Last week I contacted a large festival down on the South Coast as I thought one of our acts would suit their bill. The response I got amazed me. Their email said (and I paraphrase) ”Please remove us from your mailing list. In 2010 our event attracted over 40,000 people and we have a policy of not paying our acts or offering any expenses.” It went onto to say that it was registered as a charity (although it didn’t go on to mention any worthy charities it raised money for.)
Of course struggling musicians trying to find an audience for their original music projects will always need to perform some shows F.O.C but with 40,000 people attending this event it’s hardly like playing to a dozen people in the back room of a pub. Even without an admission charge the event must generate some serious money either through sponsorship,council grants,food or drink sales etc. The badge of honour that they didnt pay musicians wound me up.
To reach the level of a musician worthy of playing in front of an audience takes years of training and skills comparable to any other trade.
The equiptment required to be a gigging electric guitarist, for instance, can run into the thousands.
A gigging band often carries tens of thousands of pounds worth of equiptment once you take into consideration the cost of PA and lights.
Rehearsal room costs can be as much as a couple of hundred pounds per session and are rarely less than forty.
On top of that there is the cost of van hire or purchase and the fuel costs to get to an event.
If we are talking about a wedding band , a function band , tribute band or party band then you are likley to have stage costumes which need purchasing,dry cleaning and maintaining.
Beyond that there is the matter of PAT certificates which need to be carried out on electrical equiptment and public liability insurance which most clients and venues demand.
At Live Music Management we specialise in supplying mobile djs and party acts , wedding bands and nightclub DJs for bars,parties,wedding and events. We believe in a fair price for a job well done and we represent the best acts in the UK in these fields.
We are proud of the fact that they get paid for their services.
After all you wouldn’t dream of ringing a plumber and suggesting he does your job for charity.
