Curious about what other bands are getting paid...

vitaminE

...sorry if this comes off as rude. I'm in a somewhat crappy cover band with a few original tunes, and we play around my hometown in northern Minnesota. This Saturday, we're playing a local bar - one night only - for $400 plus all the free drinks we can handle. 10 to 2 am with four 45 minute sets. Is this more, less, or about the same as other bands out there?

lee_UK · Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 2:50 pm Post subject:

Dont know about the US, but the UK pays pretty poorly if you play original material, it's a bit of a swear word on the pub/club circuit, a lot of bands actualy have to pay to play, in other words you dont get any fee, but you still have your fuel and overheads to get there, For a good covers band $400 (£220?) for 4 45min sets is quite poor, but of course if you rock the house on your first visit then you can always renegotiate the fee on the return.
Some bands work on the door money only, and get a split of that, but for a pro function band weddings/ parties etc then you could expect £1000+ per night.

1bassleft · Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 12:02 am Post subject:

$100 each for 10-2am isn't absolutely great (teardown, drivehome, 3:30am) but there is a lot worse. It is impossible to really comment. As Lee says (and I've also exp'd) playing mostly original material makes even less.

I always think a band/player should also consider the other side as well. Maybe the bar owner's taking a chance too? $400 is still a whack if nobody shows.

Do your bit, polish the songs, spread the word, posters, bring a crowd. Oh, and turn up. You won't believe the number of times a band forgets/can't bother to turn up. Landlords deal with this stuff all the time, but still have to balance the books. FWIW, I set up a new band and approached a venue with new owners. I wasn't offered a great deal, but I could see their POV. We did the business and the next gig was on much better terms - both sides happy.

A lot of this relies on your 'gut instinct' of the landlord.

1bassleft · Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 12:13 am Post subject:

BTW, and apols if you know this already, 4x45mins is a lot of songs. A shedload of songs. Do you have a good linker in your band - someone who rapports with an audience? They are a Godsend, wiping two songsworth off each slot with a bit of witty waffle.

It's not always the singer. "Thanks. This next one's called..." types are a nightmare to play with. Pressure on band, no connection with the audience, much better to have someone natural doing the links - even if it's not the 'front'

lee_UK · Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 11:59 am Post subject:

Surely your not suggesting a 'Black Knights' type turnout Bass?
just after you finish a rupturous version of Stairway to heaven, the singer says, 'Ok Ok, heres one for ya, there were these 2 spainairds.......' !!
but with 3 hrs to kill might be worth taking along your Kenya holiday snaps on projector, and give a talk on the benefits of a national game reserve. Or better still maybe a 1 hour 'Yes/ELP' guitar Solo, that should empty the bar in 30 secs flat.

1bassleft · Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 1:10 pm Post subject:

I just knew someone would do that to me... and a pretty good idea it would be you. Funelly nuff, I saw a Death Metal band called Hecatomb. Why do all Deathers have such a social conscience (cf, System of a Down's latest, if you can make out the odd phrase)? Anyhoo, Hecatomb's guy was all "This one's about the environment. 'cause, like, the tuna fishers, they're killing the dolphins. That's bad, 'cause dolphins are, like, really intelligent blah blah blah..."

"2,3,4!! Vooorgggh! Inchsnichkul naaarggh! Faaaarrrk yooooo!" but they were 164/2 time, so you gotta fill in the gaps in the set somehow.

vitaminE

...there have been several nights where other bars in town closed early due to lack of patronage because we were playing down the street and the place was packed with a couple hundred people. As for turning up, I have a Marshall 4100 half stack and our singer / rythem player has a mesa boogie dual rectifier half stack - murderously loud in a small bar! Our last number of the night is "the loud E medley" Longtrain Runnin' to Song2 (in E) to I'd walk 500 Miles (thrash version with many unfortunate "F bombs" ) to Keep On Rockin' in the Freeworld. By the end of this, my amp is on at least 8.

lee_UK · Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 4:44 pm Post subject:

Thats the kind of post i like, anyone who turns it up to 8+ commands respect, i had a Vox AC30 with 2 blue alnicos, and it loved a bit of volume, and as the night went on and the hotter the valves get the better the amp sounds, valve amps were made to be driven and you sound like a good driver.

vitaminE · Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 4:54 pm Post subject: Play loud or go home.

The only drawback (if it is a drawback) is that I have to stand like 2 feet infront of my cabinet due to the smallness of the bar and near lack of a dance floor. You feel the sound as much as you hear it. Also, we have one of the barmaids turn the amps on standby at least two hours before we start so the tubes can get a good burn going.

lee_UK · Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 4:59 pm Post subject:

First thing i do is get the valves warmed up, get amp on standby, one tip though when you finish at the end of the night switch the amp off and leave it til the last minute before you move it, give it a chance to cool off, the output valves are very delicate when very hot, you probably already know that though.

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