taunton-hobbit Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 The classic was a wedding in a mega-posh Surrey golf club where there had obviously been a cock-up with bookings, resulting in us & a band sorting out spots. At the end, the best man, who was supposed to be paying me went & hid in the ladies toilet, only to be dragged out by my fuming (now) ex-wife. His protestations of having no folding on him went down like a lead balloon & he promised a cheque in the post on Monday......I reminded him that I worked a number of people in his social circle, & it wouldn't look good publicly if said cheque didn't arrive.....it arrived on the Tuesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 In advance in full. No money - don't even load the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I think our contract says 20% upfront then if they want to pay the balance by cheque or bank transfer it should be with us 14 days before. If they want to pay cash it should be before the first set. We've done 30+ weddings this year already and only one paid cash on the day. The rest all did bank transfer in advance. Contracts are king in this game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spencer.b Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I do tons of weddings and my standard line is bacs in advance or cash on arrival and with the cash I find the most important thing is to discuss in advance who will pay and when they'll pay it in and don't accept " at the end of the night" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Back in Yorkshire, I used to do lots of Weddings and did the paperwork. Contract went out very early, 25% upfront and then payment in cash on day and all the riders like drinks and food would be covered too. If we were going to be there 7 or 8 hours we wanted bloody feeding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexpea Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 If it's a good payer then I'd just go for it and not worry too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjim Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) always....contract stating how, when, who, where,start ,finish,amount payable. payment up front at the venue if its cash before any gear leaves any cars.If not cash then whole amount in bank and cleared prior. all agreed up front and in advance. 95% of folks are just great, fantastic lovley people about to start out on a man made hell of children, mortgages and divorce and you can trust them 100%. what you cant do is second guess who the other 5% are. Excuses in the past have been: best man has got your cash but he left ages ago because of (insert excuse here). "I couldnt find a cash point so can we do this tommorrow, I mean its our wedding day so come on!" " We decided last minute to get a DJ". (cancellation fee topic ahoy) "we have a DJ now that we really like so can you split the money with him?" In fact there is a whole topic in epic excuses for not paying on the day right there! Edited July 19, 2016 by bassjim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammybee Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 What would they do in Milwaukee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidder652003 Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) we played our first "proper" wedding last week ( ie not a mate etc). I asked for half up front by baccs and the rest on arrival at the venue in cash. No problems but I did feel awkward approaching the groom on his big day, so if we get any in the future, it'll be half upfront then the rest perhaps a week in advance of the big day, again by bank transfer, with all conditions, setlist, start times, finish times clearly stated in an email. Edited July 19, 2016 by skidder652003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 And if it is cash then always count it in front of whoever pays you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callumjord Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Some great advice here, my function band has just been booked for a couple of weddings for next year and we have been having discussions about payment and potential contracts. One of our weddings is on the isle of Skye, which is going to be a full weekend trip driving down from moray. Would you include the cost of renting a van, fuel, food and hotel/BnB in the price for such an event? I am tempted to figure out the cost of all that before hand and ask that to be covered in advanced and the rest of our fee 2 weeks before the event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 [quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1468844146' post='3093676'] In a nutshell - should you ask for payment before or after the set? We've done a few weddings before but always for someone we've known. This Saturday we're playing a wedding without knowing the lucky people beforehand. So far the groom has been the contact and he's been flakey to say the least - we were actually recruited quite late in the day for reasons unknown - either the previous band pulled out or maybe he's just spectacularly disorganised! We've been given a small deposit but aren't sure how to proceed with the rest of the payment. The rest of the band are insistent on money upfront or we don't play but I'm worried that could come across as confrontational. [/quote] I played a wedding, for an exceedingly rich banker, whose daughter was getting married. The wedding was held in a marquee, in the grounds of his estate. By the end of the night the drummer, whose band it was, had to hunt him down, wake him up (he'd gone to his bed by then, drunk) and get him to write out the cheque then and there. To avoid that kind of scenario, tell the groom you need the rest of the money when you arrive at the venue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taunton-hobbit Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Advice on the Skye gig - cost it properly & in full and request payment (in full) in advance.....failing to actually cost gigs in real-world money is why a lot of bands (and businesses) fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 (edited) [quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1468844146' post='3093676'] In a nutshell - should you ask for payment before or after the set? We've done a few weddings before but always for someone we've known. This Saturday we're playing a wedding without knowing the lucky people beforehand. So far the groom has been the contact and he's been flakey to say the least - we were actually recruited quite late in the day for reasons unknown - either the previous band pulled out or maybe he's just spectacularly disorganised! We've been given a small deposit but aren't sure how to proceed with the rest of the payment. The rest of the band are insistent on money upfront or we don't play but I'm worried that could come across as confrontational. [/quote] I agree with the band, get the money up front. This is why we have an administrator that handles the money and pays us. Musicians generally are not good at asking for money or paying musicians promptly. And in those rare occasions when a venue tries to get away with a fast one, meaning shorting the band, she's not going to let that happen. Plus, having an admin gives a band a more professional presence. Blue Edited July 31, 2016 by blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 [quote name='sammybee' timestamp='1468947636' post='3094590'] What would they do in Milwaukee? [/quote] We're not a wedding band,however when we play private events we request payment upfront. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 I suppose ultimately it doesn't matter how or when you get paid. The important thing is you have something in writing setting out; how much you'll be paid, when you'll be paid and what you will be paid for. Then everyone knows exactly what's expected before you accept the gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkandrew Posted August 1, 2016 Share Posted August 1, 2016 (edited) When we got married, the venue, catering, flowers, etc all required payment upfront - why should the band be any different? Just a thought - if you're going to do this sort of thing on a more regular basis, it would probably be a good idea to invest in some sort of insurance policy to cover you in the event of you having to cancel (guitarist braking arm, etc) which could leave you open to getting sued for breach of contract. Edited August 1, 2016 by darkandrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapiro Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 [quote name='darkandrew' timestamp='1470035316' post='3102730'] When we got married, the venue, catering, flowers, etc all required payment upfront - why should the band be any different? Just a thought - if you're going to do this sort of thing on a more regular basis, it would probably be a good idea to invest in some sort of insurance policy to cover you in the event of you having to cancel (guitarist braking arm, etc) which could leave you open to getting sued for breach of contract. [/quote] If you're a "normal" function band, there are a ton of deps you can get to cover that - just need the contacts. I could probably fill a gig with someone I know up to an hour before. One of my bands insist on a deposit, but take payment after - we normally do 4 sets but if agreed on the night we'll do extra etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12stringbassist Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 I would say payment on arrival / setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1470014572' post='3102705'] I suppose ultimately it doesn't matter how or when you get paid. The important thing is you have something in writing setting out; how much you'll be paid, when you'll be paid and what you will be paid for. Then everyone knows exactly what's expected before you accept the gig. [/quote] Agreed, for wedding and function bands a binding contract is probably best. For bar bands in the US, if you presented a bar owner with a contract you'd be laughed right out the front door. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.