steve Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 my band is about to start doing paid gigs, and I was wondering about contracts, does anyone have any suggestions about the format and content, or examples of contracts they could let me have? tia steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennifer Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 What kind of contract are you talking about signing here? One between you and the promoter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Covers or originals? Whichever one it is, they must be pretty big gigs to warrant a contract, never signed a gig contract ever and both my covers & originals band plays paid gigs! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted July 25, 2008 Author Share Posted July 25, 2008 [quote name='bennifer' post='247274' date='Jul 24 2008, 09:04 PM']What kind of contract are you talking about signing here? One between you and the promoter?[/quote] [quote name='Sibob' post='247503' date='Jul 25 2008, 08:19 AM']Covers or originals? Whichever one it is, they must be pretty big gigs to warrant a contract, never signed a gig contract ever and both my covers & originals band plays paid gigs! Si[/quote] We're doing covers and originals in pubs that's all, but I've read about bands getting stiffed over payment. Have you always got paid OK then Si? Am I just being paranoid? (prolly not the first time) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_the_bassist Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 (edited) [quote name='steve' post='247511' date='Jul 25 2008, 08:45 AM']We're doing covers and originals in pubs that's all, but I've read about bands getting stiffed over payment. Have you always got paid OK then Si? Am I just being paranoid? (prolly not the first time)[/quote] I've been stiffed a few times in my covers band, but we just take it as a learning curve and when the offending pub tries to book us again we tell 'em what for. Example: A few weeks ago we packed a pub out, played for 4hrs and rather than our standard £150 for the 5 of us, they gave us £18 to split 5 ways, and told us it "was 10% of the abr takings during the time we were playing" LYING BASTARDS! So, when they phoned earlier this week, we told 'em to "Funk off, unless you pay us £150 +10% of the bar takings!" We obviously made 'em quite a bit of money last time, cos thay agreed without hesitation! So, if you don't mind the fight, don't worry about contracts. But of there's significant sums of cash involved, go for it. ....was that any help, or was I just moaning about getting stiffed? Edited July 25, 2008 by phil_the_bassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayfan Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 You won't be asked to sign a contract to play but in managed/chain pubs, you might find yourself being asked to sign for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalMan Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 [quote name='steve' post='247511' date='Jul 25 2008, 08:45 AM']We're doing covers and originals in pubs that's all, but I've read about bands getting stiffed over payment. Have you always got paid OK then Si? Am I just being paranoid? (prolly not the first time)[/quote] What the others have said. Chances of getting any pub to sign a gig contract is slim to buggerall in my experience so I never bother. If you are in the MU they do have a range of standard contracts you can download and use, and would fight a non payment case on your behalf, BUT you will almost certainly be playing for below rate. Agree a fee, make a note in your diary and if they try to renege chalk it to experience and don't bother with that venue again. A lot of the larger chains will nowadays give you a huge receipt required by the brewery in triplicate and STILL ask you for a receipt on your headed paper despite the fact they have self invoiced and it is totally unnecessary. Make sure you know whether or not they want you to provide a receipt before you travel, or keep a stock in a gig bag, otherwise you will lose what little profit you might have after travelling by having to go back with a receipt to get paid the next day. Utter bo11ox but you cannot get through to some. I know of a band on our circuit that played a gig they had been doing regularly and to a full hose. They played the normal set times they had always done ther, but at the end of the evening landlord said they had played the wrong times & wanted to cut their (verbally) agreed fee. Argument ensues and they left with nothing. Now a contract with playing times would have helped there, but I can quite understand why there wasn't one particularly as they have been filling that gig regularly for years now. Sadly that's just life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 I've used contracts in the past (based on the standard MU ones). Only had to rely on them a couple of times - once when dodgy electrics kept tripping our RCDs on stage and at FOH mixer so we couldn't get sound and another time when a big fight broke out near the performance area so we pulled the gig. The contract meant we got paid both times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 Did a function gig in June at a MAJOR London landmark. Signed contract in the bag. Still didn't get paid and the promoter has done a runner with the £140 a head agreed fee. MU are on it but I don't expect to see a penny. The law is not set up for little people to recover little sums of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 [quote name='bilbo230763' post='250332' date='Jul 29 2008, 11:53 AM']Did a function gig in June at a MAJOR London landmark. Signed contract in the bag. Still didn't get paid and the promoter has done a runner with the £140 a head agreed fee. MU are on it but I don't expect to see a penny. The law is not set up for little people to recover little sums of money. [/quote] Name and Shame pls... Thats a low fee too, I expect promoter has sold you on at a lot more than that (unless it was a 40 piece band) The Union will achieve a county court judgement for you, getting paid is another matter altogether, it would be of service if you could let us know how this transpires. Hope you get sorted Jake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 [quote name='WalMan' post='247797' date='Jul 25 2008, 01:36 PM']I know of a band on our circuit that played a gig they had been doing regularly and to a full hose.[/quote] I always try to keep my hose full, doesn't work too well otherwise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 I don't have the name; I am only the hired help! Will let you know the outcome as and when. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyb625 Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 A verbal agreement will still form a contract. At it's most basic, a contract is defined as a service or product given in return for a benefit. It could be argued that the benefit received by the band could be publicity, or free drinks etc, but there is still an implied benefit. Likewise, there is an implied benefit for the pub or club, whereby they can receive a financial benefit from increased bar takings. So, you could [i]probably[/i] win a case if it came to that, although you'd have to be prepared to fight for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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