Economy and Competition is Killing Local Bands
If the economy was not bad enough to cause cutbacks in the live music business, and competition like DJ's and Karaoke nights charging half our rate, now we have new competition for live venues - we now have some local \"bands\" that are playing for free. Yeah, they are not that good, but they play for free. That's mighty hard competition to keep up with.
Just wondering if other musicians out there have seen a similiar trend in \"bands\" playing for free in their areas? Also, how does a working band compete with free live bands? Yeah, we are better, but it does not appear that the venues really care. A free band costs less.
Much to my disappointment, my bandmates have decided to spend the next month to two months in the studio recording demos. I don't see how making demos for venues that already know our music will help. I guess maybe the guys hope that these musicians playing for free will lose their interest in playing for nothing.
Anyway, I am kind of bummed out right now. My band is too good not to be playing live gigs, and not good enough to take time off to \"record\" demos for the next few months. I am trying to look for the silver lining in this current situation, and to be honest, I am not personally opposed to taking time off. There is alot of stuff I need to do outside of music. I just don't like the trend I see with a sucky economny and fellow musicians taking paying gigs and playing them for free. That hurts all us established local bands that have put practice time and hard earned money into putting out a good show. If all these venues dry up for us \"working\" local bands, I wonder where the future for young bands will be? Maybe the future is somewhere other than the established bars/venues?
Just wondering if other musicians out there have seen a similiar trend in \"bands\" playing for free in their areas? Also, how does a working band compete with free live bands? Yeah, we are better, but it does not appear that the venues really care. A free band costs less.
Much to my disappointment, my bandmates have decided to spend the next month to two months in the studio recording demos. I don't see how making demos for venues that already know our music will help. I guess maybe the guys hope that these musicians playing for free will lose their interest in playing for nothing.
Anyway, I am kind of bummed out right now. My band is too good not to be playing live gigs, and not good enough to take time off to \"record\" demos for the next few months. I am trying to look for the silver lining in this current situation, and to be honest, I am not personally opposed to taking time off. There is alot of stuff I need to do outside of music. I just don't like the trend I see with a sucky economny and fellow musicians taking paying gigs and playing them for free. That hurts all us established local bands that have put practice time and hard earned money into putting out a good show. If all these venues dry up for us \"working\" local bands, I wonder where the future for young bands will be? Maybe the future is somewhere other than the established bars/venues?
Comments
I feel for ya bro. I feel bad, actually...it sounds to me like you guys are playing really well, getting recognized, upgrading your gear, practicing and committed. It bums me out, too, to hear that palces will \"hire\" hacks to play for free just 'cuz it's better for their bottom line.
I'm sure the guys doing it for free aren't doing it to screw you guys...they just wanna play, and are probably thrilled to have the chance to play out and be on stage. I know if Shania would come and listen to me, I'd PAY to play. :oops:
I don't have advice about what you guys should do for the next coupla months. I'm not in your league. But it doesn't seem like having some great recorded stuff to hand a club owner and say \"this is us\" would hurt at all; show them that you're worth the money.
But then again...if they're filling the place and selling beer, they'd probably headline with the Fran Drescher Band. :roll:
Good luck bro, keep us up to date. We're watching...
Most of the free bands are as good as they get paid. However, there is one band, I am told, that is composed of music instructors from the local university playing for free. You know they would be good musicians, and I am sure that they don't need the money on top of their salaries, but it seems to be pretty low for them to be taking paying gigs away from the younger working bands. I hope they are having fun because it comes at the expense of a number of working bands around here who need that income to pay for the expenses and upkeep of our equipment.
At any rate, my band is not going to play for free. We have worked too long and too hard for that. Also, I just won't load up all my $$$$ equipment for a free gig. We could play for free anytime, anywhere, but what's the point of that? We don't want to compete for the most money we can lose playing free gigs. I sure hope the idea of hitting the recording studio to make some demos is a good choice. Also, we will continue to practice and learn new songs. So downtime is not wasted. It's just that a working band needs those paying gigs to keep it all together. Otherwise, it's just easier to take the guitar on your back down to a local open mic/jam to play a few songs.
I am hoping that someone else out there on this forum has some suggestions for bands to make money other than being tied to local bars/venues. There must be some other way to have a good time and get the band paid at the end of the night. We will keep busy one way or another until our bookings start filling up, but it is just a big let down after having worked so hard, improved so much, worked our way up to being one of the better bands (and better paid) in the area, only to be caught in this situation. I know that these guys playing for free will not last long and venues will either look for real bands for entertainment, or they will fail to stay open. Problem is, lots of venues around here are closing. Which is why I think us working bands need to think of other ways to make money to support our music habit.
Thanks for the comments, Shredd. I'm just venting my frustrations and looking for some other ideas that might get the band through this dry period.
Best I can come up with is, what is happening to you looking to the left, may work for you as well, looking to the right. Maybe you can get work that the bands above you have been getting? I'm sure all levels of the industry are cutting back budgets. I've been a stage hand for the local Casino, and they aren't hiring as many of the big names either. I see more and more bands and artists who I've never heard of.
Is it possible to find some work from film producers and advertisers who have to spend on music for films, shows and ads? I've heard of home studio bands making money with online efforts. Some do pretty well, one dollar at a time. In bad times, we need good music more than ever. Sorry my suggestions are weak, but I wish you the best.
I'm going to write to Gov. Mike Huckabee and ask him to do a segment on saving the local bands, on his Fox News program. http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=3913667&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/huckabee/
I love how he closes his show with music, and I watched this recent show of him in Elkhart, Indiana. I visit my sister who lives in the area, and we always like to check out the local bands. I've heard this band \"Little Elkharts\" and they are great. I'll do what I can to encourage support in my area, for the local bands. You've always been there for us in hard times and we need you guys!
This works for a lot of bands. As winter is on and more attending clubs, those flyers can get you other gigs when the nice weather breaks and the only clubs running are the bigger popular scenes/hangouts.
Have you attempted doing some part time acoustic covers? I know lately many of the younger players are hitting up spots for acoustic original material, usually for free, but if you have a decent list of covers those can get a few bills your way.
Club scenes in this area are drying more, but we also have the spring down time coming so less venues are interested in committing. Yes, we have our share of the free players that even DJ's cannot compete with.
A good demo for your band promo kit can be helpful. If you are expanding your playing zone, it's needed since the word of mouth may not be enough and the venue would immediately understand your following is not presumed to be tagging along. As for your band pricing, you know what your band is worth to a venue and so do they. If they low ball you and you accept, get ready for more of the same. This is just another cycle which repeats often during recessions. It will get better. For now, venues, patrons, band members, studios, music stores are all feeling the pinch.
I can cross the state line in any direction and make triple what they pay here, which we do several times a year.
The economy slag hasn't really affected us much, as we were already at the bottom of the payscale.
Where am I?
Salt Lake City
\"It's the Devils' Werk...\"
:P
We are thinking about hitting the Casino's this summer, which would be a change for us since we have never played at a Casino before. Also, we are limited to playing Friday, Saturday nights due to work-week daytime jobs we hold down to pay our individual bills. Some of the Casino's want a 5 night stretch for a band - that's not us.
We have discussed private parties, which we would do, but we don't have the catalog to cover wedding dances, unless we did a mixed DJ/live type of event where we play the \"wedding songs\" on the disc and play our music live. Still, we have not persued wedding gigs.
As far as pay, bands here in the 1980's got paid twice the going rate today. Last year we had the smoking ban implemented in the bars which really cut down on the patrons, and this year the economy is not good. So the bar owners are having a hard time surviving. There is just not enough money in the drawer to pay the bands like there was back in the 1980's.
We really don't want to get into underbidding ourselves or the other local bands. That kills almost everyone off. None of us play in the band to make $$$, it's mostly about the fun for us, but the money is needed to maintain our equipment and pay us for our expenses including all the time involved. If we treated playing in the band as a money making business, we would all be better off working for minimum wage at McDonald's. There is just lots of time spent in practice individually and with the band that you never get paid for. Even on good nights, when you think about the hours involved learning new songs, perfecting old songs, etc.... you really don't get paid much per hour.
Sad thing is that I could make almost as much money for the night as the entire band if I just took my PA equipment and did some DJ work by myself. I'm not into that, but I do know some other guys who DJ because their band work just does not pay after a 4-5 way split. DJ work has a split of 1. I'd hate to see venues go all DJ nights, but it's cheaper for them.
But as you pointed out this started out a while ago. No smoking, DWI laws, DJ's, and now a bad economy. The club owners are definitely hurting, and if they can get free entertainment to pacify the drunks, while they holler \"FREE BIRD!!\" at the top of their lungs, well then god bless their little pea-pickn' hearts.LOL.
Even the little jazz brunches are trimming back from trios to duos to solo, to no music at all.
As for the Casinos: I was in Laughlin last year and there are indeed gigs galore, but you got play a lot of nights. But a lot of little bars around that rotate bands every couple of days.. Might want to check some of the bars away from the Casino's themselves.
And yes.. Private parties are an option, but you missed the peak of that with the office Christmas parties. However wedding season is getting closer. Pick up some decent dough at those events. Hit some of the bridal places, and wedding planners with you resume..
Another interesting observation.
I walked into Target the other day, and they only had 2 shelves of CD's and about 20 shelves of DVD's.. (Emusic sales have killed the old megabox stores???)..
These days you gotta have mad skills to even get a job there.
Start prep 2PM, by time to prep, travel, get pa ready, check things, then play till 2AM, clean up and drive home......
14-15 hrs usually per guy.
If you get $100 ea per gig that avgs about 7 bucks an hr. So even when a band gets $500 it's min wage pay MINUS wear and tear, gas, expenses etc.
Some guys have said wow that's easy money.. $30/hr to gig? After mentioning the up front work, travel and all the things necessary for most gigging musicians, he said yeahh that's a very low wage considering.
Even wedding gigs. People think its this wonderous pay..... well
Start setting up at event venue either the day before or early afternoon which means load gear in the morning. Figure starting at 10am, then by time you tear down and go home it's 1-1:30AM. Again, you had a 15 hr day. Lets say there are 6 players and a female vocalist (which you usually are going to have).
Weddings avg $1200 and up, depending on the band etc. Going with 1200, divide by 7 members and again by 15 (hrs from prep to teardown). Doing that math it's about 11 bucks/hr. Then you have to consider expenses for attire, and dry cleaning costs which avg 30-40 bucks.
None of these factor in other time like rehearsals, meeting with mgt or brides grooms/families. Preparation for bios, portfolios, promo kits, web maintenance, prep time posting fliers prior to venue gigs.. all of which are NOT deducted from the basic cut from the gig.
So there is nothing to consider so much what one band charges vs the next. The bottom line is an avg from 7 to 15 bucks/hr just in the day of the gig minus any prep time prior to gigging. Yes, a part time Mc D's job will probably pay more in the overall picture. If you play for $, you'll make more with burgers, if you play for the entertainment, you'll take the $7.
The other thing to consider is the hamburger job is routine hours and schedules, gigging is not even close to that.
As one of my professors in music school said..
\"If you want to make money, be a plumber\"..LOL..
Then at rehearsals we hear the single band members' horror stories ! We remind those guys to always check the medicine cabinet! So far our bassist has found a dozen or more with a grab bag of issues! :shock:
Last summer and old friend and former band mate of mine I see at a gig. I heard he was dating someone who was rather on the loopy side... So I'm talking to him and she shows me these stab wounds from where she went JASON on him one evening. :shock:
Since then, he's been happy being alone.
Back to Topic- JimiV could not have said things any better where it comes to these groups playing for free, notoriety or whatever.