Members Sgt. Rock Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 Did you ever not get paid for a gig? Tonight's gig left me with $17 in tips for playing 2 1/2 hours straight. The owner wasn't there so I didn't get paid. Now what do I do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RupertB Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 Only once when the owner skipped town the night we played. Had to wait a few times but it was always "sorry I didn't leave the check." I did have one band gig (circa 1987) that wound up with the bar owner trying to "pay" us in a certain white powder. We insisted on cash. Go back tomorrow & talk to the owner as though it was a simple misunderstanding. Polite & non-confrontational. If he/she fails to make good right away, I'd politely insist. No excuses. If it looks like you're going to walk away without your money, I'd make it crystal clear that every working musician in the area, especially those on their calendar, will be aware of how they do business before the end of the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dingoist Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 Initial thought: It's a *F* up on the owners part, sometimes they get called away by other things -- life can do that. Talk it over tomorrow as a mix up. Keep it light. If you are being stiffed, you'll know readily enough after you talk to 'em. Established joints, or people really trying to make an effort with their places do not want to stiff people for pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members donkey 12 Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 I think you have been given really good advice here. I have always been paid, but if I ever do not, I would do just as RupertB and Dingoist suggest. Please let us know what happens, okay? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rodclement Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 Whenever I play a new venue or party, I ask ahead of time what the payment arrangement is and who will have my cash at the end of the night.Sounds like the owner just forgot, good luck! Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members n9ne Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 I don't know that I'd recommend this....but a soundman once told me about a band he had once worked with that had gotten stiffed after a gig. The bandleader was going back and forth with the club owner, who was dragging his feet and coming up with every excuse in the book for why he shouldn't have to pay them. After a while, the soundman (who is a great guy, but a bit of a loose cannon) realized that if they didn't get paid, he wasn't getting paid....so he walked into the owner's office, laid a pistol on the desk, and said, "You hired these guys, and you need to pay them. Now." Needless to say, both the owner and the band were kinda freaked out....but they got paid, and got the hell out of Dodge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sgt. Rock Posted September 22, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 I don't know that I'd recommend this....but a soundman once told me about a band he had once worked with that had gotten stiffed after a gig. The bandleader was going back and forth with the club owner, who was dragging his feet and coming up with every excuse in the book for why he shouldn't have to pay them. After a while, the soundman (who is a great guy, but a bit of a loose cannon) realized that if they didn't get paid, he wasn't getting paid....so he walked into the owner's office, laid a pistol on the desk, and said, "You hired these guys, and you need to pay them. Now." Needless to say, both the owner and the band were kinda freaked out....but they got paid, and got the hell out of Dodge. What a story!! I was always told, "the soundman gets paid first". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Telecruiser Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 I ALWAYS get payment terms (amount, hours, and when I get paid) up front before I ever move my gear. NO EXCEPTIONS!! Though I rarely hear of anyone getting stiffed or not paid on time if you don't get it straightened out before hand you could possibly be asking for it. Remember, it's a business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members astone923 Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 I had a situation with a cover band in the 90's where we got stiffed and learned from it (that story takes too much typing...) fast forward about a year... We got some warning lights going off at a different venue, and before loading in, decided to NOT play for free (we were drawing well at the time and knew they'd have a full bar ONLY because of us.) We went to another bar 1/4 mile away, left someone at the scumbag bar to tell our fans about the change of venue and put on a killer show! The guy at the other bar told us about the $$ problems the owner at our original venue was having and at the end of the night told us that they had their best night outside of Thanksgiving Friday all year. The other bar closed it's doors permanently less than a month later. If the place is having money problems, it might not be an innocent mistake, but it would be a good idea to get to the bottom of it... might help you out in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members itorres008 Posted September 23, 2011 Members Share Posted September 23, 2011 I ALWAYS get payment terms (amount, hours, and when I get paid) up front before I ever move my gear. NO EXCEPTIONS!! Though I rarely hear of anyone getting stiffed or not paid on time if you don't get it straightened out before hand you could possibly be asking for it. Remember, it's a business. I think that's the way. I know these deals are often made over a couple of beers and a handshake, but I wonder does anybody have at least a one page contract where you specify date, hours, pay and whatever and have the guy sign it? and does anybody charge a deposit up front? ...so as to reserve the date, establish a period for cancelling after which he doesn't get a refund, minimize the risk of getting stiffed (if he doesn't want to pay a deposit he may be not in a position to pay the full amount either, or if he does stiff you at least the amount you're owed is less) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted September 23, 2011 Members Share Posted September 23, 2011 Did you ever not get paid for a gig? Tonight's gig left me with $17 in tips for playing 2 1/2 hours straight. The owner wasn't there so I didn't get paid. Now what do I do? Damn that really sucks man! I hope you get it all straightened out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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