TimR

Just have a pinned post on your page so it's the first thing everyone sees.

That's a massive assumption. Frequently my local has someone manning the bar for the whole day. Say from 11am to 11pm. 12 hours. Minimum wage that's £120 before any overheads, rent, lighting, heating, etc. At £2.50 profit per pint. They'd have to sell 48 pints just to cover the staff costs after NI and Tax. Every Monday to Thursday. If they have a chef in as well, that's more wages. That's just not how businesses run. Some days they'll have no customers at all, other days (band nights) they'll be full and covering their losses for the rest of the week. I've been in at 9pm on a Sunday night and been the only person there. My other Local doesn't open Mondays and Tuesdays, as they make such a loss.

I've no idea. Happy Jack and Steve both point out that there are different models. I was only quoting what I'd been told. And as I say, I don't see how you can work out individual 'profit' on an individual pint. You know the cost and you know what it sells for, but that's all you know. I guess if the difference is £2.50, you need to sell an additional 100 pints above what you'd sell on a night without a band. Assuming you make a profit on a night without a band. But don't think it works like that. Most pubs are empty in January up to mid February, often empty midweek. So they must make money seasonally and at weekends. If you drew 100 people in and they drank 4 pints each, that might just make up for zero sales Monday to Thursday.

Thought it was a discussion? It was my landlord friend who said about 80p a pint. The concept of per drink was the OP with £2/drink. If you don't want to discuss things why come here?

I don't see how it can be calculated per pint. Only how it averages out over the month. I was the only person in last night. 2 bar staff for a few hours £10 worth of beer sold in that hour.

My local landlord claims he only makes about 80p on a pint. Most of his money goes to the brewery. So I suspect the idea of a budget paid directly from the brewery is more likely. He resists putting any entertainment on whatsoever. He makes all his profit from food sales.

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We call that a Barn Dance. It's a completely different setup. I've sat in on a couple and found the musicians have a completely different mind-set. Great for practicing root-5th bass playing. 🤣

Bugles can only play the Bb major arpeggio.

That's the difference between lending a bass and letting someone use your backline. Difficult to drop the backline. Although drinks do get spilled. My speakers are more than capable of handling the amp, it's just a case of making sure the gain doesn't get fiddled with.

Your wife?

That's not very PC. I hope you're not suggesting you own your wife...

Could have been worse. Could have been an English Horn player wanting to play everything in E#.

Ts not usual to find guitarists and singers who don't think the same way that bass players and drummers do. Their playing is much more fluid and they rely on the bass and drums holding it together. The number of guitarists I've played with who start songs after being counted in and by the end of the intro are in a different tempo, some times having paused and hung on notes.

Yes. A situation to definitely avoid. I've played at a wedding where the grooms band have got up and done a few numbers but used our instruments and gear. I'm trying to remember if my old drummer had tried to shoehorn us into his mates wedding "as it would be good exposure", its the kind of thing he would have tried.

Ah yes. "Drunk people who play in a band and know what they're doing." That's a whole subject on its own. I was packing down after one gig. Left the desk running with background music while I unplugged mics and fold back. All of a sudden there's a howl of feedback and I turn round to find some idiot playing with the faders. He was obviously very drunk, I asked him to move away when his mate piped up, "It's OK, he plays in a band, so he knows what he's doing." Mind blown.

I once failed an audition with the words "Is that how you think it goes?". Followed by, "Think we will go with the other guy, he knows all the tunes. Do you fancy a cup of tea and a chat?" Although I'd already decided I didn't want the gig on the drive to the audition.

But actual complaining. Scowling and frowning when the band goes into a wrong section and then having a dissection mid-gig of who was to blame. Can do without that. Encore: audience calling for more, then band has discussion about what to play, some argue, finally decide what to play. Nominate one person to call the numbers. Same with changes to the setlist mid-gig. Sure miss out songs, but if the singer keeps missing out songs and then has a load of time left at the end of the first set, don't complain when we go back and play the songs you didn't want to sing for whatever reason.

It very much depends on the gig. Wedding venues and dinner and dances can be a nightmare with setting up. Sometimes there's a rush to get the band set up and sound checking has to be done as is. Although it's more usual for the band to be running the PA so everything should be pre-set from the hundreds of gigs you've done before. Festivals: I've had two different experiences. One where the headliners do a proper sound check, clear the stage, and all the bands sound check in reverse order leaving the first band on set up before anyone arrives. But more usually, a line check (and basic tone adjustment) for all the iinstruments. Then the mix is sorted as the set progresses. Pubs: similar to weddings and dinner and dances except there's loads of people trying to watch football on the big screen that you're trying to set up in front of. Line check and fix the mix as the gig progresses. Our usual problem is the guitarist trying to kill anyone who is standing anywhere on-axis to his speaker. Then loads of people complain they can't hear the singer.

Yes. Lots of deluded instrument owners around. You just have to keep auditioning. You're auditioning them as much as they're auditioning you. This is where depping and keeping contact with musicians you used to play with comes in. It's all about networking and knowing who can actually play. Turning up to play in a band of people you've neither been recommended to nor do you know who they are is very hit and miss.

I made a conscious decision when buying my bass to buy a bass that could be gigged. I know not everyone has that luxury but a bass that I self insure and don't have to worry too much about being damaged or stolen is worth having far more than a bespoke £3k bass that no one can hear the difference. I have no idea how much my spare bass is worth.

Strings can break if they're old and you remove them and put them back on. They get stressed in the opposite direction. I've only broken them when putting them back on, but guess that may be luck. I've lent mine out at jam sessions for one or two songs but I stand close to the stage. I also take a spare bass. If a band needs to borrow a spare, they can borrow my spare. Electrical and mechanical failures aren't limited to strings and cables.

Keep up at the back. We already did that yesterday. Are you blind?

OK. It's all in your head. I was just commenting on a point you raised, don't take everything so personally.

Why are you always so touchy?