JTUK Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1418785349' post='2633384'] I was speaking about me and my interests not my bands interests. So,that wouldn't work, we are not that type of band and we don't play that type of music and none of my band mates are interested in going in that direction. Personally, I would love the opportunity to audition for a band playing at that level. Blue [/quote] Over here, if the band is good enough, that transends a lot of things.. It is probably easier to start up the band...if you know enough people at the right level, and you can bribe/pay the ones you don't. Some 'names' players will work for $200/£150 at the weekend if they aren't busy and the gig is good..or they just can't afford to be that picky. So you offer them a few gigs above that... and it isn't THAT hard to tap into those gigs IF that is the way you want to go and then you work at it. The bigger problem is what you are prepared to play week-in week-out and how far you will travel. IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 I have worked in similar set ups and it is quite rare for there to be the "equal split" you expect with smaller bands. I got a wage per performance, take it or leave it, the set up was a businesses and like all businesses what the client gets charged is not the business of the workers. You get your set wage and the business owner gets any profit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 And the guys that run these gigs might have a few versions of the same band out at the same time. Nobody knows, nobody really cares as long as the gig is covered at the required standard so the name becomes the business. And the guy who statyed it doesn't even gig it much anymore... they just take the commision and set the fees. The bonus for the players is that they can duck and dive in relatively easily as well. The band might not have any character, but it doesn't really need to... it just does the gig and moves onto the next one. You aren't booking the band anyway, you are booking a show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 A guy not too far away runs cabaret show bands and has begged me until he is blue in the face to join his eighties show to replace his bass player as they want to do Paul Young songs and level type 42 stuff . As we worked together in bands in the 80's and he was basically the bands drummer, I am not that interested in playing for him on a set wage of £80-120 a gig, it might sound good money but when staying out from home a night and a days travel either side become involved, its not that good pay. The fact that someone else is keeping the excess which can be a couple of grand makes the prospects even less likely and attractive. That and to be honest, I would have to work very hard to get back to where I was in the "good old days" with regards to skill-set. You forget more than you learn as the years go by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 A friend of mine plays trumpet in a well known big band. Their rates are pretty much set. They get travelling expenses, overnight accommodation, travel pay etc. This is why each gig can command a similar price for the band but the manager can then use the extra that he doesn't divide up to pay the extras on other gigs. ie some gigs are less profitable than others. Some may even make a loss. I tried to do this with our function band but the players where having none of it. I was suggesting £100 a gig each whether the band was getting paid £500 or £1500. But then they wouldn't agree to play the £500 gigs for £70 each and moaned when we weren't getting gigs. Musicians and business. Never mix. That's why there are so many agents about. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 We had to set a minimum wage and we also had to set travel etc.. On a recent gig into London we had a contingency fund for a 5 piece of £500 to allow for exes like parking, congestion charges, fuel etc etc A band is very rarely equal so an equal split is a not practical either. Of course, you have to run a kitty and a set of books to cope with all this but you also don't have a band so much as a group of committed people... or not. That is when you need music stands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 We did have silly arguments about getting paid extra for setting up PA or for dealing with the client. Two big things that should get acknowledgement and some recompense. But then it got silly with sax player turning up 5mins before start and leaving as soon as the gig finished (and using a music stand) getting the same as drummer who had to be there 45mins before and was still there 45mins afterwards. And someone wanted extra for rearranging setlists and printing them out... All got very silly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1418830372' post='2633798'] We did have silly arguments about getting paid extra for setting up PA or for dealing with the client. Two big things that should get acknowledgement and some recompense. But then it got silly with sax player turning up 5mins before start and leaving as soon as the gig finished (and using a music stand) getting the same as drummer who had to be there 45mins before and was still there 45mins afterwards. And someone wanted extra for rearranging setlists and printing them out... All got very silly. [/quote] Everyone takes parts of the PA, everyone turns up at a set time, everyone sets up and has a job assigned to do, everyone packs up and nobody goes home until everything is packed away back in cars. Then we share the pot equally. Works perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 (edited) [quote name='spacey' timestamp='1418831483' post='2633822'] Everyone takes parts of the PA, everyone turns up at a set time, everyone sets up and has a job assigned to do, everyone packs up and nobody goes home until everything is packed away back in cars. Then we share the pot equally. Works perfectly. [/quote] Until someone leaves... Our band worked perfectly until we started changing members. Eventually there were only two original members. Finding people is hard enough without setting out what everyone does. In one band I played the singer was a liability. Good singer but you didn't want them carrying anything or spending anymore time at the bar before we played than necessary. And I don't want to be storing someone else's PA at my house thanks. . Edited December 17, 2014 by TimR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No lust in Jazz Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 There's no way the money we make can be seen as compenstion for our efforts, so we hire a PA even for small gigs, this gives some degree of control of the sound and comes with a man to operate it, sound engineer us and and transport it. Money goes into a pot which pays for PA and insurance and then what's left goes on a social night - Indian, Thai and some drinkies every couple of months which keeps us all mates. That's the terms when we invite a new member to join. In playing my bass live, I translate the professional approach that my job requires to my 'serious hobby' - as a group we rehearse the nuts out of our material and avoid like Ebola stuff that we hear other bands doing. The thrust for the New Year is to keep working at it to make it better - in the work place, oddly enough known as professional development. Its easy to over think this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 We pay for things like admin, inc web and printing. We also pay for P.A and lights hire for the guy who owns and carries them. We'll pay fuel to gigs over 30 miles away but this is just normally an extra £10 on the member's fee. We have quite a convoluted spreadsheet to calculate this and we also have a kitty holder. Of course, it can get a bit silly but my set-up time is a very comfortable 30 mins tops for my gear but I have to load twice the P.a tops and lights and run cables which probably adds another hour to my gig. For early set-ups, I have to be there first as well. I am not doing that for nothing week in, week out...especially as I hardly ever go thru the P.A that I set up... We have a min fee so we need to rob Peter to pay Paul to pay minimum fees. It works as well as it is going to but I'll be selling my tops as soon as poss Yep, I understand how silly it could get... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The fasting showman Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 'The best party /function band' certainly wasn't the rubbish I was doing last Saturday, confirmed by the phone footage I saw. Bloody chronic. I need to start taking heed of other Basschatters and up my game band-wise. Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 [quote name='The fasting showman' timestamp='1418899852' post='2634557'] 'The best party /function band' certainly wasn't the rubbish I was doing last Saturday, confirmed by the phone footage I saw. Bloody chronic. I need to start taking heed of other Basschatters and up my game band-wise. Martin [/quote] It's difficult. I played in a band where the enthusiasm was a lot more evident than the talent. We got gigs and people danced. We didn't tend to get many rebookings though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The fasting showman Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1418900062' post='2634566'] It's difficult. I played in a band where the enthusiasm was a lot more evident than the talent. We got gigs and people danced. We didn't tend to get many rebookings though... [/quote]That's very similar, and I don't want to string anybody along into the new year. What we had was me sticking to the basslines verbatim with a drunk guitarist turned up too loud over the top. I don't really want to be associated with something that ropey, particularly if I am carrying it musically. Ego is a fragile thing at my age! Sorry for the derail. Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 It's kind of what I look for now. If the band isn't getting repeat bookings or gigs from people recommending them it's a no for me. That's how you get in a decent function band and it's how function bands should operate. There's lots of bands out there trying to get gigs. You shouldn't have to try to get gigs. If you're good you'll get offered them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taunton-hobbit Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 I found the post about pre-set show very true (the old line of 'carefully rehearsed ad-libs came to mind)....it works very well for a tour/party act....you can't do it if you play the Dog & Duck at Elbow Bottom every month, the audience start to get very bored........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 (edited) It's an even split for us, the drummer bought a posh Roland TD kit, I've gone pedalboard mad and my basses etc. When it came to new speakers, the singers paid between them. A gig last month bought a new sub and renewed some cables. But, unless we're pre warned and discussed, it's all split evenly. And it falls down to me to raise these points, it all works well. Incidentally we're doing a charity gig in April and I'd debated having flyers with a price list on for bookings. Seriously £7980? I've got to get me some trumpets!!! Edited December 18, 2014 by AndyTravis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectoremg Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 (edited) Mister Kanish. Saw them at a wedding near Chichester April '13. They did three sets of pop covers, no gaps between songs and the dance floor was full the whole time. Brilliant. Edited October 4, 2015 by spectoremg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 I have never played a venue BIG enough to accommodate aband that size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1418682741' post='2632391'] These them? Sound like a pro function band. Not 'raw' enough for me. Bit sterile... [media]http://youtu.be/eoMlqobSKf0[/media] [/quote] I seem to find myself mildly in love with the blonde dancer during Get Lucky around 5:45. That is all, great sounding band though. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 A bit of defensiveness in the "not raw enough/too sterile comments, methinks. Great musicians. End of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 [quote name='Dan Dare' timestamp='1419277196' post='2638321'] A bit of defensiveness in the "not raw enough/too sterile comments, methinks. Great musicians. End of. [/quote] Not really. It's classic west end theatre style stuff. It's what it is. It's aimed at corporate events. It's good. Not what I enjoy. Similar to the band on 'strictly' People like Cowell and quite a few west end production auditions I've been to now, specifically avoid this type of performer. There is something missing (the x-factor if you like ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Cowel want sp**k trumpets to empty the pockets of teenage girls of their pocket money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 [quote name='spacey' timestamp='1419284985' post='2638428'] Cowel want sp**k trumpets to empty the pockets of teenage girls of their pocket money. [/quote] And the object of a proffesional corporate function band is to ...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 The band is great, IMO... and does exactly what they need to do. They may be a bit chummy about it but people aren't going to watch and listen to them..it is full-on dance floor stuff and people will go away having danced their arses off..and will have had a great night. I am sure they are very capable and could do a different take if they wanted to ..and you might change a few members for that... but they know what they are booked to do, and so do the people who will want to book them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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