8 hours waiting for 25 minute gigging

[hairychris]

Have done the soundcheck-at-3:30pm-for-set-at-10:30pm thing a few times. The good thing is getting a soundcheck, as you're often lucky to get one speaking as someone who's played disorganized metal shows in London for a good length of time.

The bad thing is then staying sober until you're on stage because the whole process is so boring!

[the boy]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1459218104' post='3014530']


I'm glad I am no longer in that segment of the business.

Stay away from competitions , charities and benefits.


Blue
[/quote]
Huh???? That sounds like grumpy old man advice if ever I heard it. You gotta do what you gotta do..... Nobodies journey is any better than anybody else's. Shame on you blue I thought you were cooler than that.

[Rich]

[quote name='Muppet' timestamp='1459234733' post='3014556']
This is also my view. Bands playing for nothing is entirely up to them but I have found that organisers/promoters often take advantage as a result.
[/quote]
We've done a smattering of charidee gigs in the past, usually for causes close to our hearts -- Parkinsons, Alzheimer's, cancer etc. We're savvy enough not to get taken for a ride.

[Wonky2]

There are some fundamental differences in these types of gigs.....

Charity gig - a charity night for a cause where they've had a function and booked a band . In essence it's a function gig for free. No body has come to see you play, they've come to support the charity.

Charity gig - a gig put on by a band, publicised, tickets sold to people who wish to come and see the band play. This is a normal gig but you hand over the cash to the charity yourselves. Typically this is something you want to do, much different than the above despite the outcome being similar.

Battle of the bands - usually rigged, publicity or promotion for an upcoming band, put on by someone with a some typically tenuos link to the band.....
Ŷou can put this type of gig on yourselves if you have the time to arrange and facilitate it..... Self promotion, multiple performances each bringing their own little audience resulting in a cumulative large audience/ exposure.


When you play for free, someone somewhere makes a gain, most times.
Make sure it's you or your band

[sunburstjazz1967]

I've done all 3 of the above many times, non ever had a charity bar or charity buffet laid on.

[fleabag]

Yup, made the mistake of playing in BOTB 16 years ago, that took 3 months of bands battling it out. The prize ? £ 200 worth of recording

The battles were held at several pubs around the county - so many pubs landlords benefitted from all the extra punters wafting in, but none of the bands got a cent, natch.

Add up how may non paying gigs this amounted to over the 3 months with 30 odd bands competing, then you realise its a mini scam conjured up by several pub landlords in cahoots with each other.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='sunburstjazz1967' timestamp='1459630973' post='3018273']
I've done all 3 of the above many times, non ever had a charity bar or charity buffet laid on.
[/quote]

... as have I, often with a volunteer-run bar and/or buffet or restauration, usually with all proceeds (not profit; proceeds...) going to the charity concerned. If anyone [i]was [/i]getting paid for their part of the proceedings, I'd still do it; I'm not the jealous kind. Daft..? Yes, I know, and happy to be.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Dad3353

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1459248763' post='3014689']

It keeps me young.

[/quote]

I thought you were just back-dated.

[the boy]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1460034116' post='3021941']


I thought you were just back-dated.
[/quote]
😃

[Wonky2]

Leave him alone, He's a vintage r.i

[Skybone]

Never done a "Battle of the Bands" affair (dislike the concept intensely), but I have played quite a few all-dayers, which is basically a similar format but without the "competition" element.

Turn up early, find out where on the bill you're playing and how long the set is (and the "turn-around" time), watch sound check, watch preceeding bands, play set (30-45 mins), watch the rest of the bands, get food, catch up with old friends, talk to other bands & audience members, sell some merchandise (CD's/shirts/etc), etc.

[bassjim]

did this thing with an old band for a laugh. we had plenty of gigs playing mainley covers but still had a set of origionals. We won the local event and got a TC Electronic combo out of it. We thought that was funny because we basicly spent all day getting pissed. We had a good local following though and they all came to watch our pissed up performance. You knew where we had been around the venue at various points of the day because of a trail of empty fosters cans.
We entered the next round in the same spirit and won that.
Then we entered the next round to compete at the finals at the 02 in London. We won that.
We took three packed coaches of fans to the 02 and as usual spent the day drinking and f***ing about.
One of the finals judges was Bes from the Happy Mondays and some DJ I have never heard of before in my life so you can already tell this is a money making scheme and nothing else.
I'm not saying we were the best band on the day because there were some bands that were really good. Excelent in fact. When it came to the results it was a joke.
We didnt deserve to win by any means as there were bands that had something better to offer. Id like to say we were, despite our not taking it seriously, still a high quality band with excellent players so it came as a shock when probably the worst band there won the runners up award, and the third place and second place no where on the scale of "yes this is really good stuff" not even origional so you couldnt even give em that.
The actual winners did diserve it as they were good but had already won some other competition and it was kinda a given they were going to win. In fact all that were there on the day said the judges had decided on the winners and the rest were plucked out of a hat cause it kinda didnt reall matter.
By the time the winners were anounced Bes and whoever the others were, are by now comfortably pissed or out of it or both.
So...........off we went back to obscurity in our three coaches with our supporters telling us it was a sham. We at least deserved 2 or 3 place ( In their opinion) as even the other bands were bigging us up.
Bes and Co went off with their pay check/ back hander ect. The organisers went off with their profit from all thye tickets sold and entry fees ect. and the winners went off to spend a whole 2 days in a "proffesional" studio with a "producer" plus some other load of usless stuff.
One act won some kind of playing overseas touring thing so its just as well they consisted of a guitarist that sang. So thats one great expensive outlay then. Not.
To sum up.... I'm sure there are some competitions worth doing but even the most well organised are clearly only there to make a massive profit at your collective expense.
Do it for the laugh and good times but dont do it seriously because it doesnt for a minute take you seriously. If you do it/have done it, and it all comes good or you possibly gained something you wouldnt have got with out it then fill your boots but for the most part approach with caution.....

The TC Electronic bass combo got traded in for some monitors at the local music store and I can honestly say to people that amongst all the other musical endeavours I have encounterd I have "played at the 02 and have the pictures to proove it" . Not one bit of the whole process made me any money nor will do at any point in my life but I do have happy memories of swanning around with a can of larger in my hand whilst looking vaugley important.....

Edited April 14, 2016 by bassjim