Band Etiquette Question

[Eddie Famine]

So my wife just got into a corporate/wedding type band, where the guys dress in suits and play "the dance hits from the 70's 80's and more..." Get down tonight type stuff. Anyhow they've been practicing at the bassist house where he has a PA and recording equipment. When they have played out they paid him an extra man portion for the use of his PA at the gigs. They are now starting to get booked at places that have there own sound systems. The bassist still wants his extra man pay even if they don't use his PA, because they use it at his house. He says if they rented a place they'd have to pay someone. He wants his. Now i've never paid a guy to practice at his house before. I don't think that's right. I know he's invested $ in his gear, but hasn't everyone? And if everyone is paying into the system, and someone leaves, do they have to pay him back?
I'm not trying to start something, it's not my band, but what do you think? Should he get paid double because the practice at his house?

[Thinline_slim]

No, absolutely not.

Does anyone get paid for gas/time when commuting to his place for practice? I doubt it. How about the extra wear and tear on your gear for lugging it to his place? I doubt it. When it comes to gig time does he do all the load in/load out and set-up/tear down himself like a hired sound man? I doubt it.

He may be sporting the PA and the property but honestly, he can stroll into practice at his leisure and then once practice is over and everyone leaves, well hot damn, he's already at home!

That kind of BS is something that pisses me off to no end. In all of my projects I've furnished the lions share of the PA if not all of it plus lights plus my guitar gear etc and you know what? The money gets split equally per man. The whole "Without the PA we can't gig.. blah-blah" get's old because I guarantee you it's a hell of a lot harder to put a gig together without a bass player or a drummer. A PA just takes a little bit of cash.

[savage8190]

Sound pretty bogus if you ask me. I wouldn't be down with it. It would be one thing if the band went in on the gear (which wouldn't be a great idea either), but its his, he bought it, he should suck it up.

[myboss57]

From my point of view, I'd have to say a big, "OH HEEEEELLLLLL NOOOOO" to that!

I think Thinline_Slim about summed it up right!

[Dark Helmet]

hell no.

[baytamusic]

Uh, no. I have thousands of dollars worth of recording equipment my band uses to record our stuff, and I'd never even think of asking them for money to record at my studio. What a tool...

[Icarus]

What a tool. I don't think I could be in a band with anybody who even thought like that let alone demanded it.

If I had to pay either way, I'd choose a dedicated rehearsal room over that douche's yard just so I knew my moola wasn't lining his pocket. People like that make my sh*t itch.

[Borderline Productions]

You have shaken my world view! It is always the rhythm guitar player who owns the PA. They need to own the PA because they are most expendable member of the band. Bass players and drummers (if they are any good) will always have gigs, but the rhythm guitar player need the PA as insurance.

If a BASS PLAYER is stupid enough to own the PA he is either not very good, or he deserves to absorb the cost of his gear. After all, he can always sell it.

[sidvicious]

is there a woman riding his back?

[Captain Bb]

Get another bass player.

[NickW]

What a ludicrous set up.

Agree with Capt Bb's above post, get rid of the bassist.

If your wife and rest of the band want to stick together perhaps everyone could chip in for a PA system then no-one will be shelling out money all the time to this plonker. He then might get browned off and leave...result!

[Thinline_slim]

What a ludicrous set up.

Agree with Capt Bb's above post, get rid of the bassist.

If your wife and rest of the band want to stick together perhaps everyone could chip in for a PA system then no-one will be shelling out money all the time to this plonker. He then might get browned off and leave...result!

What I have done in the past is everyone gets a different part of the PA and then it's shared equally. Helps everyone out. By that I mean one man brings the floor monitors, one man brings the mains, one man brings the power head/board and lights. That way each person has ownership of their gear but together you have a whole PA. Therefor everyone is sharing equally in the rhythm guitarists responsibility.....



Hold on, I'm play a lot of the rhythm guitarist parts in my current project.....

In all of my projects I've furnished the lions share of the PA if not all of it plus lights plus my guitar gear etc...

I have become the rhythm guitarist.....

[Woodsie]

we had been practicing at my other guitarist's house for almost a year. they are expecting a child any day now so we decided to move practice to my house. let me tell you, i'd pay the rest of them for the convenience. i have the space so it's a non issue. i love having all my gear at home and not have to haul it around. when we started gigging, my singer brought up the idea of splitting the money as evenly as possible and, if there's any left over(a few bucks here and there), it should go to me to pay for things like electricity. he said it like it was a common practice. i told him i wanted nothing to do with it and expected nothing more than what every one else was getting. I love practicing at home. i have everyting i always dreamt of as a child in my basement.

[OrangePaul]

The fact that he's still wanting his extra cut even when using an in-house PA sez it all really...

What a douche

[baytamusic]

Let's see those bassists and drummers write a good song though...