DDP is likely the worst offender, their CEO currently earns $360k/year and their hardline corporate mission is more than evident. In light of the collective billions in assets that DDP represents they should pay professional musicians … something. Incredibly, DDP representatives firmly assert that will never happen … never!

Here’s a link to a detailed account of this story:
http://www.dmamusic.org/news/1187/into-the-belly-of-the-beast

Pete Vriesenga, President
Denver Musicians Association
303-573-1717

To have it be worthwhile, you’d need to grab the url(s) associated with the band name as well. Often enough, the url is more important than anything else these days, and if a band already has that, they may not need to deal with you whatsoever.

I would also suggest that you check your motives – life is hard enough for bands these days, especially original bands. Why possess a band name unless you plan on using it for yourself? Just my two cents…

1. Pay is very, very low. I’ve seen far too many bands playing for $50 or less, sometimes much less. And I’ve never seen so many notices on CL, for club or festival gigs that pay nothing, or basically gas money.

2. For clubs to hire three bands (or more) a night, well, that’s pretty crazy. I guess it’s good for them, but awful for musicians trying to make some money for working a Friday or Saturday night. That kind of “sell your own tickets” & “people have to say at the door who they are coming to see” venues, are what I would call, “Showcase rooms”, and I’ve really only seen that in places like LA, where you may have a real chance of being seen by industry people. Who’s been signed or risen to national status, by doing a set at Herman’s Hideaway?

3. I’ve seen gigs featuring a (local) DJ charge three or four times what a live music may be able to get away with, and that really sucks…. which brings me to..

4. I’ve never in my life seen more bands playing bars (even ones that don’t pay beans), doing the same, over-played tunes. The ones that you hear at weddings, corporate events, & company Christmas parties. WTF is up with that? How will you create a following by doing Brick House, September, Play That Funky Music White Boy, & Sweet Home Alabama, night after night, year after year? No wonder people aren’t paying too much attention to who’s playing where, if they know every weekend, they’ll just hear the same songs, some done a little better than others, but after a few drinks, who cares even about that…..

5. I try to see what’s happening at various clubs, especially when I’m not working on a weekend night, and it’s not always very easy. It would be nice if band & venue websites kept up-to-date calendars, or if there was a centralized outlet that had a very comprehensive list of who’s where. And clubs that don’t even post their schedules in their own place, well, that’s just plain dumb, and then they wonder why the band’s following ain’t there, or why the crowd on a Tues or Wed., isn’t growing. Well, when you have hundreds of customers in on the weekends, and they leave, with no clue whatsoever, that you have live music on others nights, much less who’s playing, well, as I said, that helps no one…..

6. I’ve noticed an acceptance on the part of too many musicians, that they’re never going to be paid much, they might as well play free or low, low paying gigs, & the idea of making a living doing it, is a fantasy they never even consider. To see ads for players, where they want top pros only, will be rehearsing regularly, etc, etc, with a GOAL, of playing out a couple times a month, well, ok, whatever…. maybe the sights are set a bit low, yeah?
But what I can’t figure out, is why, since we should all love what we do, do I see a number of bands, on the few gigs in a month they do play out, play with less than 100% intensity, or even professionalism. Again, you aren’t going to gain any excitement or interest, with sloppy, half-assed playing. You needn’t be a virtuoso by any means, but at least give it your all when you’re on stage….

I’ve seen bands in many other towns, from Portland, to Chicago, Atlanta, LA, SF, even in Hawaii, no matter how small or large the venue, go all out when they play. I feel, and certainly not with every band, as there are definitely some great bands & players here, but there’s also a level of complacency & lackadaisicalness here, I’ve simply not experienced any where else, and it’s been both puzzling, and unanticipated….

I was the off-nights band, and the owner was a bit testy, as to what everyone’s status was, he insisted he’s not the employer, and of course, I did too, since I was an IC, as were my band members. However, when there’s a steady engagement involved, whether it’s a solo performer, as I’m doing currently, or a band, it can be very sticky. Obviously, I’m told when to play, and I’m paid either in cash (at one place) or by check, made to me personally (at the other). So, I would imagine, since the gigs have been ongoing for nearly a couple years, that if I were let go, and filed for unemployment, it could create a huge mess for the owners. And not having an actual contract, IMHO, puts the employers in more hot water/gray area, which of course, sucks, cause the last thing we need is for most of the venues to stop hiring musicians/bands, out of fear of their liability.

For many years, I’ve always had all sidemen sign receipts, sent them 1090s, etc, & since the times we played were always set by the clubs or clients, I’ve done my best to avoid any indication of being the “employer”. However, I can see where agencies/event planners could be seen that way, especially if the same few bands are used very frequently, although I disagree with the state, that they should be considered “employers”, as each gig is contracted, and aren’t all the same.

It really is a completely unneeded further burden, on an already tough industry. Sometimes governments go after those, not with the big bucks, but the least able to mount effective (ie. costly) defenses. That’s why millionaires are audited less frequently than small businesses or independent contractors…..