Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

Just curious how many of you veterans have been ripped off by venue owners and how you've been ripped off.

Not enough room on the internet to describe them all, but a few stand out:

1) you took too long of breaks/didn't play until 2am. The owner made a big stink, and after threatening to sic my lawyer father on him, we took $35 off from our pay and he was happy.

2) you're supporting a touring band, they need gas money, we'll pay you next time.

3) you guys drank $300 worth of booze, you owe us $50.

Gosh where do you want me to start?

Basically not paying what was agreed too, would be the biggest thing, or seeming to communicate that our bar tab was free and then billing us at the end of the night.

I just learned if someone ripped me off then we didnt go back, hard lessons to learn. I think over time the biggest thing is to get a clear understanding of what you are going to be paid, and make sure what you are going to be billed for. Some places have pretty good food, make sure its part of your deal before you eat or drink anything on the house.

You just have to approach it as a business, I actually at one time had some little contracts made up, but most places the owners wouldnt sign them, so I do it on good will these days. We only have two venues that pay us these days, the rest of our gigs are individuals that we have developed a relationship with over the past few years. Most of them just want a good party, so we dont even deal with venue owners that much anymore and the ones we do we know very well. The videos I shared of our last gig, two groups of people wanted to have a birthday party, so I steered them to that Moose Lodge, just reservet the room and the bar gets the bar tab. Works great for us, cause we arent begging everyone to come see us. Everytime we do one at that Moose Lodge afterwards, the bar manager wants to hire us, but they wont pay what we ask, so we just keep doing what we are doing.

In my former life I was a locksmith. Owned 2 locksmith companies...and taught the guitarist and drummer in my 3-piece band how to pick locks.

If a venue even hinted at screwing us, we cleaned out every machine in the place and there was no way they could tell it happened, except for not having any money in the pool table, rubber machines, video games, etc...

Usually made more that way than they were paying us (if they did at all)

Ah, thou shalt not steal, unless of course they've stolen from you, eh yod? Actually that sounds more Muslim than Christian.

Pretty rare for any bands I've play in.

We don't allow a band tab for drinks or meals, if the venue wants to feed us for free thats fine. We also discourage drinking while playing (we're working ... it's a JOB) and most don't until we are done. For the last 2 years a law was brought in stating that you can't have booze on stage.

I've had to sit around for an hour waiting for the bar manager to show up to pay us (a**hole) and sometimes they try and reduce the rate (they have a lot of reasons but none of them good). I just stick to my guns and hold out for the agreed rate ... they have always paid.

We've got a nice gig coming up this weekend ... biker rally ... we play main stage Friday afternoon (200 per man) and then we play the after party dance from 11pm to 2 am (500 per man). We'll pull this off with only 1- 4 hr rehearsal .. I haven't played with these guys since last fall.

Should have a lot of players getting up with us from the bands that played on Friday .. guys from Streetheart, Harlequin, Jerry Ducette, David Gogo ... the girls from Fowl Mouth McPhee will get doing some great backup singing (3 part harm's), John Lee Sanders blowing some sax and Rob Bracken from Brickhouse will be blowing some harp ... then I get to do it all again Saturday afternoon .. playing the small stage hosting a jam session and then sitting in with Brickhouse for the after party dance Sat night ... going to be a fun weekend playing with all these monster players and the hang with all these guys, some I haven't seen for years.

playing the NCO and Officer's Clubs in the panhandle of Florida back in the 1980's was idiot-proof..those government contracts were a sure thing ..never got ripped off.. and it helped being an airmen too..played EglinAFB the most but Whiting Field too

Club owner screwed the booking agent and we all took a phuking on that one! Beware of a venue called "Banana Joe's" You have been warned!

Dane Ellis Allen wrote:playing the NCO and Officer's Clubs in the panhandle of Florida back in the 1980's was idiot-proof..those government contracts were a sure thing ..never got ripped off.. and it helped being an airmen too..played EglinAFB the most but Whiting Field too

Our band did a little different version of that contract for the civilian world and we have always been paid up front and never riped off.

This brings back some fond memories. Why I don't want to get involved in playing bars.
We were playing regular at this local bar that was just a bunch of fun locals. maximum 100 people, we had 300 plus showing up. FUN FUN FUN.
Any way this fancy club opened up around the corner. The owner of this fancy new club stopped by and saw all this fun. He basically begged us to play his venue, advertising, anything he could do...YEAH RIGHT,,,,
The guys in RED HANDED wanted to do it because he had a BIG STAGE.
O.K. This is 1988. 6 guys and we were making 8 bills a night, mind you for hauling around a big tri/amp system, In some of these small bars.
Any way I WARNED the owner that I didn't think it was a good mix and that it wasn't going to work. DEAF EARS. I managed to get 5 bills up front,and the agreement was at least 3 at the end of the night,we were supposed to get the door also. THERE WAS NO DOOR. He had no intentions of charging any walk ins. REMEMBER,,,, NEW BAR.

ANY way I ended up spending 4 hours collecting our 3 bills sitting on a bar stool waiting for that little chickenshit to show up. IT WAS FUNNY. The calls from the tender back and forth, He's STILL HERE. I don't know if he's packing. He's really crazy.

I GOT PAID!!!!

yod wrote:In my former life I was a locksmith. Owned 2 locksmith companies...and taught the guitarist and drummer in my 3-piece band how to pick locks.

If a venue even hinted at screwing us, we cleaned out every machine in the place and there was no way they could tell it happened, except for not having any money in the pool table, rubber machines, video games, etc...

Usually made more that way than they were paying us (if they did at all)

Cool! Normally I would never condone such a thing...But hey...Nobody looks out for the underdogs these days...

...I've written a few time-bombs on some apps i wrote for some very questionable clients...They thought they could finagle a freebie out of me by making sh*t up... They learned very fast...

America is full of sharks... I'd just as soon take a shotgun to the water...

jimmydanger wrote:Ah, thou shalt not steal, unless of course they've stolen from you, eh yod? Actually that sounds more Muslim than Christian.

Like I said, that was in a former life...when I was a worthless piece of sh*t democrat.


Stealing from others IS their religion.

yod wrote:

jimmydanger wrote:Ah, thou shalt not steal, unless of course they've stolen from you, eh yod? Actually that sounds more Muslim than Christian.

Like I said, that was in a former life...when I was a worthless piece of sh*t democrat.


Stealing from others IS their religion.

Ohhh SNAP!

RGMixProject wrote:

Dane Ellis Allen wrote:playing the NCO and Officer's Clubs in the panhandle of Florida back in the 1980's was idiot-proof..those government contracts were a sure thing ..never got ripped off.. and it helped being an airmen too..played EglinAFB the most but Whiting Field too

Our band did a little different version of that contract for the civilian world and we have always been paid up front and never riped off.

+1
We always have a contract and we always get paid in full. We also show up on time, play the entire agreed performance hours, we don't break stuff, and we don't drink all the profits. If a venue wants to book the band and starts weaseling on signing a written contract we just politely explain that without a contract, you are gonna need to find another band.

oops