Should local bands play for free? (1 Viewer)

[Space]

It seems like you're making assumptions without really knowing the score with these gigs you're talking about.

Do you have examples of promoters promising support bands payment but not coming through with it on these large bill small gigs?

 

[hugh]

Thats the problem right there.... If a promoter says the band will get paid then they should keep their word and pay the support act as well as the main act, venue and sound guy. Ballroom Of Romance has always been good this way ....

Sure .. I agree. If the promoter guarantees money then they should come through with it no matter what. If they don't guarantee money then it's a matter of whether they are promoters that you trust or not, and you decide whether to play or not on that basis. BOR is a good example. They don't guarantee money at all, but you can trust them to give you a fair share of the money if there is money there to give.

 

[Gambra]

Whenever I've put on gigs there's usually always been some cash to give to the support bands, usually around 50 quid to cover costs getting there or what have you. There was never a guarantee of anything (in case of major disasters) but we did our best to pay bands. The only major exception was last November at the Hair Police gig when I couldn't pay De Nov anything as I had lost a lot myself as it was and I still feel bad about as they supplied pretty much the entire backline (hey Donal! thanks for the free backline guys!). It was the first gig I did in Dublin though so live/learn etc. If I was doing gigs on a regular basis and not paying bands something I'd feel like a dickhead. In saying that, I'd gladly do gigs myself for nowt.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

Support bands should be unpaid and treated like apprentices in football and do things like clean and polish up the guitars and shiny drum parts of the headline act, unknot their cables, fetch them drinks from the bar, iron their check shirts etc. etc., as part of a learning process.

 

[e+s=b]

Support bands should be unpaid and treated like apprentices in football and do things like clean and polish up the guitars and shiny drum parts of the headline act, unknot their cables, fetch them drinks from the bar, iron their check shirts etc. etc., as part of a learning process.

...forever!

 

[MilanPan!c]

I swear, we're not playing any unpaid gigs.

I swear.

Well...

No. I swear.

Fuck it.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

I swear, we're not playing any unpaid gigs.

I swear.

Well...

No. I swear.

Fuck it.

Reminded me of this corker:

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[GO]

If you can get people to pay in to see your band you're bound to make a few quid.

If ye cant you probably wont.

Should bands who are not getting bodies in the door get paid?Yes but probably wont,for a number of reasons.

 

[mark]

people, get your priorities straight.

ah no, a few shillings, even if its just a token gesture, is always appriciated. that being said, i'd happliy do a u-mack, ballroom or other small promoter gig for nowt if it was a quiet night.

one of my brothers bands regularly supports a popular dublin combo from finglas. i found out last week that they never get a penny for it. ever. they've played the point, the olympia, vicar street and various venues all around the country to packed houses, and have never once gotten petrol money. as far as this main band is concerned, the exposure is payment enough. yersiree, aslan are scabby fucks. my brothers band need to cop on too though...

 

[Anthony]

You're joking!? That's shocking.

 

[binky]

people, get your priorities straight.

One of my brothers bands regularly supports a popular dublin combo from finglas. i found out last week that they never get a penny for it. ever. they've played the point, the olympia, vicar street and various venues all around the country to packed houses, and have never once gotten petrol money. as far as this main band is concerned, the exposure is payment enough. yersiree, aslan are scabby fucks. my brothers band need to cop on too though...

If your brother's band is playing a set of their own stuff to ten thousand Aslan fans in the space of a year, they should be able to clean up on Imro payments; considerably more than you could dream of getting paid by aslan for anything, even if that figure wasn't nothing.

 

[e+s=b]

people, get your priorities straight.

ah no, a few shillings, even if its just a token gesture, is always appriciated. that being said, i'd happliy do a u-mack, ballroom or other small promoter gig for nowt if it was a quiet night.

one of my brothers bands regularly supports a popular dublin combo from finglas. i found out last week that they never get a penny for it. ever. they've played the point, the olympia, vicar street and various venues all around the country to packed houses, and have never once gotten petrol money. as far as this main band is concerned, the exposure is payment enough. yersiree, aslan are scabby fucks. my brothers band need to cop on too though...

No disrespect but when do you stop doin gigs for 'the exposure'. We've happily done gigs for free in the past, some great ones but I've just been thinking about it lately because I've seen some bands constantly dragging gear around and getting nothing for it. Also with my own band it's gotten to the stage where we literally can't pay for taxis and gear ourselves without some kind of guarantee. I know (well maybe not after this post!) that I'll play for free in the future. Probably lots of times. Just wondering what people think about it.

 

[Andy_aurel]

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[mark]

No disrespect but when do you stop doin gigs for 'the exposure'.

none taken man, my brothe rmakes his money elsewhere. and you raise a good point. i think the longer you play, the harder it is to motivate yourself to do the small, badly attended, non-paying gigs. when i was younger, i really didn't care. it's always nice to have bodies in front of you, but the main thing was getting out and playing. if i'm honest, now i'd happily be in a rehearsal room band doing the odd gig, but mainly just playing for kicks. is fact, i already am. i'm in 2 (well 3, sort of) bands, and i'd say cumulatively I've played 5 or 6 gigs in the last 18 months.

 

[Scientician 0.8]

I've done more gigs for free than I've been paid for, probably the same as most of you. A couple of the bigger venue gigs I played I was paid decently. When I supported Republic of Loose they actually paid me more than the previously agreed fee which I was chuffed abotu. When I've done gigs with others of the thumped massive I've usually been paid and sometimes very generously, thanks you guys.

I don't mind someone saying to me before a gig that it isn't a paying one, or sometimes it's just a bad night and there wasn't much of a taking at the door, however, there is a bit of a "hey man yeah man cool man" vibe with some gig supports around Dublin where if you don't mention getting paid, you won't be and it is considered gauche if you bring it up at all. I hate that shit. Some people think they are doing you a big favour offering you a gig support but it can be a really big hassle lugging equipment in, to play to no or an uninterested crowd.

 

[mackle]

Very rarely ever been got any money for playing a gig. However if I bring my amp for the rest of the line up to use then I do expect some sort of money for moving it to the venue and back. Otherwise I don't mind playing for free locally in Belfast. But if I'm going to play anywhere else e.g. Dublin and Cork I would expect some sort of travel money. Played a gig in Dublin last year where the tickets were over 20euros and there was more than 200 people there and got paid 30 euros for 3 peoples bus fare from Belfast to Dublin and back! Wasn't happy.

 

[D0njo]

Whenever I've put on gigs there's usually always been some cash to give to the support bands, usually around 50 quid to cover costs getting there or what have you. There was never a guarantee of anything (in case of major disasters) but we did our best to pay bands. The only major exception was last November at the Hair Police gig when I couldn't pay De Nov anything as I had lost a lot myself as it was and I still feel bad about as they supplied pretty much the entire backline (hey Donal! thanks for the free backline guys!). It was the first gig I did in Dublin though so live/learn etc. If I was doing gigs on a regular basis and not paying bands something I'd feel like a dickhead. In saying that, I'd gladly do gigs myself for nowt.

No problem! That was Eoins stuff though

 

[Anthony]

if i'm honest, now i'd happily be in a rehearsal room band doing the odd gig, but mainly just playing for kicks. is fact, i already am.

Hey, I'm in that situation too. Although I'm not happy about it.

 

[MilanPan!c]

So you know, in my 10 years in the Boston music scene I played maybe 10 free shows, compared to dozens and dozens and dozens of paid ones, some very well paid ones at that.

And, in my time in the UK all the gigs I played were payed.

This is just weird shit here in Dublin....

 

[cpr]

I've played tons of gigs for free, to be honest the experience of playing the gig was payment enough for me.Sometimes you get a few quid to cover the petrol etc and thats cool but I never go into playing a gig expecting to be loaded at the end of it. Ive put on lots of gigs and know how hard it is to cover the price of the venue, sound engineer etc(usually 200quid or so) so just breaking even is tough enough. I know I'm never gonna get rich from playing in a band..