Re: getting paid

[bill bigrig <billbigrig@yahoo.com>]

The way I did it was to latch onto a country-western band of regional renown because the main guy was a morning DJ on the #2 staion in western WA. I was the soundguy. We opend for ALL the huge CW acts. I earned $150 to $200 every weekend. After that, I latched onto pop-rock bands and was able to do soe reggae, (original) and electronica. They were always happy to oblige because my little bits were a change from playing cover tunes, giving them a bit of notoriety owing to the audiences poitive reaction to something they didd not expect. Again $150 to $200 a weekend, although these gigs paid untraceable hard cash. Not a bad way to spend weekends.

Rig

 

From: Kevin Cheli-Colando <billowhead@gmail.com>
To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
Sent: Friday, February 1, 2013 10:57 AM
Subject: Re: getting paid

I think this may be the way forward really.  We have a really nice intimate theatre that is great for about 100-150 and they recently moved over to becoming a non-profit community space expressly for the purpose of a) potential grant supports b) creating a stable space for performance c) being able to provide income for as many people as they can possibly support (grant writers, performers, staff, etc.)

It seems that artists may need to become more active in creating their own performance spaces (co-ops and the like) in order to build something a little more than $30 gigs for themselves.  It'd probably be a good deal of fun too.

Kevin

On Fri, Feb 1, 2013 at 10:05 AM, TripleOhNine <3x09@carlsonarts.com> wrote:

$40?  That will buy a fancy coffee at Starbucks for you guys, with three straws.

I guess if you want to get paid for gigs, you have to stop doing them for free.  I still think teaching is a great way to go, if you can do it, and performing as a secondary income. 

Or, networking and building a movement!  And right now, I am developing a non-profit arts center in my city, so that I can hopefully get a salary from that.  

"If you ever get annoyed, look at me, I'm self employed. I love to work at nothin' all day."

Michael C.

3x09

On Jan 31, 2013, at 6:32 PM, Tim Mungenast wrote:

This is all good stuff but my psych/jam power trio has never made more than $40 a gig to split 3 ways, with 2 exceptions over the past 21 years: 2 very fun, very lucrative nights playing a Halloween horror theme park in 40-degree weather.

Generally, the money thing is almost too embarrassing to talk about, but when I think about how many other good Boston bands play to almost-empty rooms, I realize I am in good company.



--- On Thu, 1/31/13, David Gans <david@trufun.com> wrote:

From: David Gans <david@trufun.com>
Subject: getting paid
To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
Cc: "David Gans" <david@trufun.com>
Date: Thursday, January 31, 2013, 4:54 PM

On Jan 31, 2013, at 1:16 PM, Daniel Thomas <danielthomas4@mac.com> wrote:

playing a low comp gig for the love of it need not gut the financial motive in professional musicianship.  

I agree. I do lots of gigs for things other than money. The farmers' market is not good money, but being part of that healthy movement is important to me, and I enjoy having a four-hour block of time in which I can do anything I want.

For these reasons, I took on the booking responsibility for Onola.  The band agreed to a minimum income standard to which we would all make ourselves available as a top priority.  Anything beneath this standard required me to get buy in from band members before committing.  But, if the gig met or beat the standard, I was free to book and presume flexible availability of all band members.  With this agreement in place, we began saying no to gigs that were beneath the standard.  Where labor of love factors prevailed, we had a process by which to make exceptions..  and we certainly did so when it was good for the art, the band, or the community--but we I did not allow this to replace the standard valuation for our band.  

I'm in a band now with a guy who is much more hard-nosed about money than I am. We have been good for each other's attitudes: we have said no to some gigs I might otherwise have done, and I have gotten him to say yes to a few gigs that had other than financial merit.

With this approach,  our band compensation increased to >$100 per man /gig on average in less than 3 months.   In addition to this, our band leader began earning a band leaders cut above and beyond the base line comp for the band members.  And, we were able to shave ten percent off of every gig for the band fund which facilitated future bookings and promotions of a similar caliber.

Wise!!

David Gans - david@trufun.com or david@gdhour.com

Blog:  http://cloudsurfing.gdhour.com/

-- Till now you seriously considered yourself to be the body and to have aform. That is the primal ignorance which is the root cause of all trouble.- Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950)