The P.A.....who should own it ?

[TimR]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1473875603' post='3133802']


I agree, a speaker on it's own isn't worth anything, but neither is it worth anything being in a band where a little honesty and common sense does not prevail. It worked a treat in that band I was in.

If you can't trust your band mates .....!!!


Just to be clear...when I talk about splitting the P.A., I mean for transport purposes only...not selling.
[/quote]



I thought you meant that the band split and everyone went off with different bits of kit!

[dmarkamos]

I'm a bass player with a small PA for function gigs with the misses, and it's got me lots of interesting depping gigs, and if the money is good, I usually get a extra slice. But as soon as I think I'm being take advantage of, I let the band know, politely but firmly. Most singers take the hint when I tell them they'd sound much better if they bought themselves a good mic, and maybe a powered monitor. It's down to sensible give and take, I love gigging- enough said!

[KevB]

Very lucky in current band. Gtr and Vox are a couple and after previous bands and working as a duo for years have amassed a quantity of good quality gear and a small van to transport it to gigs in. We all help lugging it into and out of venues but they insist on all moneys being an equal split at the end of the night. I have a monitor with slave I can bring along if we are on a particularly long stage and still have a mixing desk if we ever need an emergency one at short notice so there is some backup spread around rest of band but not to the std of the main PA.

[Dan Dare]

I think it depends on the size of the PA. A simple, small scale vocal only PA is traditionally owned by vocalist(s). However, when you add things like monitors for the rest of the band and increase the size of the PA, it can get tricky (and expensive). I'm fortunate to own a high quality PA (have been playing a long time and have built up to it). So when I take it out for the bands I play in, I expect a fee - not necessarily a large one, but it's reasonable that, if they benefit from my kit, they should pay me. Having been in bands where PAs are jointly owned, I suggest that the component parts should be owned individually by band members. It's much easier, should someone leave, for their replacement just to provide whatever they took with them -- mixer, power amp or whatever - and saves all those arguments about buying people out, or worse, selling stuff at a loss and splitting the money, only to start again.

[Coilte]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1473879786' post='3133865']


I thought you meant that the band split and everyone went off with different bits of kit!
[/quote]

Now..that [i]would [/i]be a rubbish solution !!!

[ahpook]

[quote name='Les' timestamp='1473858939' post='3133619']
Not sure there is one. It'll be whatever works for the band
[/quote]

C'mon...that answer doesn't leave enough room to hold forth about what your band does and so by extension every band should do...could you try again with a more sensible answer ? It's more 'Basschat'

Edited September 14, 2016 by ahpook

[Les]

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1473883234' post='3133908']
C'mon...that answer doesn't leave enough room to hold forth about what your band does and so by extension every band should do...could you try again with a more sensible answer ? It's more 'Basschat'


[/quote]

OK

The singer/bandleader should provide the PA. And I don't mean a vocal PA. I for one wouldn't respond to that advert, I expect to walk into a running band with PA etc, and a decent amount of gigs in the diary and DI my bass, just using my amp as a monitor..

[martin8708]

[quote name='Raymondo' timestamp='1473862586' post='3133656']
Whom ever can afford it works well
[/quote]
Pretty much this for me ,as the band member with a "proper " job , I funded the EV cabs , all mics, power amp , and leads / cables / stands .
A Allen + Heath mixer seemed to come from somewhere ??

After I had poured hundreds of pounds into the sound system , the guitarist and singer left ,so I was left with 3/4 of a PA system.

Thanks to eBay ,I have recouped most of my outlay, but valuable lesson learnt , SINGER PROVIDES PA .

And drummer provides his own kit (and transport )

[Coilte]

[quote name='martin8708' timestamp='1473887400' post='3133966']
Pretty much this for me ,as the band member with a "proper " job , I funded the EV cabs , all mics, power amp , and leads / cables / stands .
A Allen + Heath mixer seemed to come from somewhere ??

After I had poured hundreds of pounds into the sound system , the guitarist and singer left ,so I was left with 3/4 of a PA system.

Thanks to eBay ,I have recouped most of my outlay, but valuable lesson learnt , SINGER PROVIDES PA .

And drummer provides his own kit (and transport )
[/quote]


While I salute your generosity, it seems wrong to me that simply because you happen to to have a "proper" job, that you should be the one to fork out the cash on a P.A. If people can't afford the equipment needed to run a band, then they are in the wrong "job" IMO. It also begs the question as to what happens if no none has a proper job ?

Edited September 15, 2016 by Coilte

[Raymondo]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1473930537' post='3134182']
While I salute your generosity, it seems wrong to me that simply because you happen to to have a "proper" job, that you should be the one to fork out the cash on a P.A. If people can't afford the equipment needed to run a band, then they are in the wrong "job" IMO. [b]It also begs the question as to what happens if no none has a proper job ?[/b]
[/quote]

My initial response was meant tongue in cheek however, in that case everyone would join together to hire/buy one I assume.

My first band used a home made amp and any old bits that we could beg borrow or steal. We then paid for a new PA out of gig money.

I have been in a function band where we bought a "proper" 4k rig between us out of band funds, mixed with some personal purchases. The guitarist bought the desk for example, because he used it in his garage studio.

I have also formed bands where I have purchased the whole set up myself.

The latter is the only time that I saw any real return when the band split up .....ok to be fair I did get a pay out when I left the function band.


Basically the response some time ago..."there are as many answers as there are bands" sums this situation up.

Whatever works for you is fine.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Raymondo

[crez5150]

I own the PA... I charge the band for hire

[TimR]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1473930537' post='3134182']



While I salute your generosity, it seems wrong to me that simply because you happen to to have a "proper" job, that you should be the one to fork out the cash on a P.A. If people can't afford the equipment needed to run a band, then they are in the wrong "job" IMO. It also begs the question as to what happens if no none has a proper job ?
[/quote]

That's why I suggest 'hiring' it back to the band.

If no one has a 'proper' job then the band has to go to the bank with a business plan for a loan. Or find a mate willing to lend them some money.

Second hand PAs don't cost the earth as already said above.

[phil.c60]

If no-one has a "proper job" then it's clearly a pro outfit, probably playing original songs at gigs where they don't get paid so they have no money....oh no, wait a minute, I think I'm on the wrong thread. Still, this ones only two pages long. Only another 49 to go.

[mrtcat]

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1473935672' post='3134266']
I own the PA... I charge the band for hire
[/quote]

Likewise and I charge for loading and unloading time at home too. There is however no right / wrong answer to the OP's post only whatever arrangement works for a particular band. To appoint a new band member on what they own rather than what they can add musically is nuts though and the OP's prospective band would be better off finding a bass player first and then sitting down and arranging how they are going to sort a PA.

[stingrayPete1977]

The owner of the PA should be whoever paid for it, no more no less.

[Dan Dare]

Spot on, Pete. Have to say, those stating on here that they expect the band/singer to own/provide the PA and that they should only have to provide their own instrument/backline are not living in the real world. A PA is used for the benefit of the entire band - unless instrumental only and even then, PA support will be needed for larger venues. Try getting gigs without a singer/singers. A PA (I'm talking about something more sophisticated than the small, powered mixer + 2 plastic cabs type of set-up) is a major investment and it is right that everyone should contribute, either via buying it or paying the person who owns it for its use.

[Les]

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1473883234' post='3133908']
C'mon...that answer doesn't leave enough room to hold forth about what your band does and so by extension every band should do.

[/quote]

You were right

[ahpook]

[quote name='Les' timestamp='1473960281' post='3134568']
You were right
[/quote]

[luckydog]

Bass player wanted, must have PA. Please send photo of PA.

Spin on a v old joke

LD

[stingrayPete1977]

A band or group is often formed on it's strengths of the collective group, our guitarist is good at getting the gigs in, I've got a good PA and a van and I try my best, the singer can sing well and looks the part for functions and weddings, the drummer has a truck and can play drums well, the collective group makes for a viable active band, once you remove an element the group is weakened massively, how you get a full setup doesn't matter to me as long as it works well for everyone involved.

My previous band had a nice EV PA system, I joined after the purchase so took no share in it after the band's demise, I did however pay my share for running repairs during my 6 years out gigging with them.

[lowlandtrees]

I have been in three bandss that I contributed to the purchase of the PA. When I left each band ....well you all know the end of that story....I refused to chip in for current band........did not go down well

[EBS_freak]

I think ultimately one person has to own the PA but even then that's not without its problems.

An example of a function band I was in - Even though I bought a kick ass PA - lets just say the desk alone was 6k, one day, the "band leader" decided that he wanted to own a PA.. So just like that, my PA became obsolete. No advance warning or anything - but it was interesting to see that he only said once all the gear he was buying was in his possession as he still wanted the use of my gear.

Pretty dirty trick.

Edited September 16, 2016 by EBS_freak

[Jacqueslemac]

In my old band, we used gig money to buy the PA (one guitarist actually bought it and we paid him back). Once we'd paid up we paid a proportion of gig money to get lights, a snake (multi-cable thingy) and kept a small proportion for wear and tear on the whole kit.

We all agreed up front that if anyone left, they'd be paid back a proportion of what they'd put into the pot.

I left the band and was paid my agreed cash.

So far so good.

The singer now plays bass too, but if a new member joined, I don't know if they would have been expected to stump up cash to "buy" their share of the PA. If not, would they get less of the gig money?

And what happens if the band splits up completely? Who pays whom? Who ends up with the PA?

I wonder if the MU has a pro forma contract for PA ownership?

In another band I played in the singer was a company director (with a Porsche and a couple of split-screen VWs). We practiced in his firms' workshop (free of charge) using his expensive PA (he loaned us in-ear monitors if we wanted them) and he transported the PA to gigs in one of his firm's vans. We did help him unload it and set it up, mind. He didn't ask for extra gig money as far as I'm aware.

I joined because the band wanted to get heavier. It was a pain in the neck that he then decided (after one gig) he didn't like the band's musical direction and quit!

Three years later, the guitarist and drummer are back with him, playing what they did before I joined.

PAs are obviously very important in band dynamics!

Edited September 16, 2016 by Jacqueslemac

[Cat Burrito]

I can't help but feel the original advert is both incredibly optimistic and rubbish, in equal measures. Irrespective of whether they are a good band in general.

I think it's a case of whatever works for each band BUT have an exit strategy in case the line up changes or the band splits.

[HengistPod]

We had a kind of permanent loan of the PA from an ex-guitarist who didn't need it for anything else. But then he decided he needed to sell it, and our singer bought it. He then became our ex-singer, and took his PA with him.

So I, being the only one with any spare cash at the time, bought a system which will tide us over meantime. I'd rather own something outright than have it shared. So much easier if someone leaves the band - the PA either stays, or it goes - and no-one needs to be paid anything.

I don't see any great problem with one guy owning the mixer/amp, and someone else owning speakers, stands, wires, etc. If the drummer wants a monitor, he can buy one for himself (though a fridge, washing machine or cooker may be a better way to spend his fags money).

If one person leaves, not so much gear to replace.