Do you still care about the money?

[poorboy]

I know I won't get rich at this.It doesn't bother me in the slightest.I really just do it for the fun aspect.

The different venues,the different people and most importantly THE GROOVE.

The question is,what is more important to you.

The money or the groove?

I guess fun and "The Groove" are one in the same.

[Outkaster]

 

Originally posted by poorboy I know I won't get rich at this.It doesn't bother me in the slightest.I really just do it for the fun aspect. The different venues,the different people and most importantly THE GROOVE. The question is,what is more important to you. The money or the groove? I guess fun and "The Groove" are one in the same.

 

 

Sometimes I care about the money but not neccesarily all the time. It depends on the gig and how much of a pain in the ass it is or if I am loosing too much money.

[Beachbum]

I care about the money but it doesn't necessarily have to be money for me.

 

I'm finding that if I set up and play a gig for a charity cause and the gig raises $300.00 (or whatever amount) for the charity I'm really just as satisfied as having been paid that amount myself.

 

(And on the other hand, but of less importance, I do enjoy being paid for private group gigs so I can buy more equipment & guitars. )

[Roy Brooks]

I play guitar and music because it is what I do. I enjoy it and it is very fascinating and keeps my mind working. There is always new stuff to learn. And it is always cool to get together with friends to smoke a little reefer and do some pickin and grinnin.

 

Money matters when I have to be at a certain place at a certain time for a certain amount of time, unless it is something where I am going to be having a whole lot of fun doing it. Then money might not matter quite as much. I have already reached my quota for benefits this year.

[ZeppelinPie792]

If I had to pick one of the two, I would definately pick fun.

 

Just money is a nice thing to have! (especially when your a broke teenager like me)

[cooterbrown]

We like to have fun at our gigs, be we damn sure get paid well for it. I got a wife and two kids...If I am going to lose family time by going to a gig, its going to pay me bare minimum $150 (and that's for an easy gig).

[Blackwatch]

For me...money is just a form of respect. They respect me enough to pay me. And being payed for your playing shows that the club or person hiring you puts a value on what you do and the work that goes into it.

 

And that's why anybody who thinks it's OK to play for free is usually playing for someone who doesn't respect them or consider what they do worth any value..I'm sure there might be exceptions but the basic principal remains.

 

And that of course doesn't apply to charity work which is a different subject altogether.

 

Flame on......

[cooterbrown]

Originally posted by Blackwatch For me...money is just a form of respect. They respect me enough to pay me. And being payed for your playing shows that the club or person hiring you puts a value on what you do and the work that goes into it. And that's why anybody who thinks it's OK to play for free is usually playing for someone who doesn't respect them or consider what they do worth any value..I'm sure there might be exceptions but the basic principal remains. And that of course doesn't apply to charity work which is a different subject altogether. Flame on......

 

Indeed... club owners who want to "try you out...we'll give the band a $100 bar tab" or try to low-ball your four or five-piece band for under $300 aren't people worth dealing with, because they have absolutely no respect for you. They're just trying to get by as cheaply as possible. It usually shows in their clientel and the quality of the entertainment.

They'll make you bus your own table, too.

[MartinC]

Show me the money-if all I want is fun I can turn on logic in my studio and have all the fun I want tweaking sounds and trying stuff out, playing all kinds of instruments. If I got to pack up, go out and perform, I want some cabbage!!

[ihateyouguys]

Originally posted by cooterbrown They'll make you bus your own table, too.

 

Maybe they could hire beachbum to bus your table.

[MrKnobs]

I don't need money anymore, I just want to break even (after paying the sidemen) so I can justify continuing to do this.

 

Plus I'd also like to have a little fun once in a while.

 

Terry D.

 

P.S. And it might be prudent to turn a profit every few years so the IRS can pay for 1/3 of my gear amortization and expenses.

[pink floyd cramer]

Hell yeah I care about money! I am an unrepentant gig whore (make 100's of $$ a year ) but it sucks that noone wants to just get together and pick anymore:( .

[salislore]

Even though I don't need the money, I have to be paid a commensurate amount of money for what the gig is. I'm not going to do it for free just because I enjoy playing and don't need the money.

 

The money is definitely nice though. It enables me to buy more gear whenever I want to.

 

We also do our fair share of charity gigs.

[ThudMaker]

I don't personally care about it. I play for the enjoyment, but I expect the green stuff that folds. If I don't, then not only am I allowing myself to get taken advantage of (because someone else IS making money), I'm subliminally giving my approval to that individual that it's OK to take advantage of others in the future. It's not OK. Neither are the people who have no problem playing for free because they have a good paying day gig (hey, so do a lot of people). Those players are cheating the younger dudes and dudettes, who need the cash just to cover strings and ramen.

[Roy Brooks]

I've gotten to a point in my life when I won't play in certain places because I don't care for the folks who run them, folks that I probably wouldn't enjoy hanging out with.

 

I have found that the clubs that I really enjoy playing in and that pay well enough are the sort of places that I actually don't mind hanging out in. And private parties and wedding receptions, gigs that generally pay really well, are the kinds of gigs where the folks that hire bands show them some respect, give them some good food to eat, and pay them a good wage for usually just a couple or three hours. I will gladly play their favorite tunes because they asked for the band that I am in to play there.

[daveski]

Happiness is OK, but you can't buy money with it.

[THBv2.0]

If the time you spend on stage isn't worth the trouble it took to get there, find another job.

 

 

[Blackwatch]

 

They'll make you bus your own table, too.

 

 

LMFAO.......

[Blackwatch]

 

I care about the money but it doesn't necessarily have to be money for me. I'm finding that if I set up and play a gig for a charity cause and the gig raises $300.00 (or whatever amount) for the charity I'm really just as satisfied as having been paid that amount myself. (And on the other hand, but of less importance, I do enjoy being paid for private group gigs so I can buy more equipment & guitars. )

 

 

And you've got alot of {censored}ing nerve even showing your face on a post about money you little troll.....

[MrKnobs]

Originally posted by ThudMaker Those players are cheating the younger dudes and dudettes, who need the cash just to cover strings and ramen.

 

This assumes that if all bands refuse to play for free the clubs will be forced to hire bands that charge. Unfortunately, at least around here, they'd more likely just stop having live shows and do something else.

 

For example, the sword that always hangs over our head at our regular Tues. night show is Karaoke expanding over from Sundays and Mondays into Tuesdays also. Karaoke is very popular! I guess a lot of people think music isn't a spectator sport, and would rather get drunk and sing off key than pay $3 to hear a band with proficient singers.

 

Also, nobody is cheating anyone out of anything. The younger dudes and dudettes can come and play for free just like we so often do. If they're good enough and draw a crowd on the free nights, they'll be able to leverage a better night and a guarantee. Like it or not, that's how the game is played here in Austin.

 

Terry D.

[Sterno]

Gigging is a part-time job for me--the best possible part-time job.

 

I love playing guitar and I especially love playing with a really good band to a receptive crowd. In fact, I start to get depressed if I'm not playing out once or twice a week.

 

But as much as I love it, the cash is important. That extra $ makes a big difference to our family.

[Beachbum]

Originally posted by MrKnobs Also, nobody is cheating anyone out of anything. The younger dudes and dudettes can come and play for free just like we so often do. If they're good enough and draw a crowd on the free nights, they'll be able to leverage a better night and a guarantee. Like it or not, that's how the game is played here in Austin. Terry D.

 

That's pretty much how the game is played everywhere I've seen it too.

 

Unfortunately I don't see bands 'sticking together' and charging an established minimum to help each other out. More likely it is a competitive business arena where bands play for what they can get, undercut each other, and if it means playing a free gig to show they can draw a crowd they do that too. I don't fault them for it (to each their own) and I don't feel it makes a good experienced band's services cheaper or that anyone gets cheated.

 

Also - for every 5 bands that play a free gig to show they can draw a crowd... 4 of them show they can't draw a crowd and probably only 1 succeeds.

 

It might be nice to see everyone stick together for the benefit of all, but I think it's wishful thinking.

 

Where there's money to be made there's gonna be competition.

 

Just my observations.

[Terry Allan Hall]

Originally posted by Beachbum I care about the money but it doesn't necessarily have to be money for me. I'm finding that if I set up and play a gig for a charity cause and the gig raises $300.00 (or whatever amount) for the charity I'm really just as satisfied as having been paid that amount myself. (And on the other hand, but of less importance, I do enjoy being paid for private group gigs so I can buy more equipment & guitars. )

 

And groceries, gas, clothes, property taxes, and all the other things that are preferable to abject poverty!

 

Money itself is pretty unimportant, but you can trade it for cool stuff!

[Terry Allan Hall]

 

Originally posted by Blackwatch For me...money is just a form of respect. They respect me enough to pay me. And being payed for your playing shows that the club or person hiring you puts a value on what you do and the work that goes into it. And that's why anybody who thinks it's OK to play for free is usually playing for someone who doesn't respect them or consider what they do worth any value..I'm sure there might be exceptions but the basic principal remains. And that of course doesn't apply to charity work which is a different subject altogether. Flame on......

 

 

Originally posted by ThudMaker I don't personally care about it. I play for the enjoyment, but I expect the green stuff that folds. If I don't, then not only am I allowing myself to get taken advantage of (because someone else IS making money), I'm subliminally giving my approval to that individual that it's OK to take advantage of others in the future. It's not OK. Neither are the people who have no problem playing for free because they have a good paying day gig (hey, so do a lot of people). Those players are cheating the younger dudes and dudettes, who need the cash just to cover strings and ramen.

 

 

[anonpostguy]

 

Originally posted by cooterbrown Indeed... club owners who want to "try you out...we'll give the band a $100 bar tab" or try to low-ball your four or five-piece band for under $300 aren't people worth dealing with, because they have absolutely no respect for you. They're just trying to get by as cheaply as possible. It usually shows in their clientel and the quality of the entertainment. They'll make you bus your own table, too.

 

 

Right on the money (excuse the pun)!

 

Around here the only rooms that would ever attempt to offer a band the "opportunity" to play for free would be the"B" and "C" rooms. The only bands that ever engage in undercutting each other and lowballing to get a gig are the ones that only ever play the "B" and "C" rooms (more typically the "C" rooms, however) and don't have the talent to get themselves into the better rooms and better paying gigs.

 

In my area, the venues that hire cover bands pretty much fall into two categories:

 

The "A" rooms, which put a lot of work into developing their entertainment. They invest in PA, lighting, staging, advertising, and the bands they hire. They do not tolerate mediocre bands and have a very strict set of criteria for the bands on their rotation. They pay well and have basic amenities for their bands, such as dressing rooms. They will never ask the band, "So how many people can you bring out?" Because they only book top circuit acts, they have created a buzz for the venue. You know when you go there on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday evening that you will be treated to top quality entertainment and the return clientele speaks volumes to this. These bars also realize that the really good bands on the circuit tend to play most weekends, have done so for quite some time, and their friends and family have long since stopped coming to see them.

 

The "B" and "C" rooms tend to get local traffic only. When booking gigs the first question is always, "How many friends are you bringing out?" These venues have generally not invested in their establishment, for the purposes of live music. Bands generally set up on the floor next to the pool table, or in some awkward corner beside the hallway to the men's room, etc. Bands are responsible for bringing any and all production required. The bands that do well on this circuit tend to be the ones that are very part-time and that play out maybe once every month or six-weeks. Because they don't play out very often, it is generally a big deal for them and it's easy to get their friends, family, and neighbours out. They tend to fill the bar and the owner is happy. However, the talent of these bands can be hit or miss. More often than not, my experience has been that they are not great calibre acts. Walk-ins to the bar won't ever say to themselves, "That band was amazing. Let's come back next week to check out the next band."

 

It comes down to how bar owners look at their entertainment - as a short or long term investment: Pay more now for better bands and create a steady stream of return patrons or pay less and rely on each individual band to bring their own crowd. The latter bars also tend to be the ones which open up for a year or two, close down and reopen under new management only to repeat the cycle again, and again.

 

Sorry if I got off track there, I was just discussing this with someone else the other day and it was fresh in my mind. So, to answer the original poster's question, yes, I still care about the money, moreso now than I ever did before. I do a professional job and I deserve to be compensated as a professional. As Blackwatch stated, it's testament to your value.

 

 

Anonpostguy