Gig payout information (informal poll of sorts)

[Slothead56]

Originally Posted by jklotz

I see your point, but I guess I look at it differently. I feel like if you we are charging a decent price, I have to bring more to the table than the "dinner and a couple of drinks" guys. When I show up, I'm there early. I bring pro gear that sounds great in the room, I dress like I am performing. I carry spare cables, string, capos, tools, etc. I have several playlists on my phone for different settings that I can bluetooth into the PA between sets in case the venue doesn't have thier own music or the bartender is too busy to turn it on. I play until the designated time I agreed to. I don't drink when I play. I try to be friendly and polite to everyone, including the dishwasher. I show up well rehearsed and polished. My guitars have new strings (well, at least newish) and if I'm not having a good day, I'm the only one in the room that knows about it. I mute when I tune and get music on quickly after the set as to avoid silence that make folks feel like it's time to go home.

It's a lot of work. I say if guys want to do that for peanuts, have at it. Almost every time a venue has gone that route, eventually something happens. A no show, guy gets drunk and spouts off stupid crap over the mike, breaks a string and doesn't have a spare, they decide they'd rather watch the game so they quit playing at 10. You get my drift. I've had many a call back after initially being rejected due to price.

Let’s see. I bring two guitars, a Bose sound pole, quality gear that is always well tested (including a floor tuner that mutes when I tune). I set up at lunch time for a Happy Hour set. I play several hours of well chosen and well rehearsed songs without a break, have a set list prepared with appropriate number of songs for the time allocated, switch on the fly based on the mood of the diners, have over 350 songs on my iPad that I’m ready to do upon request, I bathe and put on clean clothes. I will have a beer when I play.

I think you guys that “play professionally”, “won’t leave the house” and demand a certain pay scale or else are so hung up on behaving like pros that you don’t get that there are probably more guys like me than you care to acknowledge. I’ve got a day job (for now at least) and choose to do this for fun.

I have no issue with individuals playing for money. I don’t know why us “dinner and a couple drink guys” (which comes off as a fairly derogatory label in this context) bug you all so much. Do players at an Open Mic set you off? How about quality buskers?

I think the assumption is that if you don’t get paid you must suck. Guess what? I don’t suck.

[jklotz]

Originally Posted by Slothead56

Let’s see. I bring two guitars, a Bose sound pole, quality gear that is always well tested (including a floor tuner that mutes when I tune). I set up at lunch time for a Happy Hour set. I play several hours of well chosen and well rehearsed songs without a break, have a set list prepared with appropriate number of songs for the time allocated, switch on the fly based on the mood of the diners, have over 350 songs on my iPad that I’m ready to do upon request, I bathe and put on clean clothes. I will have a beer when I play.

I think you guys that “play professionally”, “won’t leave the house” and demand a certain pay scale or else are so hung up on behaving like pros that you don’t get that there are probably more guys like me than you care to acknowledge. I’ve got a day job (for now at least) and choose to do this for fun.

I have no issue with individuals playing for money. I don’t know why us “dinner and a couple drink guys” (which comes off as a fairly derogatory label in this context) bug you all so much. Do players at an Open Mic set you off? How about quality buskers?

I think the assumption is that if you don’t get paid you must suck. Guess what? I don’t suck.

Sorry if I offended you. I think you missed my point. I don't have any problem with anybody who gets out there and plays. What you charge is your business, not mine. I'm not making a judgement about anybody else. I'm simply saying that my way of looking at it is to make sure my clients get good value for the money, so I make sure and do everything in my power to make sure my clients are happy and the show is as good as it can be. In other words, instead of worrying about what somebody else charges, I worry about making my show worth the money I charge.

Hope that clears it up.

[ceciltguitar]

The price ranges that I see here are identical to the price ranges that I was familiar with when I played solo and duo gigs in Ohio 25 to 30 years ago.

While I lived there, I once had a conversation with an accomplished guitarist about 20 years older than me who said that gigs paid the same as they did around 1960, except that there were a lot more gigs available to play in 1960.