Poll on band participation......

[freebyrd 69]

So, this became a HUGE issue last gig.....what say you guys? Drummer claims he has to haul the most shit, so he shouldn't participate in set up OR tear down, he has enough to do. Bass player...well, he just doesn't give a f#ck. Follows me around with his hand out (literally) at the last gig, until we get paid, and then he splits. I bought our whole P.A. system (almost 5k) when we started the band, and took all of the money from ONE gig to cover the drummers monitor which I didn't have the funds for at the time. Otherwise, the pay is split evenly amongst the band. So.......

 

[LP121]

Why should I pay a quarter of the bill when I only had a salad?

 

[brianbzed]

So, this became a HUGE issue last gig.....what say you guys? Drummer claims he has to haul the most shit, so he shouldn't participate in set up OR tear down, he has enough to do. Bass player...well, he just doesn't give a f#ck. Follows me around with his hand out (literally) at the last gig, until we get paid, and then he splits. I bought our whole P.A. system (almost 5k) when we started the band, and took all of the money from ONE gig to cover the drummers monitor which I didn't have the funds for at the time. Otherwise, the pay is split evenly amongst the band. So.......

EVERYBODY in my band gets an equal share of the money, so EVERYONE participates in setup and tear down....never earned enough to pay a crew or roadies.....had free roadies when I was young-that's probably because there was hot and cold running girls at the gigs....I miss the 80's......

 

[Neffco]

If the singer can’t play an instrument, they are fired. Tambourine and occasional conga doesn’t count. Drummer probably doesn’t have knowledge of the cordage. But, once the gear is torn down, get it moving, and that includes helping with drums or whatever needs moved. As a group.

 

[mudface]

Well I’m kinda of old timer,..... the band I was in had a lot of shit,.... we shared the cost of the PA,.... at bigger gigs we rented shit that had their own “roadies”,.... again we shared the cost.

We all helped move and load gear,... drive the van,.... pay for that piece of crap,.. Oh yeah we all earned our keep.
For equal,.... we did equal.

 

[Howard2k]

I am not in a band, so voted Rats Ass.

I was for a while, but we only did one show, we mainly just jammed. For the one show, the drummer also owned the sound equipment too. The drummer and I went along early and got everything set up.

If this was a routine thing I guess my view is that everyone pitches in when they can. I'm sure that some days folks are going to get there late or have to leave early, but my opinion is that everyone helps out fairly.

There shouldn't need to be any counting of equipment or anything like that, it's just everyone sharing a common goal and working towards it.

 

[Chango Malo]

equal pay means equal work. If one guy owns the PA, he's not a dick for asking for some extra bucks. He's also not a dick for not bringing his PA to the next gig if the rest of the cats say no. "i have more stuff so I ain't helping" is bullshit. The cat holding his hand out and splitting as soon as he gets payed is bullshit as well.

 

[dave b]

We ALL pitch in and do as much as possible to make set-up and tear-down as quick and painless as possible. IS there another way?

 

[SteveC]

Tale of two cities from me:

In my band, we all haul in, set up, tear down and haul away... equally, including the fucking drummer! Yes, the drummer spends most of the time setting up his own shit, but no one starts setting up anything, until it's all in the venue. We are equal sherpas! We all have our own responsibilities for what each of us does. At the end of the gig, no money gets divided until everything is torn down, packed & loaded.

We never have any problems, butthurt, or prima donna bullshit. We all just suck it up and do it.

In my wife's band, however, they pull up to the fucking dock and wait for someone from cartage to come & get their shit and park their cars. Then they go to the green room and relax, eat and wait for the call to go do soundcheck. When they get to stage, everything is where it should be and they do a 25 min sound check. then, back to the green room.

At the end of the show, they go and do the "merch meet & greet" while cartage loads everything up and takes it to the dock. When they arrive at the dock, one by one, the cars are brought up and loaded. When she gets home, my fat ass unloads her gear and brings it in the house.

I hate my wife. I hate her band even more. LOL

 

[RAG7890]

IMHO if you’re a Band & get paid equally then you should all chip in & help everyone out.

Many hands make light work.

 

[freebyrd 69]

equal pay means equal work. If one guy owns the PA, he's not a dick for asking for some extra bucks. He's also not a dick for not bringing his PA to the next gig if the rest of the cats say no. "i have more stuff so I ain't helping" is bullshit. The cat holding his hand out and splitting as soon as he gets payed is bullshit as well.

Glad to see some of the early responses. Funny enough, the bass player early on said that he understood if I wanted a little more $ because I had invested in the PA. I honestly never even considered it. It's my shit, so when this project ends, it's still my shit....I can keep using it for the next project or sell it, keep the money, and have a clear conscience.

 

[Jymbopalyse]

Change the perspective.



Everyone plays for free.
You get paid to set up and tear down.

 

[RAG7890]

Tale of two cities from me:

In my band, we all haul in, set up, tear down and haul away... equally, including the fucking drummer! Yes, the drummer spends most of the time setting up his own shit, but no one starts setting up anything, until it's all in the venue. We are equal sherpas! We all have our own responsibilities for what each of us does. At the end of the gig, no money gets divided until everything is torn down, packed & loaded.

We never have any problems, butthurt, or prima donna bullshit. We all just suck it up and do it.

In my wife's band, however, they pull up to the fucking dock and wait for someone from cartage to come & get their shit and park their cars. Then they go to the green room and relax, eat and wait for the call to go do soundcheck. When they get to stage, everything is where it should be and they do a 25 min sound check. then, back to the green room.

At the end of the show, they go and do the "merch meet & greet" while cartage loads everything up and takes it to the dock. When they arrive at the dock, one by one, the cars are brought up and loaded. When she gets home, my fat ass unloads her gear and brings it in the house.

I hate my wife. I hate her band even more. LOL

 

[Tim Fezziwig]

We play for free, we all get NOTHING! I have "admirers" help us load up. I carry my own amp+gits, I have Rob Halford ,<giving peace sign...drummer far right> mop my brow......hold tuner...give me cough drops....

We buy endless drinks, never a problem with load up. My drummer is "manic" he runs in circles and LOVES loading his drums, bassist is comatose by

We help "load" him into the car. You can get a contact buzz near FEZZ cars= one big love-fest .............

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

one of the reasons I enjoy doing solo stuff. I have a buddy that I occasionally do a show with.. ALL my gear except his mic.. I pick him up and drop him off and he gets a set pay. I have been asked to join 2 bands... another band guy telling me over and over how they need a second guitarist that can sing and how easy he thinks I would be to work with.....nope. My wife and I unload, I set up and tear down, she helps load out... she gets all my money.

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

we all helped out. People would help me carry my amps,..but I'd also help bring in all the drum equipment. Everyone unloads and loads the truck until it's done. It's like Moving, you just keep going back and forth until everything is in (or out) of the truck.

 

[TheX]

Why should I pay a quarter of the bill when I only had a salad?

Cuz croutons ain't free mister.

 

[Chango Malo]

Glad to see some of the early responses. Funny enough, the bass player early on said that he understood if I wanted a little more $ because I had invested in the PA. I honestly never even considered it. It's my shit, so when this project ends, it's still my shit....I can keep using it for the next project or sell it, keep the money, and have a clear conscience.

personally I don't charge my band for any of my gear that we use on stage. There is an existing agreement that the band pays for maintenance of any personal gear used by the band. That doesn't include personal instruments/amps/cables and suchlike. PA, mikes and cables, mike stands, etc. are included though.

 

[freebyrd 69]

When I said there was a HUGE issue last gig, there was a HUGE issue. I feel bad about the way it went down, but, water under the bridge now. Let's just say we are replacing both the bass player and the drummer.

It's a long story, but the drummer I have (well, had) was the drummer in my old band, and it was always an issue in that band too. Never helped and justified it by saying he had more stuff than we did. This time, wee played 2 out of 3 weekends, which is not the norm. The bass player was LITERALLY following me around the bar with his hand out. Like a kid wanting his allowance. As soon as we got paid, he bolted. The drummer announced "well, I'm out". The whole goddamn P.A. was still up. His excuse was, "I have a long drive". Well, the gig before, I had the one hour drive. Guess who tore the whole PA down that gig? I finally called his bullshit. We ended up in the parking lot, and he got pissed and grabbed me by the shoulders. Both he, and his girlfriend ended up hitting the ground quite hard. I didn't hit him, but when he locked on to my shoulders, I grabbed his jacket, and threw him to my right. She happened to be standing there next to us, and both of them went down in a heep. I felt really bad, especially for her, but nobody was hurt, and I just walked away afterward. He announced his immediate dismissal, and that was that. He and the bass player are buds, so, he quit too.

It wasn't one gig....it was EVERY gig. The only time it was equal is when we hired someone to do the PA and everyone just took care of their own shit.

Usually, the singer gets to the venue very early. I work on Saturdays 9-5, and typically get to the venue about 7. The singer hauls the PA, and carries it all in. He doesn't really know how to wire it up, so, when I get there, I wire it all up, and set my shit up. That part of it, I don't have an issue with. It's my stuff, and I'd rather be the one hooking it up anyway, so, no problem. The singer has no issue hauling the PA and carrying it in either. It's when we are done....no rocket science there. unplug shit, coil cables, throw them in the bin, get the extension cords, carry the shit out to the singers truck.

The singer, other guitarist and I are all of the same mentality......just do it and if ANYONE needs help with their stuff, we are there. The singer always helps me carry my stuff in when I get there because he isn't doing much.

It was just the last goddamn straw the other night. For me, when we play, it is about a 20 hour day. I leave my house at 8:30 a.m. for work, and get home around 3 a.m. from the gig. None of the other guys work Saturdays. I'm bummed it came to that, but I was pissed.

The good news is, we already locked in an upgrade on bass, and pretty sure we found a drummer too, it's pending, but maybe even someone I consider to be the best drummer in Michigan. So, we will see. I feel bad about the way it happened, but it may turn out for the better.....

 

[freebyrd 69]

If the singer can’t play an instrument, they are fired. Tambourine and occasional conga doesn’t count. Drummer probably doesn’t have knowledge of the cordage. But, once the gear is torn down, get it moving, and that includes helping with drums or whatever needs moved. As a group.

We have the instruments covered, and the singer.....everything from GnR to AC/DC, Bruno Mars, Prince and Country. His voice IS his instrument.

It doesn't take knowledge of "cordage" to unplug shit, coil it, and throw it into the only bin marked PA. LOL