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Gigging - A lesson learned


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I never really initiate any threads so I thought I would share something that happened this weekend and impart some newly learned wisdom.

 

I've been in my band for 2 1/2 years and do the majority of the booking. We play out 5-6 times a month, in the better strip mall clubs. We usually get $500 - $700 plus tabs here and there. Not great pay, but it's a "Cheers" type atmosphere where "everybody knows your name" and we can be assured of a decent crowd and the owners love us.

 

Well, I got a call from a downtown club a few weeks ago. They had a cancellation and wanted to book us. We've tried to get downtown for the bigger crowds and paydays, but haven't been successful. It's one of those, you have to know someone, things. Anyway, we agreed to play for less than we should, but thought it's money and exposure.

 

Long story short, the staff was rude, the service slow, the manager a real prick, we were bitched at for taking a break and got short payed $100 at the end of the night.

 

We were trying to get some exposure, but the bar just saw us as meat to put on stage when they know they wouldn't have anyone there. Even though we brought only 25 people, at $5 a head plus an average tab of $15 that's $500 and that pays for us and keeps the lights on, especially when shorted $100. They are simply surviving until the temperature drops and people have to party inside. Without us they would have made nothing. I never counted more than 5 people we didn't know in the bar at the same time.

 

LESSON LEARNED - Most places will not do a contract, especially if you aren't with an agency, but in a new venue be sure to confirm the nights payment BEFORE you take the stage and definitely BEFORE they've collected cover on all your friends. Then if there is a discrepancy, not only refuse to play until it's ironed out but, get paid BEFORE taking the stage to avoid getting screwed. That's just business. Try and get an email confirmation ahead of time and take it to the club to "remind / prove" the amount if needed. If possible, record the call when you book it. (In Ohio it is legal to record without the other party's knowledge. Sure, it may not lead to the correct payment, BUT you can prove to the manager and everyone else working there that you got hosed.

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Barrister Hall, primarily a jazz and blues club, BUT they also own Wild Boar and Tommy Keagan's so we took the gig in hopes of bookings at the other venues.

 

Last Labor Day weekend we brought over 100 people to the Brick Yard on a Friday at 6PM (we email 300 people a week) They had 1, that's right 1 waitress for our crowd and 0, as in nobody there that we didn't bring. We outdrew the Snow Shoe Crabs. What did we get - nothing, not so much as a free beer. We did the show to prove to the bar that we were A) good and B) had a following. The manager couldn't have cared less. The dude actually came up on the stage and told the drummer to mention the $1 hot dogs, which is OK I guess, but he did this DURING A FRICKIN' song. I subsequently called and emailed the bar 6-7 times and never got a response.

 

Bottom line is I am glad I don't make my living trying to get the high priced gig. It's not worth it. You end up playing for an unappreciative, overly intoxicated 20 something crowd. You're just loud elevator music at the "meat mall". Don't take for granted the neighborhood venue where the management, staff and patrons all want you there. There money isn't as good, but the experience is much more enjoyable.

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I totally agree with you. I like working the neighborhood bars that attract the 30 something (and over crowd). I've played the meat market's frequented by the early 20 something crowds and it's no fun. First, we don't play what they want to hear and I have no aspiration of learning M&M, Nelly, 50 cent, in large numbers. Second, the air is thick with testosterone and it feels like a fight is about to break out any minute....not where I want to be. And last, the owners don't seem to care about the bands...when they can get DJ's for next to nothing to entertain that crowd (I can't wait till that phase runs full circle).

 

I have to keep reminding myself that I do music for fun...the pay is just a respect thing. My wife, best friend and I did an acoustic trio gig on Sundays at a local marina/restaurant. We played for our drinks and dinner and always had a good time. Ahhhhh the good ole days!

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My drummer, who books most of our gigs, and I have always had a difference of opinion over this issue. I'd rather play for small clubs and less money but do it on a regular basis. He'd rather play just one or two high paying gigs a month and do nothing the rest of the time. The problems I see with the high paying gigs are 1.They're usually far away so you have to figure in driving time, gas money, etc. 2. The expectation of the club owner/manager is usually much higher i.e. How many people are you going to bring in to offset the high pay I'm giving you? 3. Rather than being treated as one of the establishment's valued employees, you're thought of as a contract laborer, and treated accordingly.

 

Besides, I'd rather be playing than not playing.

 

Michael D.

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Man, this makes me think that I should be charging allot more for our band to play. The last two times we played at a local bar, we charged 500. Frist time they made 650 at the door at 2 dollars a head. Last saturday, they made 780 at 2 dollars a head. We always bring a crowd and everyone always has fun. One of the best bands around here gets 800 to 1000 a show. Yet they are older guys (nothing wrong with that) who have been doing it forever. Thats why I think we are unique. It's not notmal for a group of guys 19-23 to be playing out this much and play the material we all do. Combined we have over 200 gigs easy by now. We've all grown up musicians and what not. I need to start asking more money.. I'm just to big of a {censored}...

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Man, this makes me think that I should be charging allot more for our band to play. The last two times we played at a local bar, we charged 500. Frist time they made 650 at the door at 2 dollars a head. Last saturday, they made 780 at 2 dollars a head. We always bring a crowd and everyone always has fun. One of the best bands around here gets 800 to 1000 a show. Yet they are older guys (nothing wrong with that) who have been doing it forever. Thats why I think we are unique. It's not notmal for a group of guys 19-23 to be playing out this much and play the material we all do. Combined we have over 200 gigs easy by now. We've all grown up musicians and what not. I need to start asking more money.. I'm just to big of a {censored}...

 

Simple solution.......do some homework. If you know that there are more bands that are playing the same club and making more money, ask for more or play the competition's bar. Sometimes you gotta play one against the other. That's why it's called the music "busuness". Trust me, if you're worth it and you ask........they'll pay. We believe that everyone has to make money but the more money that the bar makes because of us........the more we need to be paid. I'm sorry to hear about your situation, Abzurd. I agree with most of the other people on this board. Smaller clubs will treat you better. I'd be one and done with that place.

 

I ran into a situation yesterday where the club owner wouldn't let us set our sound guy up in the bar. The place was small. He wanted us to run it from the stage. I was a little pissed about that. So, we had our sound guy ducking in and out to do the sound. I can't do it while I'm running around the bar like an idiot. It was also our first time in there. I got a little cocky and I was wearing a Rock-N-Roller type, shapable, straw cowboy hat. I told the owner that he was "compromising our sound and hard work by making us run our sound like that and that I'd eat my {censored}ing hat if we weren't the best band that he's ever had in there" (It's a reletively new place). I also told him that our sound guy was a big part of what we do. Anyway, to make a long story longer........... We packed the place and at the end of the 3rd set, everyone was yelling for us to play more. The owner came down the end of the bar and asked us to play for another 1/2 hour for $100. I announced that the owner is diggin in his pocket and that we were going to play a little longer. I also told everyone to buy another drink and hang out with us. Everyone went nuts. I look at it this way, since he wasn't bringin any salt for the hat, the price just went up. That's the nature of the business. He can take it or leave it but I'll be willing to bet that he'll take it. Now, the next thing on the list is to get our sound guy out into the bar. That will happen sooner or later. 9 times out of 10 if you make them money, they'll pay you well. If they don't want to play that way, you gotta go somewhere else. In that case, their greed causes them to loose out on you............not the other way around. Sometimes you gotta stand your ground too. I bent on this one. I'll give him what he wants for now but I'll get what I need in the long run. Just because you work in their club does NOT entitle them to treat you like a dick.

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I have a similar story. We played at a strip mall bar - $400 for the first time there kind of thing. (Most bars to you that way the first time). Well we absolutely packed the place. Best Saturday night the bar EVER had!

 

So at the end of the night we were taking down our sign. Well someone used MASKING tape instead of gaff tape and we ended up taking about a quarter size chunck of paint off the wall. I got the manager/owner and showed him and offered to pay for the damage. The guy went nuts. He kept talking about how disrespectful we were. Nevermind we are a mid 30's - mid 40's band that play top 40 to a mid 30's to mid 40's, well behaved, crowd.

 

He ended up taking $50 out of our pay and continued to berate us. Now I'm not a patient man, in fact I'm quite anal and a bit of a contrl freak, but when it comes to dealing with bar owners I kiss a lot of ass. I finally had had enough and told him something to the effect of "I can't believe you are carrying on like this. We made you a boat load of cash tonight. We're #$%ing out of here and we won't be back.

 

It took him a few days to shelf his ego, but about a week and a half later the guy called me and apologized

emphatically. He had me stop by and repayed the $50 and booked us there for the next 4 months on the spot.

 

We now make $450 plus the door ($2 a head). Only problem now is our freakin' fanbase shows up 10 minutes before we start charging cover (We start charging at 8PM and go on at 9PM). Probably 30 - 50 people do this, but they stay until 1AM and support us all night so it's cool. We also pay the door guy $10 an hour. Still, not bad cash and we have a good time. The only problem with the place, and others like it, is there is no stage. I hate that.

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Exactly my point. F*** that guy that screwed you on the last gig. There are plenty of other places that are willing to pay you and will treat you much better. I almost packed up before we went on yessterday. Our drummer got there and said, let's roll. He was ready to pack up too but we have 3 more gigs booked there. I think that he respects us a little more today than he did yesterday before we went on. At least I hope so. The other owner showed up and gave our bass player his cell phone #. Told him to call anytime to get bookings. Cha Ching!!!! LOL More reason to get in his pocket.

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We stay clear of the big name,trendy,downtown clubs.We gig for living,3-4 gigs a week.We do the small town clubs and edge of city clubs.The patrons are for more receptive of bands and show more appreciation.The servers,bartenders and owners treat us well...Screw those clubs like you described,you don't get anywhere and you never get paid what you should be,if any at all.

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We stay clear of the big name,trendy,downtown clubs.We gig for living,3-4 gigs a week.We do the small town clubs and edge of city clubs.The patrons are for more receptive of bands and show more appreciation.The servers,bartenders and owners treat us well...Screw those clubs like you described,you don't get anywhere and you never get paid what you should be,if any at all.

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Something I have learned over the years is that it's really all about the money. It is a business, it doesn't matter how good or bad you are, it's about how much profit you can generate for the venue. If you do well for them, they will have you back, if you don't then well you probably won't be back. Bars and clubs are sketchy at best. If it's your home town crowd then it may be safe to take the door, but if your 300 miles away at a venue you've never played before taking the door is a sure way to take it in the pooper, unless you are a very popular act or the club itself has a very good reputation. Contracts are the way to go, nothing is worse than loading your equipment, travelling to the venue, setting up, playing for four hours, breaking down, and then not getting paid or getting short changed. At bars and clubs there are usually two different kinds of people in the crowd, those that came to see the band, and those that just came that nite to drink or play pool or whatever. To the latter you will probably just be background noise, but it's always great to make some new fans! Live music is dying out in bars/clubs because of DJ's, or guys with a CD collection and a PA system, they cost less and can play anything the crowd wants to hear, it's hard to compete with that, but as long as you are having fun and doing it for the music or just for yourself, it will be worth it night after night.

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In my opinion, if you are doing this for fun and not to put food on the table, as soon as things get dicey it's decision time. For them, not you.....either the club owner can act like an honorable adult, or he can find some other way of keeping patrons that night.

 

For those that do this for a living; Always get a contract. If they won't sign one, there's probably a damned good reason not to waste your time there.

 

Regarding damage to the venue, include something in the contract. Clubs are insured, and some minor paint chips or dinged flooring is part of the cost of doing business. I'm sure no club owner would be waving cash at you if a patron puked into your monitor.

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