Comments on: When To Take an Unpaid Gig

By: Bob White

Bob White — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:31:02 +0000

This is an interesting conversation. I came here from New York in 1998had given up playing for quite a while, when I decided to get back into the industry it was quite a shock.Got called for a date and found out it was for $25.Politely told the fellow at the other end that I had something else for that day. Investegated things further only to find out that a lot of the club owners were really taking advantage of musicians by this exposure thing,m while they were making the money. I have no problem during a free-bee for a legit charity that’s why they are called charities in the first place, but an owner of an establishment is making money, if they want live music they should pay for it, they are getting paid.
In New York we were all professional musicians that I was working with, all schooled musicians. You would never find musicians from the Tonight show or any other broadway show playing for exposure, what a laugh. The musicians here in Tallahassee and all the surrounding area’s should all wise up, all these club owners get paid for their wares, why not musicians????

By: Musician Business Vs. Music Business | Indablog

Musician Business Vs. Music Business | Indablog — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:37:48 +0000

[...] I talked about that recently on Musician Wages with an article about taking free gigs. There has to be something in it for you: the money, the music or the [...]

By: Bob

Bob — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:30:59 +0000

when asked to play at a benefit/ charity etc just say
“Great I can do that I will just charge you expenses upfront then”

As expenses are sometimes as large as your fee or at least you do not want to be out of pocket.

Good hunting

By: Cameron Mizell

Cameron Mizell — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:02:56 +0000

Yes, get out of there! As someone who used to work in a smokey bar, it feels so much better to wake up in the morning and not feel like I smoked a pack of cigarettes the night before. There are many towns now with smoking bans. If gigging is your whole livelihood, a move might be worthwhile.

By: David J. Hahn

David J. Hahn — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:35:03 +0000

You’d be crazy to stay! Your health is much more important than any gig. Get the same gig in a non-smoking venue or pursue a different kind of gig – that’s my advice.

By: Kerry

Kerry — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:02:29 +0000

Hey David.Great post!It really got me thinking.I have a small dilemma.I’m playing gigs at the moment,mostly in smokey bars.I have asthma and this is my only source of income.Would I be crazy to give it up?

Cheers!

By: How To Find Work as a Gigging Musician

How To Find Work as a Gigging Musician — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:23:46 +0000

[...] collaborations that will be valuable to your career down the road. It’s important to know when to take an unpaid gig, but occasionally they can pay off in the long [...]

By: shane cole

shane cole — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:00:26 +0000

Pete, i think what you’re seeing is not limited by geography. i see it in many, many major cities. i live in Atlanta, and i think there are more guys in the scene that you speak of (who play bars/coffee shop/restaurants because they love the outlet and feel fine about tips) than there are guys that play full-time. Atlanta is not high on the list for places to move to pursue full time music career and generate real income, but through serious networking and branching out to Nashville and touring, i have pullled it off for 3 years without falling back on a 9 to 5.

i have noticed though, that i have to stay at a safe distance from the musicians and bar owners that operate under the mentality that “musicians just want to jam” or “it’s all about the music” or “if i got paid, it would be work instead of music”. i don’t want to jam. i want to make music with people with a similar mindset, generate income, and push art forward. at least in the south, these are the 2 conflicting schools of thought that i’ve seen in my short years.

By: shane cole

shane cole — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:45:06 +0000

sidenote: i am so amused how people think of a fundraiser and automatically jump to the conclusion that there must be live music…no questions asked. like, they’re determined that some band is going to push this event over-the-top.

realistically, the band fills dead, awkward silence; and, they raise less money than the band spent on mileage, sound, and gear. i’ve been known to talk fund raising people out of having a band. ipods work great, when you want some ambience in the back hall of some random event venue.

By: shane cole

shane cole — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:36:52 +0000

David, SO SO SO well said, with efficiency. i needed the affirmation of this article. it is a very great, honest mentality.