Turning Professional - Updated 23rd November

[mikyok]

It’s probably a whole different debate - do you then turn down a gig unless it’s at or above minimum wage? I know a friend who wouldn’t do a gig unless it was £100 minimum. He was doing about 5 gigs a year. It worked for him as he preferred working on his own music and recording it, he wasn’t as keen about gigging.
On your other point, money is split equally between the band members. I’ve only been in one other band where it was divided unfairly and I soon left.

This is where mates rates come in and that's opening a whole new can of worms lol! Mates rates differ from man to man.

If I'm doing something for a good mate I'll do it nothing or a few pints. (helps when the mate in question is a landlord!) If I'm on my doorstep and it's just a pub gig then what the hell it's an easy £50-£60 if I'm not on the regular gig and I'm not doing anything else. If they're free/low earning gigs the fun factor best be good and these are on my terms.

As for the functions band our fee is our fee, if you don't like it then don't book us but we're not short of work. As a rule never undersell yourself, there's plenty of crappy bands that will bend over backwards for a pittance and it looks like you're desperate for work to anyone looking to book you and they will take advantage so stand your ground. Remember we're in a business where someone will always do it for less so don't join the race to the bottom. If someone tries to offer a crappy fee it's a straight no.

Paywise in my band we're paid equally. We have an agent that takes a cut but we get all the website, promo, booking, dealing with clients etc. It works for us. If one of us was doing all the bookings etc then we'd take the extra cut. Fairs fair.

 

[Jonathan Curtis]

It’s probably a whole different debate - do you then turn down a gig unless it’s at or above minimum wage? I know a friend who wouldn’t do a gig unless it was £100 minimum. He was doing about 5 gigs a year. It worked for him as he preferred working on his own music and recording it, he wasn’t as keen about gigging.
On your other point, money is split equally between the band members. I’ve only been in one other band where it was divided unfairly and I soon left.

I talk a little about this in the videos I sent you, but for me the whole thing comes down to sustainability. Because of income through other areas (teaching, publishing, composition, session recording etc.), I don't strictly need the money from gigs. The same is true for all of the other areas individually, but it means I can be quite picky with the gigs, both in terms of the money and the gig itself. Having a young daughter, I would rather be at home for an evening, unless I can command a good fee. If they say no to that fee, I can shrug and play with my daughter instead. It's the benefits of a portfolio career, not reliant on a single income stream.

 

[Pete The Drummer]

Just thought I’d post a quick update as I’ve now passed 500 days to go until I leave my job.

I’ve joined the musicians union, a few advised me to and they’ve been very helpful so far with a few issues I’ve had.

I host one open mic and in talks to host a second, this is good for diversifying my income streams.

With one of my bands I now handle money, which is both cash payments on the day plus invoiced work, gives me a good experience and understanding especially as we recently had a venue not pay up. Both bands I’ve been in have been a bit firmer lately with minimum fee and not accepting an offer below that amount.

Last month I had an injury (possibly an old rugby playing injury or from lifting heavy bags at work) which meant my right arm was in a sling for 3 weeks, I managed to fulfill my gigs by just using my left hand and feet, it was a challenge but I’ve always been very determined and I don’t give up easily.

Overall everything seems to be clicking nicely into place. Thank you all for your comments, support and suggestions.