bethnalgreen Posted December 14, 2011 Posted December 14, 2011 We're booked to play our final pub gig of the year this Saturday. It's been booked for about two months. We've publicised it in all the usual ways, FaceBook, LemonRock, local press etc etc. Lots of friends coming. This afternoon, the landlord emailed us (he can't spell either): [i]"Hi guys, got a bit of bad news about this Saturday's gig, a woman came in Tuesday and booked a private party and there paying for there own band, I cant find your number anywhere if you could give me a call back or an email back confirming this email etc .... "[/i] We wrote back to him telling him that either we play, or he pays our full fee. He's now backed off and cancelled the other party (I bet she's pleased) ! How he thought he'd get away with it is anybody's guess .......... Quote
chris_b Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 [quote name='bethnalgreen' timestamp='1323903893' post='1468657'] ....How he thought he'd get away with it is anybody's guess.... [/quote] [size=4]Because mostly they do![/size] Quote
Low End Bee Posted December 20, 2011 Posted December 20, 2011 (edited) Well done BG. We're not as lucky. Just had a January and a February gig cancelled. The brewery has 'drafted' in new landlords and the agreement was with the previous management. New landlords are 'probably' not doing music. Luckily We hadn't given the printers the nod. We turned down other gigs to accept these too. Nothing booked until March now We should stick to music specific venues really.But we've had good turnouts at this one and it's a lot of fun. Edited December 20, 2011 by Low End Bee Quote
Adrenochrome Posted December 20, 2011 Posted December 20, 2011 [quote name='bethnalgreen' timestamp='1323903893' post='1468657'] We're booked to play our final pub gig of the year this Saturday. It's been booked for about two months. We've publicised it in all the usual ways, FaceBook, LemonRock, local press etc etc. Lots of friends coming. This afternoon, the landlord emailed us (he can't spell either): [i]"Hi guys, got a bit of bad news about this Saturday's gig, a woman came in Tuesday and booked a private party and there paying for there own band, I cant find your number anywhere if you could give me a call back or an email back confirming this email etc .... "[/i] We wrote back to him telling him that either we play, or he pays our full fee. He's now backed off and cancelled the other party (I bet she's pleased) ! How he thought he'd get away with it is anybody's guess .......... [/quote] This is basically a stock 'excuse'. How many people would pay full whack to book a band in a pub when they could see a band they like for free somewhere else? Quote
JTUK Posted December 22, 2011 Posted December 22, 2011 [quote name='Adrenochrome' timestamp='1324376635' post='1473470'] This is basically a stock 'excuse'. How many people would pay full whack to book a band in a pub when they could see a band they like for free somewhere else? [/quote] We do qute a few functions in a pub and the pub also closes its door to regulars... Not sure what the pub charhes to client but we charge a function fee. I assume the pub makes on food..???? Tickets for these things have been £20 per head... unless the client pays out for the whole thing ..we've done both recently. Quote
brensabre79 Posted December 22, 2011 Posted December 22, 2011 A lot of places do have deals with particular bands - usually the sort of places that do weddings and functions and they include it as part of a 'package' that way they get to mark up the bands fee, the caterers fee etc. etc. Some of them then even charge extra if you want to have your own band! amazing! Having said that, we have heard this excuse used many times in the past. We lost a rather well paid corporate gig for next year recently because apparently the venue were supplying a band and DJ already as part of the hire. (If that is the case why were they booking us in the first place, I'm sure the venue would not have neglected to mention this when the event was booked!) Quote
skidder652003 Posted December 23, 2011 Posted December 23, 2011 Musicians Union contracts anygood? Worth the bother? Implementable for a pub anyway? Anyone got em? Quote
brensabre79 Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 IF you can get a pub landlord to sign a MU contract I will eat my hat (the one in the picture) Sadly its par for the course, we've been shafted in the past. Funnily enough we got a call from one such venue recently who desperately needed a band for a Christmas party because the one they booked pulled out. I was very tempted to say 'yeah no problem, see you then' and not turn up. I didn't, I just said we were busy that night - we're not going back there and I'm sure other bands will do the same. It may take a while but one day the landlord there might realise no bands want to play in his pub and start to ask himself why. Then again he probably will not Quote
clarkpegasus4001 Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 [quote name='bethnalgreen' timestamp='1323903893' post='1468657'] We're booked to play our final pub gig of the year this Saturday. It's been booked for about two months. We've publicised it in all the usual ways, FaceBook, LemonRock, local press etc etc. Lots of friends coming. This afternoon, the landlord emailed us (he can't spell either): [i]"Hi guys, got a bit of bad news about this Saturday's gig, a woman came in Tuesday and booked a private party and there paying for there own band, I cant find your number anywhere if you could give me a call back or an email back confirming this email etc .... "[/i] We wrote back to him telling him that either we play, or he pays our full fee. He's now backed off and cancelled the other party (I bet she's pleased) ! How he thought he'd get away with it is anybody's guess .......... [/quote] You got lucky I reckon. We have had a few cancel on us because "new people have come in and taken over" in other words they are doing badly and are cutting back, or basically another band has asked for a gig and the venue thinks they will make more money from them, so they'll say things like "sorry we have double booked and we've had to cancel you" etc.....I guess it wouldn't happen if you were booking large venues but pubs are terrible for this sort of thing. Sometimes they don't even tell us at all and we've only found out through other means like Facebook etc........ Another thing. if a pub/venue wanna do a door take, put someone on the door AND get it it writing! The Diamond at Sutton In Ashfield is the worst. I have it on good authority that a band played there, (Thunder tribute I think it was) on a door take, It was rammed to the rafters and they took well over a grand on the door and only got £500 and they was told he never agreed on a door take! I hear he has done this many times. Another that does this is the Thatched House in Stockport.......AVOID!!! Quote
JTUK Posted December 27, 2011 Posted December 27, 2011 We have pretty decent relations with most pubs we play...or we wouldn't play them.. so if we have a new date and the venue cancels, then we don't rush back. We had an agent try and put us in a pub... wtf..!! and the Landlord cancelled us because of the boxing, the time previously, so we said no... She couldn't understand why we werent rushing to play the place..which is excatly why you shouldn't be using this agent.. or this pub. We notice that they don't do live music now..as no decent bands would play there..as the word got round how cavalier they were with the handling of bands..hence the agent getting invloved ..!! etc etc .. So..... one to avoid..!! Quote
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