Page 20 - Love-of-Music-Magazine-winter-2019

When Your Band Plays for Free - Your Band Pays to Play

No Compensation = Exploitation
Wayne Bell LOMM Reports
Is your time worth nothing? Is gas free?
Are all those years of practice worth nothing to perform live?
Conversations with 20+ experienced St. Louis area musical acts.

“Hey, you will get publicity and you’ll make more social me- With most legit business owners there is a line item, a budget
dia friends. We will even give each band member two free for music or entertainment. Festivals often get big Corporate
drinks with pizza. And you can sell your merch; it’ll be great Sponsorships based off the live performing musical talent,
exposure, great experience,” says the ego-inflated club own- bands very often do not get paid for playing their music. When
er or manager. The only real thing a venue/festival cares a band stops the music—it alters the entire organization. Make
about is making money, selling tickets or booze. At the end the festival owners PAY. Know your PERFORMING RIGHTS!
of the night almost everyone gets money; the bar owner is
making money off the patrons; the venue is making money Playing for FREE is expensive. The venue does not care how
off your musical performance and you; the band is getting long you have practiced, how expensive the equipment or
screwed. You want to play for free or do you want paid? Do the cost of your overhead expenses. In reality, the combined
not be afraid to ask, especially if your family and friends cost of your services, time, resources, talent and expenses
attend the show. Your friends or family, when they purchase means that you’ve paid to play. The bar owner is making all
drinks, are paying the venue to hear your band play at your the money. When a band gives a 30+ minute performance,
own expense. When your band makes and sends out those the average bar sells 100 drinks, about $900.00 in general
little flyers, posts information all over social media, your revenue. PROPRIETORS: SHOULD ALWAYS PAY THE BAND,
band has become a FREE MARKETING AGENCY for the and on top of that, offer the band comp drinks and comp
venue, again at your expense. Track the data and use it as a food. If you are a band that has given four (4) free shows,
bargaining chip to show the venue you care. on average, you made the venue $4,000.00 and you did it
We are not talking about fundraisers or charitable shows at the bands own expense. These figures equate to only 100
to raise money for a cause. We are talking about venues, total drinks sold by the venue per show, on average. **
festival organizers; the venue, lights, vendors, liquor licenses,
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insurance, stage equipment, hired employees, they all get It is the Love of Music Magazine’s goal to help initiate
paid; but not the band when you play for free, over and over. a dialogue of always getting paid for your talent. Below
are tips for dealing with the issues.
• Boycott venues who ask and/or the bands that constantly
play for free.

• Gather like-minded musicians into a common goal - a
network of getting paid for shows at all levels. Constant
FREE performances DEVALUE the entire music scene
from top to bottom. Look around.
• Local collective bargaining with venues that demand free
shows will help decide upon a scale for performing.
• Some venues really are just scraping by but they are
open for business and they need to PAY YOU. Venues
DISRESPECT musicians by asking-demanding
bands play for free.

• Truly, if your band has nothing to sell, then go and play
Sixty plus years of combined experience and for free, for the art of playing, the emotional high. Let
your band plays for FREE? your payment - your currency - be the applause.

Article Continued On Page 33
**To find out more Google this age-old topic on Reverb, Music Industry News, ASCAP, BMI other music industry pubs. Get your musical opinions heard.
18 | The Love of Music Magazine - St. Louis
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