M@23 Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Just had a venue decide that live music is no longer part of their business plan... They have only been there about a year, cash flow is obviously a problem as they NEVER pay with 4 weeks and mine, and many other bands had lost patience. Long story short; they decided yesterday that they are cheaping out and going with DJs from now on. My band had 7 gigs booked for the remainder of the year, including this Saturday, plus however many other bands had. I'm invoicing for the full amount for this Saturday as 48 hours notice is unacceptable. Especially as I turned down a private function last week to honour the booking. I'm not expecting them to pay without a fight, and I'm considering invoicing a lesser amount to cover loss of earnings for the future bookings we had. Anyone have anything similar happen? Any advice on seeking payment? I'm not in the MU but am going to sign up. Although I don't have signed contracts to confirm these bookings I do have emails which prove that our services had been secured for these dates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taunton-hobbit Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Good luck with that - you need proper contracts (used to be a V A F or M U) and likely a visit to the small claims court. If they can't/won't pay, it's very difficult to achieve much........ I don't think the emails will help a lot, but it's better than nothing. Imo, it's simpler (& cheaper) to walk............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 At the pub level I would't bother, you just have to accept that these things happen from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.c60 Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 [quote name='spike' timestamp='1462475866' post='3043412'] At the pub level I would't bother, you just have to accept that these things happen from time to time. [/quote] Yep. That is, I'm afraid, the way the cookie crumbles. As a side issue, 7 times over the next part of the year? Every four or five weeks is a bit like our DJ friends would call "heavy rotation" isn't it? If the other bands they use are on a similar structure that's not much variety. Most of the venues we play only give 3 or 4 dates a year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@23 Posted May 6, 2016 Author Share Posted May 6, 2016 Well, I've invoiced for £100 for what would have been tomorrow's gig, to cover expenses. It is a fairly heavy rotation at this venue, but then they have music 4 or 5 nights a week. Oh well, 3 of the now free dates have already been re-booked elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 (edited) In the States it would be a learning experience.There's no contracts, no invoicing at the bar level. You play the 4 hours and you get an envelope of cash, your fee at the end of the night. Split up the cash and leave. The whole "trying out live music" out has always seemed shaky to me. If I could afford to be picky I would stay away from those places. I rarely see any of these places succeed. I like the bars that have done a good job establishing themselves as a music venue. The people that go there are going specifically to see live music. Blue Edited May 7, 2016 by blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@23 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1462600114' post='3044234'] In the States it would be a learning experience.There's no contracts, no invoicing at the bar level. You play the 4 hours and you get an envelope of cash, your fee at the end of the night. Split up the cash and leave. The whole "trying out live music" out has always seemed shaky to me. If I could afford to be picky I would stay away from those places. I rarely see any of these places succeed. I like the bars that have done a good job establishing themselves as a music venue. The people that go there are going specifically to see live music. Blue [/quote] You're right, Blue. We were all of the understanding that this place was putting in the effort to become one of those places. Truth is, the whole set up is very confused and lots of people have wasted time trying to help them. Oh well, they were one of the few places that paid by bank transfer and have always taken liberties with paying late. In hindsight, it's not a problem. I've filled all the empty slots in the diary with new venues so I'm happy. My invoice for £100 has been accepted too ☺ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 [quote name='M@23' timestamp='1462602677' post='3044247'] You're right, Blue. We were all of the understanding that this place was putting in the effort to become one of those places. Truth is, the whole set up is very confused and lots of people have wasted time trying to help them. Oh well, they were one of the few places that paid by bank transfer and have always taken liberties with paying late. In hindsight, it's not a problem. I've filled all the empty slots in the diary with new venues so I'm happy. My invoice for £100 has been accepted too ☺ [/quote] Nice, and I'm glad you guys are booked with a respectable book of upcoming business. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1462600114' post='3044234'] In the States it would be a learning experience.There's no contracts, no invoicing at the bar level. You play the 4 hours and you get an envelope of cash, your fee at the end of the night. Split up the cash and leave. The whole "trying out live music" out has always seemed shaky to me. If I could afford to be picky I would stay away from those places. I rarely see any of these places succeed. I like the bars that have done a good job establishing themselves as a music venue. The people that go there are going specifically to see live music. Blue [/quote] Yes, start-up bars/venues are as risky as start-up bands....................... but both need each other. Around here you could divide bars into pubs that have music...and Music pubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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