Playin for free

A timely and interesting discussion ...

Let me start by saying "I could have said NO to doing this gig" ... I did it to be a good sport in the band.

I was asked to do a charity event in a nearby town, knew nothing about it or the reason for the gig. In my book it was a total bomb ... didnt know any of the people involved, our music was not really what they needed there, and the "audience" was maybe 7 people. flash forward to our regular weekly gig and the other members are going on and on about how great it was?

My answer was ... You guys do this for "the love of playing" and I on the other hand "love to play" (conditions apply)

This very theme is being played out on another forum ... thought it might need to be discussed here ... here is the link

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f67/if-you-could-only-play-free-would-you-830705/

Every year our band plays for free at a casino night fundraiser for a local fire department. We may not get paid, but I get to eat and drink for free, as well as my wife. Then I can get people in the door for much less than the going ticket rate. Last year I had about 20 co-workers come, so people that wouldn't normally come out to a gig still got to see the band.

I also like the hall because the stage size is virtually unlimited and I can bring nearly every single piece of equipment I have. There was probably 300 or so people attending last year, which is a lot more than we see at our local restaurant/bar gigs.

While I'd like to get paid, this particular fundraiser does have some benefits - especially when you exposure for the band. We are booked again for the event in March, which will be my 4th appearance there.

Rarely do I do a bennie, so many are run so poorly especially when theres no budget to run it right. I have put together jam bands and given my time that way but my professional working band doesn't work for free unless I know the ins and outs of the event. Doc

About half our gigs are fund raisers. Really, I'd prefer just to stay in the studio but the guys like playing out and if we're going to go to that effort then we might as well make ourselves useful with the pittance we're paid.

My big band, Talk of the Town, plays for free every Tuesday night in a retirement center or nursing home. That constitutes our rehearsals. Only occasionally do we play for pay. The up side is that the freebies are deductible as a charitable donation.

It pretty much has to be a paying gig for me to justify it to my wife. Normally, I don't even put my drums in my car for less than $100, but there have been exceptions. I've played for free before, but not in a while.

Maybe we should demand some expenses, because rehearsal rooms, petrol, wear and tear on the car and drum gear etc. It isn't free at all. You are paying as a drummer to come and play. If you think of it this way then it's easier to say no.

Counterwise, if we're rusty as a band and need to play live and it's a good cause with some pretty fund raisers and free booze then I'm easily persuaded.

I'm so shallow.

Davo

Zickos said:

My big band, Talk of the Town, plays for free every Tuesday night in a retirement center or nursing home. That constitutes our rehearsals. Only occasionally do we play for pay. The up side is that the freebies are deductible as a charitable donation.

Click to expand...

Wow, that is really nice.

A band is also a business and every business needs to do some public service. Playing for a good cause is one way.

Most of the time, though, when I have played for free, we don't get treated very well. The organizer tries to stuff as many bands on stage in the shortest amount of time, thinking that will make the event more "interesting." They often don't have the resources to help out with anything - not even a meal or a thanks. The vibe I get is: If it's for free, it must not be very valuable.

I tend to get treated better when one of the band members has some personal connection to the cause. Just responding to a request for free music should be avoided.

I've never been paid for a gig.

Although I remember one time we were doing B.O.T.Bs and pub runs, and then our bassist turns to us and says "I've got us a gig at a charity event"

Great me thinks, ya know; get our name out a bit?

We turn up and our other band (3 of the members were in both) had basically got there and walked off (one of us being a policewoman, she couldn't be there).

Turns out it was a warehouse that was being squatted. Although squatting isn't illegal in the UK (so long as you have a Section 6) they didn't have one. Also, it was a dump; kids running around, dogs crapping everywhere, drunks. It just wasn't a nice place to be. I didn't want to associate with that.

I walked off along with the rest of the other band and the guitarist from both leaving the bassist (bassist for both bands) and the singer behind as they wanted to play it.

Fair enough to them, but I have limits.

Do you think that's wrong? Or was I just being too up my own arse?

I look at it like this: I can play drums with my band for free, or I can mow the yard and then watch TV for free. Unless it's really far away, playing music always wins! The last free gig I did was for some sort of thing to raise money to fight cancer. There was a shelf kind of thing back by the drums and I had set my phone down on it after texting my wife to bring me a drink. Stupid me forgot and left it sitting there while I packed up my drums and the next band started setting up. When I realized that I had left it there, I went up to get it and it was gone. The public could not get to it on the back of the stage. It had to have been someone in the next band. One guy said he saw it, but no one would admit to taking it. I tried calling it, but the slime bag was smart enough to have turned it off.

I just got asked to play drums on an album (this means I have to buy a drum kit now). He is a friend and it is an opportunity for me to build up my drumming resume so of course I will do it for free. Then when the album is finished, I can come on to Drummerworld or Facebook and share it. If it was a well-known act, then obviously I would want some pay.

If I fill-in for a paying gig, they better pay me or I'll do a drum roll on their forehead (just kidding). Mostly I've only done free gigs because all most all of the gigs I do with a cover band is friends parties. I did a cool 4th of July block party for 3 years in a row. There was all kinds of fireworks and sky rockets going off while we were playing. I really had to concentrate with all that mayhem. If I'm not getting paid, then there better be some free drinks and food, you know?

All my original bands played for free too because in those venues they give you, an unknown band, an opportunity to showcase your original songs. They shove 3 to 5 bands into a night so we only got to play a few songs. Some venues, like the Roxy, we had to sell our own tickets and guarantee them a certain turnout or else we don't play. But, they always gave us a few drink tickets each so at least it was a little something.

Nuka said:

Fair enough to them, but I have limits.

Do you think that's wrong? Or was I just being too up my own arse?

Click to expand...

I don't blame you a bit. Forget that crap....no doubt.

We sometimes play for a local group that provides a safe supervised place for kids to gather and hang out on friday and saturday nights. We usually have some of the kid's in bands play during the evening too. They really seem to appreciate it, as does the non-profit "venue".

The rule basically is, if you're making profit on us playing for you. We would like to be paid. If it's for a good cause, or we just want to play or help out, usually we will. Bars, or anything that's charging a cover or getting people there spending because we brought them should pay us something.

I do my share of free gigs, not too many, maybe like 2 or 3 a year. I've turned down some too, but mainly I do them. You are supposed to give back to the endeavor you love. That's why I am here at DrummerWorld a lot, I feel as though I'm giving something back. It's all about Karma.

Oh, I forgot - I've also been playing in church with my other band every week for the past 20 years. I've never been paid, although a few times we played out at other churches and they took up a good-will collection for us.

I play about 4-5 free gigs a year. I play about 40-50 paid gigs a year. You do what you have to do to get out and play to folks that havent heard you before and may hire you for a gig down the road. I look at it as an opportunity.


F

Don't get me wrong ...

I have played many a freebie gig willingly ... under the right circumstances

The weekly blues jam gig we do is just that, a chance for pro and amateur/up and coming players to get together and make some music ... it's a way to give back, to all the guys who gave me a chance back in the day ... and I love doing it.

But any time, any where ... under any circumstances ... nah count me out

larryace said:

I do my share of free gigs, not too many, maybe like 2 or 3 a year. I've turned down some too, but mainly I do them. You are supposed to give back to the endeavor you love. That's why I am here at DrummerWorld a lot, I feel as though I'm giving something back. It's all about Karma.

Click to expand...

That's pretty much where I sit too (one last year, & 2 booked for the coming year, I think) but even those cover legitimate expenses. We're not expected to pay to play, & they're good sized well run events.

A few weeks ago, I did some backline as a favor to Quentin Baxter, the drummer for the very talented jazz singer Renee Marie. The group tries to do a free performance for homeless folks in every town they're booked in, because homelessness is an important issue to them. This time, they played a full set at a soup kitchen during a 4:00 Saturday supper, then went to the performance venue, did their sound check, changed their clothes, and played a full gig for a paying audience. And they had driven from Richmond VA to Washington DC that morning and were driving to Rochester NY the next day to make an evening gig there.

It was a really fine thing for them to do. No one had asked them to do it, and they got paid nothing for it. I saw both performances and they worked just as hard and played just as well for the donated gig as they did for the paid one. I felt privileged to be there. Amazing musicians and amazing human beings.

My gigs this weekend and next are free gigs. This weekend's is a benefit and we should make some coin on selling our CD's, plus the other bands we're playing with are a great bunch of guys. Next weekend is a Steampunk themed art gallery event so this was a given considered the possibility for exposure here. Again, we hope to make so coin off selling CD's. The promoter is also suppose to getting us all beer so that just sweetened the deal for us.