Dear HRM bar owners, some of us have years of experience and a following. Some of us have spent countless hours honing our craft. Of course you’d rather pay nothing to have live music in your bar—it’s a profit thing, we get it. But most of us expect to make at least enough cash to pay our bar tab when we share our music and bring people to your establishment to hear us play. Please don’t offer me the equivalent of minimum wage for the “privilege” of playing in your bar when I can back up my talent with significantly more money in your coffers. It’s insulting. —Frustrated Musician
This article appears in Apr 7-13, 2011.
sorry guys, the union says that you have to be paid scale. if you are in good standing, that can either nothing, or several hundred bucks. back in my day, we had to abide by the rules of engagement, or be blacklisted, and banned for a period of time from fdoing a gig. ask more about this?
when i was road manager and bass player, we had a bunch of shit levied against us, for overbooking( not my fault at the time). and we got a notice from the union saying that we were going to have to pay a fine, and face a hearing, to see whether, we would be able to perform legally again.
today, any idiot screaming shit, can make a recording, and get on boobtube, and make a mint. without even having one lick of talent. so o.p., yeah, it sucks to get shit for entertainment, but maybe what the place could only pay for, shitty performers.
This is a valid bitch.
I have been doing small duo jazz gigs since last year. 70 per guy, minimum. I looked into doing it at a certain FScottF bar on Spring Garden, and my student told me his buddies play there for 40 dollars each.
I told him he should never play for that little. It shows bar/venue owners that we undervalue our work, which leads to them undervalueing our work, and next they’ll want us for 30 a guy.
In the 90s guys started playing for less and it became the norm for musicians to get underpaid.
It doesn’t help that noone here is in the union anymore, and the union here sucks in general.
OP, educate these venue owners that we are in business too. Don’t accept “but you’re just a music student/newbie/whatever” as justification for low wage.
Play for what you’re worth.
Your band runs a bar tab?
Two things wrong with that: 1 – you’re drinking on the job, very unprofessional, so expect to be treated accordingly.
2 – if you must drink, in order to perform, take your own fucking beer, duh.
OP, this chaps my ass, but I somewhat agree.
If you want more $, ask for the take at the door. If you *do* bring in a bunch of people, you will make a bunch of $$.
On the other hand, being a professional musician is one of the only jobs where you can have more experience but get paid less.
I totally agree with you wheeliep – it’s the people playing for $25 a head that make it tough for those of us who charge more than that for a gig.
But bar owners really have zero idea, I’ve noticed that especially in the last 5 years or so. They jack up the admission and beer prices for live music nights, but then refuse to pay the bands more. (Unless they’re one of the 5 that’s been playing HRM since 1990).
Oh, and Hugo – I would neither go onstage plastered nor do my day job drunk, but most people can certainly do 2-4 single drinks in a 4 hour show without cutting into their abilities.
As for bringing your own drinks, you’d never worry about being underpaid again because you’d never get booked again.
Shit in the 70s/80s/90s live musicians would make $500+ on a weekend gig.
My dad was making $200/week playing in the 60s. He used to tell me about all the bling $200 a week could buy back then. I think at one point he rocked a rolex. And gold rings and chains. Custom tailored clothes. Designer shoes. Frig sakes.
Now $70-100/gig is good money.
And $40? *shakes head*
Exactly, PK. Back in tha day, I pulled in over $1K a weekend. Now I’m lucky to pull that in a month.
Which is why if you want to be a pro musician, you have to do it because you LOVE it, not because you expect to get rich.
yeah kitty, but remember sweet buns, that was when we actually hd a thing called,”music, and talent”. the shit put out today, can be done with a rubber band, a piece of wood, and someone screaming urse words into a mic. to me, that is just plain shit, and noise, more than anything else. we used to do elvis, doors, hendrix, beatles and the like, and still got rave revues, to when we played where ever.
it started going downhill when the lead man started pot heavily, and failed to inform the rest, that he would book two acts at ytwo different places at the sme time. and thevoice started to go. ask your dad if he remembers doug clean, and the langley beach crowd. that was us. not as big as the mas an pas, but could have been.
Yeah, but Suckster, there *are* some good acts (both cover and original) left in the HRM, it’s the ones who play the cheapest that get the bookings, thereby diluting the talent pool here and making people think the crap is what they’re going to get if they go see live music, and that’s not always the case.
My dad still plays because he can’t stop — he loves it. And he’s in his retirement, so it’s more of a hobby than a “job” like the old days (though, he always did enjoy it even when it WAS a ‘job’). He jams every sunday, gigs almost every Saturday afternoon and evening and still records/produces.
yes, very true that gidget. but as i said, there are some that THINK they can sing or play. chances are that whoever heard them, were either high, drunk or both.
music is what music is, an earful entertainment, not some god awful screeching banshee cat in heat. and believe me, that’s what some sound like. lyrics and melodies have to be in sync, or you will get what i just discribed earlier.
i have not been out and about in a few years, because of all the bullshit that goes on, in some clubs or bars.i would rather stay home, crank up the tunes i have, and at least enjoy some semblance of a nice night in. not where you argue with an idiot bouncer, have your coat stolen, lose check, get watered down booze, and of course angry upset dudes, because their chick asked you to dance. fuck me, no thanks. i am peaceful, but to fuck with me, well, someone goes to a hospital(not me).
True, Sucks, which is why pretty much the only time I’m in a bar is onstage. However, I wanted to address something you said earlier about the union – nobody uses them anymore because you can’t make enough gigging to pay your dues, so it’s a catch 22… (which was a great band back in the day). 😉
Personally I have issue with the whole “Band Battle” trend going on lately. Unless the proceeds go to charity, the bar is the only one who profits, because no bar owner is going to spend 12 hours in someone else’s bar to check out potential bands, and nothing ever happens with the winners.
And even when the admission price goes to charity, they jack up liquor prices and don’t donate the difference. So basically they get 12 hours of free music, no expenses (because they’re run by volunteers or existing staff), and they sell more booze at higher prices. How is that helping music in the city?
I’m typically tanked for my shows, but as a comedian, it seems to work.
It’s actually not a big deal for musicians who play late nights downtown to drink. I’ve never seen one get shitfaced, but they usually have a beer or two between sets.
My dad doesn’t drink when he plays (he doesn’t really drink at all, though), but you’re right, Snoop — it’s not uncommon for the musicians to have a couple drinks here or there 🙂
I’d have a couple drinks while at work too if it wasn’t a bit of a no-no. Mm… lunchtime mojito, anyone?
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmojitohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
All kidding aside, there are some valid points to this bitch. Alot of my musical friends have been talking about how soon we’re going to have to pay the bars to let us play there. Of course, if you pay the regular bar prices for drinks, and you have a few and some food, you basically *are*.
OP, you need to drink and be drunk to play? Like those people listening to you…..the drunker they are, the better it sounds to them. Those drinks aren’t free, but bands in Halifax will play for nothing.
When I was back (2008/2009) in NS, I hung out at a Dartmouth bar where they paid the Karaoke guy $400 a night – WTF? There were never more than 10 people there. When I managed a club out here we paid our karaoke guy $150 and 3/4 member bands $400 and 5 piece $500 and never even had a cover charge and I agree with Gidget – you bring your own booze, you’ll never be back and you might not finish the night either.
To me there’s a big dfference between having 2 or 3 beer over the course of an evening, and drinking more than you’re earning, unless of course the OB only got $15.00.
Drinking in music is not unprofessional. it’s a culture. If you want to have drinks, pay for them. You obviously can’t bring booze to a bar, whoever suggested that is a moron.
If you don’t want to make crap money, get better so you can be offered for your draw. If you are making crappy money, you are probably a crappy band. stop playing in pay to play locations, or shut up and deal with the realities of the music biz.
Musicians. Always with the bitching and the whining, followed by non-musicians who think they know as much or more than the musicians. you all need a reality check.