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Why are local musicians turning down this gig?
- Thread starter esa372
- Start date
Man I wish I was in some TBers here musical markets. I might quit my day job for the pay they say they get 
I stay out of LA as much as possible. Dirty, rude people, clubs/bars suck. But anywhere else in Socal (IE,OC,SD) $500 is usually the minimum.
Yep. LA doesn't pay. Original bands either play for free or get about $100 plus beer.
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I guess it depends on where one lives. In my area that is great money, whereas where I used to live we got around $800 - $1200 a gig..
I make anywhere from $125 to $250 a night. Every Weekend. I play in a 5 piece Country Band. Now, we do travel a lot... but we also get fed, and if WAY out of Town, we get Rooms as well. I'd say, while the Money isn't bad, it's a bit low.
Either Seattle's music scene sucks, folks on here are exaggerating their payouts, or I play at all the wrong places. Any Seattleites on here know of dive bars who pay local bands $500 a night? Am I missing out on some scene somewhere? The only way I've ever been able to get decent pay in this area is doing weddings/casinos. IME, bar/club gigs have had universally abysmal payouts (about $100 a man or less). Lots of good/great musicians playing for that too, sadly...
Granted, a lot of those are jazz gigs, which is relevant to a smaller and smaller audience with each year that passes, so I kind of expect those small club dates to pay on the low side--but the rock gigs I've done haven't been much better. Around here, it seems like bars are willing to pay a pittance for a band, but if push came to shove, they (and their patrons) would be just as happy with a DJ. Musicians don't seem to have a heck of a lot of leverage to demand more pay (in Seattle, at least). Would LOVE to be proved wrong!!!
Granted, a lot of those are jazz gigs, which is relevant to a smaller and smaller audience with each year that passes, so I kind of expect those small club dates to pay on the low side--but the rock gigs I've done haven't been much better. Around here, it seems like bars are willing to pay a pittance for a band, but if push came to shove, they (and their patrons) would be just as happy with a DJ. Musicians don't seem to have a heck of a lot of leverage to demand more pay (in Seattle, at least). Would LOVE to be proved wrong!!!
If you bring a crowd, you can demand a higher pay. The owner cares about the butts in seats drinking, not the notes coming out of the PA.
Do what the cheap bars do around here: Hire a DJ if you can't hook a band for the price you want to pay. There has to be some dive-bar DJ that would kill his hamster to do a gig for $500. Seems to work for cheap bars until they get a rep for being a place for lowlifes and fights... since it's a once a year thing, you won't have to worry about attracting an ever more rowdy/fighty crowd each week after.
Next year you might consider tying in a non-profit and do the thing as a benefit (Halloween blood drive for Dr. Acula and the Red Cross anyone?). That might be able to help offset the cost of the band (if they pitch in with the event setup, marketing, and operation you'll have more for the band).
I know that originals + covers kinda throws me out on both ends. I do originals with original bands and I do covers with cover bands, but rarely ever do the two meet. I also find that cover+original bands around here either have no fun doing the covers (and it shows, originals are "on" and covers are "blah"), or their originals really aren't anything worth listening to (you're waiting till they get done wanking and back to the covers).
Next year you might consider tying in a non-profit and do the thing as a benefit (Halloween blood drive for Dr. Acula and the Red Cross anyone?). That might be able to help offset the cost of the band (if they pitch in with the event setup, marketing, and operation you'll have more for the band).
I know that originals + covers kinda throws me out on both ends. I do originals with original bands and I do covers with cover bands, but rarely ever do the two meet. I also find that cover+original bands around here either have no fun doing the covers (and it shows, originals are "on" and covers are "blah"), or their originals really aren't anything worth listening to (you're waiting till they get done wanking and back to the covers).
Those are the bands that ruin it for everyone, unfortunately. Club/bar owners hire crappy bands that work for peanuts, crappy bands play crappy music, crappy band chases away customers and club/bar owners decide that having live music "just isn't worth it" anymore. Thanks, crappy band.
Big Hoss
Up note, down note, blue note, brown note...
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From what I have seen, a typical 4 piece rock band, drums, bass, guitar, lead vocals and possibly rhythm guitar, here typically does a 3 hour gig, plus load in / out time. So a total of 4 hours if they are fast on the load in / out. Contrary to some, I don't count commute time if the gig is local to my metro area. Just part of living / playing in a big city... So you are basically getting $125.00 per person, for 4 hours work. That's $31.25 /hour for working on a holiday, at night. This is either a good, or a bad thing considering your perspective.
For me, and the guys I jam with, that would be great exposure, and probably a LOT of fun. However blues / country / southern rock probably wouldn't go over well in Los Angeles, although it's a smash in the other LA.
Top that off with food, beverage, and tips... We would be all over that, and I suspect many of the bands in my area that are struggling to get gigs would.
For established bands, with a fan base already, it's a waste of time and effort when they could either be with family, or taking a more lucrative gig.
I suspect being in Los Angeles, you are running into a mind set of "This party is peanuts, no thanks". Here we are happy to play for a few bucks to offset costs and feed our music addictions. Many of the bands I see around here have no delusions of making it big, they just want to make music and have a good time.
Another issue at play most likely is time, especially if you are defining the setlist. Judging from the time allotted, you are asking a band that might not have the songs you want played in their repetoire yet, and you aren't giving them a ton of time to learn it. It's doable, but to do right is going to be a pain.
For me, and the guys I jam with, that would be great exposure, and probably a LOT of fun. However blues / country / southern rock probably wouldn't go over well in Los Angeles, although it's a smash in the other LA.
Top that off with food, beverage, and tips... We would be all over that, and I suspect many of the bands in my area that are struggling to get gigs would.
For established bands, with a fan base already, it's a waste of time and effort when they could either be with family, or taking a more lucrative gig.
I suspect being in Los Angeles, you are running into a mind set of "This party is peanuts, no thanks". Here we are happy to play for a few bucks to offset costs and feed our music addictions. Many of the bands I see around here have no delusions of making it big, they just want to make music and have a good time.
Another issue at play most likely is time, especially if you are defining the setlist. Judging from the time allotted, you are asking a band that might not have the songs you want played in their repetoire yet, and you aren't giving them a ton of time to learn it. It's doable, but to do right is going to be a pain.
Big Hoss
Up note, down note, blue note, brown note...
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Not exactly the crappy band's fault. And there are plenty of good bands that will work for peanuts just to get some exposure. It's the bar owner / managers fault for...
#1. Not auditioning / listening to demos of the band in question.
#2. Offering to pay diddly squat to begin with.
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Typically at block parties here, it's people from the block and their friends playing an hour or so for little or nothing. (A DJ not from the block would get paid). So I think the problem could be 1) 4 hours to fill up with 2) setlist expectations, no matter how loosely defined. It is not a problem for me to play 4 hours with great people, but it is not going to be easily recognizable tunes that the folks from the block recognize and their children can jump around on. The way I understand the OP, it would mean rehearsals for a 100% pickup band, and even in NY with tons of great musicians used to play for little or nothing, and hardly any paid gigs, I do not see fellow musicians going to do all that work to fill 4 hours for $100,- a piece for a on-time thing
which is the exact reason why musicians are paid peanuts. Too many willing to work for squat.
3-1 hour sets with 1/2 hour break between sets, 1 hour set up & 1 hour tear down = 6 hours total time at the gig. (Didn't include travel cause a day job doesn't pay for travel, trying to compare this to a normal job) For a 5 piece band that works out to $16.66 an hour for each member. Add potential for tips & food/drinks, what's to say no too?
For that you might be able to get Guns n Roses! LOL
As far as Seattle goes, I used to play in the area. I was on what's called the Rock and Eggroll circuit. The only places that really paid well, oddly, were the Chinese restaurants. Seattle has always been known for paying nothing for musicians, and 30 years later nothing's changed. Everyone continues enabling the bar owners by continuing to play these dirt-poor gigs. My band always left town for Montana, Canada, Idaho, Oregon, Northern Cal for gigs. The smaller communities seemed to be willing to pay more for bands...
I'd say do the gig, good luck on finding a full band.
As far as Seattle goes, I used to play in the area. I was on what's called the Rock and Eggroll circuit. The only places that really paid well, oddly, were the Chinese restaurants. Seattle has always been known for paying nothing for musicians, and 30 years later nothing's changed. Everyone continues enabling the bar owners by continuing to play these dirt-poor gigs. My band always left town for Montana, Canada, Idaho, Oregon, Northern Cal for gigs. The smaller communities seemed to be willing to pay more for bands...
I'd say do the gig, good luck on finding a full band.
Big Hoss
Up note, down note, blue note, brown note...
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Interesting perspective on the issue. Just FWIW, and I KNOW this has to be a rarity, but last time I was in San Antonio on the River Walk, there was a trio of buskers, one guy playing an acoustic guitar, another basically using drum sticks and using the street surface, trash cans, and hand rails as drums, and a rapper, they were taking tips in the open guitar case, and they were doing visibly quite well. To the point If I were in their shoes I would begin to be concerned about being a robbery target for having that much cash on hand. In the case of these guys, I think a lot of what they made was because of location, their schtick, and the mood of the crowd that lovely spring day... I haven't a clue how to apply bass to busking, but as I learn more guitar, I am tempted to try busking on Galveston if it's legal there. (Not sure, never seen anyone try it...).
