Been there, done that..... not once, but many times. Having said that, you really got to admit that many of the places that are asking this of you are not going to pay you much even when they do agree to "talk money"...and on the flip side, many of the bands and artists that will play there for free are worth exactly what they are being paid....... in other words... nothing.

I looked at those free and cheap gigs this way: The band was new, and we needed to try our stuff in front of an audience to see what tended to work and what didn't. Those hole in the wall places were like the McDonald and Burger King fast food minimum wage jobs. They got you in the door and sometimes you could even make some money. At least covering gas. Heck, I've played a few "paying gigs" where the band leader handed me $5 at the end of the night. That didn't cover gas.

The goal, just like the burger flipper job was not to make it a career but simply as a starting point to the higher paid gigs in a few months.

I do recall doing a few "auditions" in some of the clubs. But that was a bit different. These were the clubs that had the biggest and best local bands, paid good money, drew good crowds, and hired no band unheard. You auditioned for free or you didn't play there and they didn't go to hear you in the next town.

On one of those gigs, the deal was play one set. I hire you if I like you, and if I don't hire you, don't call me for at least a year. DEAL! So we showed up and played. He was charging a buck a head for guys, ladies free on a Wed evening. At the end of the set he says, hey, if you play a second set, I'll give you the door receipts. We discussed it and played the second set. We covered the gas and beer and landed several really nice paying middle of the week gigs. He never booked a new band on the weekend until they had a local following. This was a large beach town main street club, and it was "the place" to play on weekends.

If the goal is to use those gigs on a temporary basis, as a stepping stone, then sure....play them if you want. Just don't make a career out of playing free or cheap.


There was a time, at least locally in NC when a good band could make good money. Those days are gone. I lived in a town with a large military base and that town and base supported numerous bands, several of us were full time and the rest were weekend guys. Once the NC DUI laws changed, the club scene started to deteriorate. Then came the DJ's and more clubs stopped using live bands. The military base has now stopped using live bands.
I was talking to a buddy from that town recently on FB. The club scene is nearly dead. The base isn't booking and the civilian clubs use DJ's or jukeboxes.... he said the pay grade for bands is abysmal. You're lucky to make a hundred for the weekend.

I know that locally, here in this town, there used to be several nightclubs that used live bands. now, there are none. The sub shop and there's an expensive boutique restaurant that occasionally books small bands and singles. I'm sure the pay there is tips and a meal.

Live music is in bad shape right now. I certainly would not want to be out there trying to pay my bills from it.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
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