Full time cover band

[JTUK]

[quote name='pnefc42' post='1134307' date='Feb 20 2011, 01:50 PM']Don't knock it mate - thats where the demand for 99% of gigs comes from!

Cheers
Dave[/quote]


Dave..don't wish to be pedantic, but I can't see where I said that in this thread.
I did indeed use the word 'plod' etc ... back a few pages.

[Doddy]

[quote name='JTUK' post='1134418' date='Feb 20 2011, 03:48 PM']Dave..don't wish to be pedantic, but I can't see where I said that in this thread.
I did indeed use the word 'plod' etc ... back a few pages.[/quote]

It was me the said that earlier.

[SisterAbdullahX]

[quote name='lollington' post='1127483' date='Feb 14 2011, 07:22 PM']A small tear fell onto my desk earlier this afternoon whilst at work, and I wondered how great it would be to get paid (enough) to play music for a living.

I'm not a brilliant bassist, couldn't cut it as a session musician, but play alright in a group, and good enough to play your general pop or rock songs. The older I get, the more events I attend, wedding, birthday parties etc, and the cover bands there get paid quite a bit to rip off other band's music whilst everyone dances about.

Am I missing a trick here? Given enough time, could one build up enough of a reputation to get paid a few hundred quid per show and do a few of these a week? Surely everyone has had this thought before - have I finally reached the point in my [s]career[/s] job where I've had enough and want to do something fun for a living?

Obviously there's much to consider. I wonder if anyone here plays for a living? How tough is it to get going? Is it more fun than your old desk job? Are you left with enough cash in your pocket to make it financially worthwhile? (Not in a profiteering way, just enough to be comfortable)

I play in an original indie/pop/rock group at the moment. Most of my spare time is taken up with this. Ideally I'd love to get signed and leave the day job to play our original material, but I'm not [i]that[/i] much of a day dreamer. I'm guessing that to begin with, it would be weekend work, pub stuff, friends parties etc till we could start charging for events. If things go well then build up enough booked events to pack in the day job.

What are the implications? If you're earning enough cash in a group for each member to be a basic rate tax payer, do you need to pay back any royalties? Are there any other charges involved?

Perhaps I'll get out of bed on the right side tomorrow and forget all about it, but till then, it would be interesting to learn a little more...[/quote]
I did the club circuit for 15 years, starting in the north east then pretty much nationally. When I started there was a club circuit to do, it's almost none existent now. I was always an employee, never a band leader. It was fun when I was single and I didn't have to make a great deal of money, but I got out of it when my first daughter came along as there just wasn't enough money in it to give me or my family any kind of future. I now do approx 30-35 gigs a year with a function band, more to just have the enjoyment of playing than make money (it is better paid than the clubs but obviously 30-odd gigs a year ain't gonna pay the mortgage). I would much prefer to make a living out of playing but unless you can turn your hand to a bit of everything, gigs and maybe a bit of teaching, you just aren't going to be able to guarantee a good weekly income. Believe me, it isn't funny when there's no money coming in. I do sometimes feel like I gave in, having to admit that I have to do something else to make a living, but there's a lot to be said for financial security. You could maybe try with a covers band that doesn't interfere with your job, that way you get the enjoyment of playing as well as a bit of extra money on top of your wage, but you'd have to be fairly brave, especially in todays financial climate, to pack in your day job on a whim.