ChromeCultStudios wrote:Dude, 6 bucks.. to much.. people pay 9.50 to see a movie for an hour and half. We put on a show for 3 hours. I would like to see bands get paid. I don't sell beer, So I do need to cover cost of the place. Help build the scene not tear it down... Another question.. Do you play covers or Originals?
Thanks Gary
I was backing you up there.
...and we play mostly all originals with a few covers slipped in as a tribute to our influences, not as a "hey, we're a human jukebox"...
Jim Price wrote:If the weather cooperates on March 12, I'll make the trip up to check it out. I'm curious about Chrome Cult, and also curious to see Gasoline Dion.
Awesome! Glad to hear it, it will be good to see you again!
The local music scene or any all original music sufers for one reason.
The bands refuse to think that their music is not worth a higher cover.
This is why we get 10 bands doing a show for 10 bucks at a firehall.
If you do a great show, promote and start to think hell my shit is as good as the SHIT on the Radio.
Then we could build a base of support for Original Music.
I dont think that the original bands think that their music isnt worth a $6 cover. Its mainly the bar owners or the people who dont want to pay the original bands the money they deserve. How many times has a bar said, hey here's your $400 or even higher guarantee to an all original band. And if there was more than 1 band playing then the guarantee would be split between the bands. Now if you were a cover band, hey there's no problem paying that kind of money for something you could throw $10 in a jukebox and hear the same songs anyways. Alot of people dont know how many times we or any original band has heard ... well hey there wasnt alot of people here tonight so I cant afford to pay you anything. As for "playing for the door", yeah thats a good idea, but come on, at least the places could throw in an extra $40 or $50 to help cover our expenses. Do these places think that our gas is free and all of our equipment is sent to us free of charge. I have been doing original music for around 10 years now and have played alot of places that wont even hook a band up with gas money. I have spent alot more than I have been payed believe me. Alot of these bars that support original music are great and I commend them for doing so and for giving original bands a place to play, but come on, if they really support original music, then how about a guarantee. If a bar owner would tell an original band when they booked the show, hey I am going to give you a $100 garauntee ( they would pay that for a Dj or Karoake) for the night no matter how many bands are playing and you can have the door .... the original band would be ecstatic where as the bigger named cover bands would be laughing and probably wouldnt even consider playing the place. Now I know alot of cover bands arent like that but there are some that you know that are. I have no problems with cover bands and have alot of good friends that play in cover bands (that have told me what they make in a night) and have helped us out alot and we appreciate every last bit of help that we get believe me...so I hope nobody is offended by my opinions. My band has played Chrome Cult before and Gary does do everything he can to help the bands out and I commend him for that. $6 is not alot to pay to see a show that features original bands... heck people pay $45 for a ticket ... 1 ticket to see Tim McGraw or a national act. If we got $45 for our hour set we would be ecstatic ..LOL But seriously like I said, I dont think that the original bands dont think their music isnt good enough to get paid ... I feel its the owners and the people who refuse to give the original bands the credit they deserve and to all of those who do support original bands, we know who you are and thank you from the bottom of our hearts... most of the time to hear someone say ..hey man you guys are awesome, or someone buying a CD or a shirt is payment enough, but a little extra cash doesnt hurt either..lol Ken At Hopes End
" I might be the last in line, but I'll be the first to rock"
Yeah, if I was doing this for the money, I would have stopped a long long time ago. Ha ha ha. I love writing & playing, it's an awesome feeling when an audience digs something that you created.
I remember seeing flyers in the Nirvana book, Come As You Are from before they were big at all that had their shows at $8.00 with only one or two other bands on the bill. I think that first of all, people have gotten cheap when it comes to seeing live, local music and that too many bands aren't always providing a "show."
NOTE: I am not in any way knocking any bars/clubs back home with this post.
I don't believe there's a bar here that charges a cover, with the exception of ye ole titty bar. However, order a few drinks once in any of the places here. You will never see prices posted out in the open.
Something really cool about working for my boss' is how well they treat us. During shows, we get 5 drinks free to do what we want with them. Anytime we're not playing, it's 2 bucks no matter what drink you order. Food is 4 bucks, but it's only a cold cut and sandwich menu with a bag of chips. If we bring in people to hang with, they get local prices. Something they stay a little strict with is their merchandise. We get 2 bucks off T-shirts and the other stuff. From what I understand, they got boned in the past and had to go this route.
Something I miss about being a guest is full comp. Any time I'd step into the bar, whether I'd be playing or having the day off, everything was free, including food.
This is all fine and good, however, the bottom line is that the primary purpose of these clubs or any business is to make money for the owners. To the club owner, the primary purpose of a band is to attract more customers to their club to maximize profits. A cover charge is only effective if it does not greatly diminish the number of customers that would otherwise attend. In that respect, it is up to the owners to gauge what cover most of their clientele are willing to pay for a given form of entertainment.
If attendance is higher than normal for a given band at a set cover, the cover should be increased as well as the band's compensation the next time around.
If attendance is lower than normal for a given band at a set cover, the cover should be decreased as well as the band's compensation the next time around.
If attendance continues to be lower than normal for a given band after downward adjustments, the law of diminishing returns says "You're Fired!"
These should be sobering thoughts. Welcome to showbiz.
Last edited by lonewolf on Saturday Feb 19, 2005, edited 1 time in total.
...Oh, the freedom of the day that yielded to no rule or time...
ChromeCult wrote, "If you do a great show, promote and start to think hell my shit is as good as the SHIT on the Radio. "
But isn't the "SHIT" on the radio...ORIGINAL MUSIC?
This whole thread is getting rather dangerous, if you ask me. I've been in the music scene playing since I was 4 years old, and I've been playing here in PA for almost 10 years.
I'm so sick and tired of people bashing each others music. Original music is good. Cover bands are good. It's all f*cking good.
I'm glad that ChromeCult is giving original bands someplace to play. But based on a few of the posts I've seen, and this is my own interpretation, don't go and put on an act like original bands don't have places to play. Bars are not just for cover bands. Talk to Bobby or Kent of The Grimm. They are one of the best original bands I've ever seen, and I have only seen them in bars.
The reason why it's so difficult to succeed in an original band is simple. Money. Not yours, the bar owners'. They provide a place for people to go party and rock out to live music. People go out to hear stuff they know. If you do a great job promoting your own music and people get turned on to it, friggin' spectacular for everyone! Band makes some cash, bar owner makes some cash, people want the band back, and band gets booked again.
But too many original bands take the attitude of "Hey, I'm not a human jukebox, so if you don't like my music, fuck you." Well, what the hell is wrong with doing a 45 minute set in a 60/40 split of originals to covers? If you make the customers feel welcome, then they will have more of an open mind and be more receptive to your original music. Jim Price can only do so much, and so, I'm afraid, can a great place like ChromeCult.
Bottom Line:
Cover bands quit fucking bashing Original bands.
Original bands quit fucking bashing cover bands.
If it's all music, it's all good. Because every cover is an original somewhere.
I'll shut up now. I'm not in this for the argument, just to vent my feelings. Rock on, my brothers and sisters, and support ALL LIVE MUSIC.
Last edited by ToonaRockGuy on Saturday Feb 19, 2005, edited 1 time in total.
I'm not knocking the fact that bands need to get paid ... but I come from a long line of rockers who got paid more in free beer than anything else and it was good enough. Around here, bands are a second job. They aren't usually meant for income (because 9 out of 10 times, you can't live off what you make) but meant for fun...for the dream of playing.
For us, it's sometimes hard anymore to get out. I'm sure most of you have been wondering where we've been hiding because we'd be out Fri and Sat...and at least 3 nights during the week checking out the music scene. When you're paying so much to fill up a gas tank (i got a two hour total back and forth drive to work) and bills and etc... money gets tight.
5$ cover always is 10 because it's two of us. 6=12. That would leave enough to have 2 beers (because they bumped the beer cost up .75 because there's a band that night) and sit for the rest of the night.
You compared it to movie theatres...well matinee shows are 4$ vs 7.50 night shows. Unless it's a "date-date", guess which one I go to. And more often than not, I'll rent the movie half a year later for 2$ instead of seeing it in a theatre.
So, I'm not knocking cover charges, just saying that sometimes it's rediculous because the bar wants to make bookoo bucks...then the band...and the fans just got told to bend over and touch their toes...
~*~Esa~*~
I'll be the one left standing behind you, looking the other way as you glance back at what you've lost.
