The Kings Arms in Auckland has begun charging bands who play there. The fee charged is based on the door charge and is a per band charge. So if, for example, three bands play on a night and the door charge is $5, each band is charged $30. There is also a requirement to pay the sound guy; typically the fee is $100. So a door take of nearly $200 is required (40 punters) before the band gets a bean. And I guess there won't be much chanve of a bar tab for the bands either!
In the past bands have been able to play at the KA with no charge. The KA is quite probably justified in making some sort of charge; they have invested in the sound system (and it is pretty good too) and spent money on the venue. However, they also claim that the other venues in Auckland and around the country also charge bands to play. On this count I am not so sure. The venues that I have experience of in Auckland (Masonic, Cafe 223, Temple, Dogs Bollix) do not charge bands to play ... some even pay them to play!!
It is tough enough getting gigs as it is without having to pay for the "privilege" Hopefully the other venues don't take this idea up ... otherwise there will be even less opportunity for bands to make a name for themselves.
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Technorati
Not too sure about now, but the Dux in ...
Not too sure about now, but the Dux in chch used to pay bands a healthy amount ($300 - $500 and more, depending on your status) for playing. And they'd give you a 20 drink tab, and they had a semi-decent PA.
have you noticed the shift here in ...
have you noticed the shift here in auckland from the ka to the bollix...
oh the times are a changin
Yeah, I've noticed an change in the ...
Yeah, I've noticed an change in the kind of bands playing at the Bollix. Four years ago I lived in a flat in the building next to it, and there seemed to be lots of bloody Irish bands during the week and a DJ on the weekends.
My main complaint with the Bollix for live music is there are tables up close near the stage so people tend to linger in the balcony, which creates a strange atmosphere. Things might be different if a popular band plays there, but the times I've been there lately, it's felt a little empty, even when there's lots of people in the building.
d00d that sux. Usually we take our own ...
d00d that sux. Usually we take our own engineer to gigs, but we played KA recently with the house engineer and im sure we paid a lot less than $100 for him.
is that the be all and end all of the rules tho?
...like for instance, if there are more than "X" amount of ppl through the door does the band charge get waved? (because the venue would make its money from the bar) thats a hell of a lot fairer for both the band and the bar.
Big_Stu when did all this change?
[ http://www.thewbc.com ]
The change was effective from 10 Feb ...
The change was effective from 10 Feb '03.
No mention in the email that was recieved about waiving fee if a certain number of punters front up.
But that is basically all the rules ... I think there might be some variation if you supply your own engineer but this needs to be arranged with the KA people in advance. I guess (and fair enough) that the don't want any old ham-fisted muggins "adjusting" some pretty expensive gear!
yeah, i can understand the need to have ...
yeah, i can understand the need to have someone competant on the desk (i do livesound myself) thats fully justified with the kinda gear they have there.
we'll be sure to investigate the ins-and-outs next time we play (which should be within the month) so il let you know if we find some more info if you want
do you mind forwarding me a copy of ...
do you mind forwarding me a copy of that email? my address is stu_preece@hotmail.com
...yes, i know. my name is stu too
Man, I've got a feeling this thread is ...
Man, I've got a feeling this thread is gonna tap into some pretty deep-set, hard held opinions.
All the bands want to do is play to people, but there's all these costs involved, and risk to the venue that they won't get enough heads in the door to justify opening the doors.
If you play a bad gig, you can still put food on the table with your day job/whatever, but venues can't say the same thing. This is what they do, man, they have expenses and things just like any business. And they want to make profit like any other business does. I mean, this is reality.
Pay to play is just something I've come to accept as a musician- doing what I do has costs associated with it, like anything else- I don't mind raising money for a talented live soundguy (probably THE best investment any band can make) I don't mind raising a money for promotion... there is a little bit of coin up for grabs once you're doing well, but I also accept that I will play gigs to empty rooms and loose a little money in the process while I'm just starting out. It's all good though, I fucking love every second of it because it's my music, but I don't want my bad night to leave the venue guys out of pocket for taking a risk on me.
To the few venues that can afford not to charge bands a booking fee/venue hire- you guys are obviously doing something right. What are the things you think you're doing differently to be able to offer the venue to bands for free?
dood, i fully understand and agree with ...
dood, i fully understand and agree with what you're sayin. thats why i think it should run on a deposit/bond type system. that way, depending on the criteria (heads through the door or money made on the bar) theres still a possibility of the band getting theyre money back AND the venue covering costs.
all that being said... ive seen the figures Kings Arms are charging, and they're not unreasonable. Mark (?!?! i think thats his name), the house engineer at KA, is a very capable and On-To-It Engineer, and an artist could be charged a lot more for the services he provides.
Kings Arms has also gone to alot of effort to avoid the Venue/Residential issue with its new sound wall etc, and i think that deserves some respect. KA is a great venue and its doing all it can (quite succesfully) to keep having artists and bands perform there without complaint from nearby residents.
because theyre not charging a lot of money, perhaps if a band cant justify paying the costs, theyre not ready to start playing venues like kings arms. Maybe they should stick to slightly smaller venues like the Bollix and the temple, 223 etc.
youre not exactly gonna book out the powerstation/oracle if you dont think youre gonna get enough people to cover costs, why should it be different for other venues?
Just an update on this. KA have ...
Just an update on this. KA have clarifed the charges; there was some confusion as to what was to be paid to who. Basically each band that plays on a given night will be charged a fee based on the door charge. There appears to be no extra charge for the engineer as it first seemed.
So for a $5 per head door charge each band would pay $30 to the KA.