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A club owner just said he'd pay us "$250. That's my firm price." What a fucking dick. He has to be high as hell to think we'd play his shitty little bar for that. All the schooling. All the years of practice. All the years of being a freaking total dork for this? FAK! Production alone costs $225/night. I can't believe I spent an hour talking to that douche bag. Club owners always something for nothing. It's a shame that he'll probably find some sorry asses to play for that amount or less. Lame. [/rant]
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It's called a Free Market.
You're free to say no to his price, and find somewhere else to play.
Ever consider what your worth is to a club? Do you have a loyal following? Do you draw well? Or do you just show up hoping the club is full?
Are other venues throwing bigger numbers at you because you're so much better than your competition? If so, why give a shit about his offer? If not, ask yourself why.
I've been on both sides of this argument for years. Played clubs of every level, and worked on the clubs' behalf.
But you come off as a whiney douche by thinking that because you spent "years practicing" and he only offers you $250. Sac up.
In a free market, venues will fall all over themselves to throw money and hospitality at the bands that have a good draw. Those that dont, make $250. Sometimes less.
Blaming the club owner for offering you less than you think you deserve is just stupid.
Originally posted by KristyOriginally posted by cadaverdog -
The club owner couldn't give a shit how many hours you may have spent learning our craft.
All he/she cares about is how many punters can you put in his club on a wet Monday night as this is a business dude, and this guy has to make a profit too or else you will have NO venue to play in...
If you can fill it then renegotiate when he asks YOU about a 2nd booking.
Do you have a large following? (Don't answer that)
I know a little bit about this as my husband used to work for I.T.B agency London.
This must be the first post where I actually agree with Lounge.
The times they are a changing....Comment
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Isn't it better to be out playing in front of people than sitting at home that night complaining that you weren't going to get paid enough? Hell, I'm sure there are lots of talented bands that would pay the club $250 just for the chance to play in front of a crowd. Get their music out there. Build a fan base. Did you get into music to make money...or play music in front of others? Play live and have fun doing what you love?“Great losses often bring only a numb shock. To truly plunge a victim into misery, you must overwhelm him with many small sufferings.”Comment
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I play originals to be off the couch on the cheap. 45-60 minutes of original is worth it just to play. I play covers to supplement my income. No other reason. 4 hours of covers for $12.50 after production sucks. Dude traded emails so he knew how much the bottom dollar was and still wanted to book us. He calls a meeting and bullshits me for a little over an hour and says, $250 is the firm price and he wants full production. I'm not hurting for gigs, I just hate the facts that 1) he took time that could have been used to book other shows 2) club owners want entertainment for nothing, 3) a band will eventually sucker up and take that crappy pay which lets bar owners think they can pay any band that amount. Bunch of crap.Comment
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Well, the club owner does sound like a dick. But imagine how many punks approach these guys daily for gigs. It would drive me crazy.“Great losses often bring only a numb shock. To truly plunge a victim into misery, you must overwhelm him with many small sufferings.”Comment
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How so?
You know nothing of the club capacity, overhead, competition, or regular clientele.
$250 may be insult-low.
Or it may be a fucking GIFT.
Whichever it is, he's allowed to set his price without strangers calling him a dick.
The THREAD STARTER on the other hand comes off as a DICK in my book for the way he whined about it without knowing/giving specifics.
Fucking hack bands who think they're the shit crack me up.Originally posted by KristyOriginally posted by cadaverdogComment
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If the club pays $250.00 and I really want to play there, I'll do a smaller group. Normally I don't leave the house for less than $125-150.00 a man . If it's a fun gig like doing Sabbath covers or cool originals , i'd make an exception.
Summer's here and although the volume of work is down, we still are busy with weddings which are where I make my money anyway.
I'd be happy to just play weddings and privates. Then I could put together a killer Sabbath, Zeppelin and or Purple band and hit the clubs 2 or three times a month. I'd do that shit for free.Comment
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Take the 2fitty and tell him you want a buck for the band off every $5.00 cover charge.
I would suspect 250 a night per band member is what is needed these days to motivate.
Can't find it, hit the road..?
Good Luck this world needs rock and roll.Comment
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Absolutely correct. I was just going off the later description of the club owner seemingly leading him on for an hour. That's why I said "sounds like" rather than flat out calling him a dick. But I've never been a club owner or had to book bands, so I don't know squat about that side of the biz or what kind of attitudes are common.How so?
You know nothing of the club capacity, overhead, competition, or regular clientele.
$250 may be insult-low.
Or it may be a fucking GIFT.
Whichever it is, he's allowed to set his price without strangers calling him a dick.
The THREAD STARTER on the other hand comes off as a DICK in my book for the way he whined about it without knowing/giving specifics.
Fucking hack bands who think they're the shit crack me up.
But like I said, everyone I've ever known in a band would love the chance to play even if it cost them money. In fact, a lot of times it did. No set fee, just a cut of the door charge & then only if the customers said they are there to see you. The club paid based on how many check marks were in each bands column. Hell, we all had the times of our lives even if we were losing money.
And yes, we were all hacks in hack bands....well, except one guy who played guitar. Dang he was good. But the fun we had I wouldn't trade for the world.“Great losses often bring only a numb shock. To truly plunge a victim into misery, you must overwhelm him with many small sufferings.”Comment
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It's called "paying your dues". Every band does. Mine does.
Some gigs pay good, some not so good. The key words are exposure and following...
If a band is connecting with the club patrons in a positive way ,good things will follow...Trolls take heed...
LOG OUT & FUCK OFF!!!Comment
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We all paid our dues a long time ago. Things are good now. The dude knows that and just straight up wasted my time. I do agree with you that all bands need to pay their dues. Also appreciate the positive words.
Never said we are the shit, but we are worth what we charge for what we do. It's a covers for $$$ band. It is what it is.
You may have booked some bands and/or played in some bands, but it sounds to me like you never made any type of living off of it. Especially from the band side of it.
Hack board users who like to give people a hard time behind a keyboard crack me up.
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