times a month, 3 bands per night w/45min sets barroom kinda shows. The pay usually isn’t much, if we make $100 between the whole band it’s a good night, making less than $40 isn’t uncommon. I seem to be the only member of the band who has any concern about getting paid. The other guys are along the lines of “I don’t care about the money, it’s not about that”, and the SOP has been to put all the money into a band fund. Often we’ll give a considerable portion (sometimes all) of our payout to the touring band, “to help get them down the road”. While I get that if you’re on tour playing a show for $30-50 isn’t really enough to get by on, but that’s really not my problem. We also had to move our gear and drive to practice etc which has costs....but somehow I’m the only one who cares about that....
The other thing about it is that splitting up the payout 5 ways is a pain when it equates to everyone getting $6.37, and at that point is it really worth it anyway? Anyone else have a band that doesn’t pay out, or doesn’t care about pay really?

We all have decent paying steady day jobs, maybe that’s the problem lol.

I should note: I’m not desperate for money, the other guys in the band are great people and good friends, and the music is lots of fun and a happy challenge for me, so I have no desire to quit the band. Also, the band fund does get used for large expenses such as merchandise and studio costs.

Try telling them, "Well, since y'all dont care about the money, I'll just take it all then." Watch how quick the attitude changes. You're not making money, because you're playing originals, as an opening act, in a bar. Sometimes you get gas, most often not. Most of the time, you get some drink tickets though. Right? It's just how it is. If you were playing covers, in a few hour set, you'd get paid. If you're playing originals, and aren't the main event on a Saturday night, you most often pay the bar to play your 45 minute set. Hit it big, or keep playing for free. Or, join a gigging band.

 

[fjbass78]

What you say about California I have found to be true. I can't speak for all of California's music market but in the SF Bay Area at most of the bar/club drink and dance type music venues the audience would rather hear a mediocre version of Mustang Sally than a well crafted original song.

Well, at one pint Mustang Sally was a well crafted original song But i understand your point.

 

[dan1952]

What's funny about being payed the market rate? If you don't like the rate of the market you are in, get in another market. Is it fair that police and fire fighters make $50,000 a year and some dumb @$$ that can put a ball in a hoop but can't speak in complete sentences makes millions?

Nothing funny about being paid the market rate, but I thought the soul-sucking part should be funny, as opposed to insulting the folks who choose to make music that folks will pay musicians to play.

 

[obimark]

If I were in an original band, I'd go into it assuming I'd never make a dollar. Actually, I'd go ahead and assume it would cost me money.

True- my Covers band actually COST me more then it ever made. (Once I include time, rehearsal, gas, instrument repair and upkeep)

 

[BOOG]

After taxes, I make almost .20 a minute.....

I know, not good.

At 120 bpm in a 4/4 count playing 1/4 notes, you are earning 0.17¢/note.
In an average song of three minutes, a whopping 60¢? I don’t know if that’s lucrative.

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself after reading another TB’er comment about how he calculates how much he gets paid per note on a gig. Now, it’s like hearing a song you can’t get out of your head. Every time I think about gigging my head starts trying to figure out rate/note.

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

So Anyway, I'll repeat that one of the advantages of being an old guy is that I didn't have to put up with all this stuff when I was starting out. But those were very different times (and I walked 5 miles to the gig in the snow).
I'm glad you have a day gig and don't really need the money. I'd suggest that you discuss the band status with your wife.... you could be in and out of a dozen bands during your marriage. Make sure she understands why you're doing it and taking time to be away from her.
Maybe it'll help you understand why you're doing it.