How do musicians get paid?

[Loco Mo]

I have often wondered about this.  If you're in a band or ever have been in a band, how do you get paid?

Here are my questions about this:

1.  Do you get a check or a deposit to an account?
2.  If a check, is it made out to your band name or to a band member?
2.  Do you get paid in cash?
3.  Who pays you?  Does the payer pay the lead person in your band?
4.  Does the lead member in your band distribute the money?  If so, do you trust him?
5.  Are band members paid equally or do different members make more than others?
6.  Does someone think he's the most important member in the band and thinks he should be paid more than everyone else?
7.  Have you ever not been paid even though you were supposed to be paid?
8.  Have you ever been lied to about how much the band was paid and you got shorted in the process?
9.  Do you think all band members should be paid equally?  Or do you think a person should be paid differently depending on their instrument, such as a guitarist vs a drummer or a lead singer vs a background singer?
10.  If you're in a teenage band, who controls the money and how people get paid?
11.  If in a teenage band, do parents ever get involved in handling the money?
12.  If in a teenage band, do any of you have parents who expect you to pay them a part of what you make for room and board or whatever?
13.  Are you satisfied with what you make?  Do you think you're paid too little for what you're worth?
14.  Do you work for free a lot (or always)?

Well, thanks for answering.  I was a musician years ago and I never made any money.  Lots of times we played for different members family parties and, of course, no one paid you for that.  Feeling good about playing was supposed to be your paycheck.  It was like people thought they were doing you a favor by letting you play for them.

Again, your answers, insights, and comments are much appreciated and I greatly look forward to hearing them!

[tkitna]

I have often wondered about this.  If you're in a band or ever have been in a band, how do you get paid?

Here are my questions about this:

1.  Do you get a check or a deposit to an account?
2.  If a check, is it made out to your band name or to a band member?
2.  Do you get paid in cash?
3.  Who pays you?  Does the payer pay the lead person in your band?
4.  Does the lead member in your band distribute the money?  If so, do you trust him?
5.  Are band members paid equally or do different members make more than others?
6.  Does someone think he's the most important member in the band and thinks he should be paid more than everyone else?
7.  Have you ever not been paid even though you were supposed to be paid?
8.  Have you ever been lied to about how much the band was paid and you got shorted in the process?
9.  Do you think all band members should be paid equally?  Or do you think a person should be paid differently depending on their instrument, such as a guitarist vs a drummer or a lead singer vs a background singer?
10.  If you're in a teenage band, who controls the money and how people get paid?
11.  If in a teenage band, do parents ever get involved in handling the money?
12.  If in a teenage band, do any of you have parents who expect you to pay them a part of what you make for room and board or whatever?
13.  Are you satisfied with what you make?  Do you think you're paid too little for what you're worth?
14.  Do you work for free a lot (or always)?

Well, thanks for answering.  I was a musician years ago and I never made any money.  Lots of times we played for different members family parties and, of course, no one paid you for that.  Feeling good about paying was supposed to be your paycheck.  It was like people thought they were doing you a favor by letting you play for them.

Again, your answers, insights, and comments are much appreciated and I greatly look forward to hearing them!

Cor (Bobber) is who needs to answer this, but I can tell you from a garage/bar band point of view anyways.

1.  Always got paid cash from what they made at the door.  There was 5 of us and we were guaranteed $50 buck a piece.  Sometimes we got more (depending on the club) and sometimes we got $50 bucks.  This was in the late 80's and early 90's so I'm sure that isn't accurate anymore.

2. ?

3. Yes

4.  Our rhythm guitar handled the money.  He didn't drink.

5. We were paid evenly, but I don't know how big band do it.  Like Chicago for instance.  Do the horn players make as much as the guitar players or drummer?  Don't know.

6.  Of course.  Its always the lead guitar player.

7.  Bunch of times.  Sucks.

8. Couple of times, but rarely.

9. I've played with some world class musicians on rare occasions that I knew was getting paid more than I was and I was fine with that.  They deserved it.  I've played with some squids too that thought they deserved more money, but deserved less.

10.  A parent

11. Yep, but in my case, it was such a paltry amount, I'm not sure it even counts.

12. Don't know.  Never really played far enough away to amount to anything.  Couple hours at the most.

13.  Again, I was never in a serious enough or good enough band for it to be an issue.  just did it for fun, but being the drummer, tearing down and setting up sucked and that's what I felt like I was being paid for.  Free beer was cool back then too.

14.  More than I liked.  Always was playing for a bandmates friend or a girls birthday party.  It was a pain.  For the last 10 years, my gig has been with the churches worship team, so everything is free now.  Lol.

[Moogmodule]

I have often wondered about this.  If you're in a band or ever have been in a band, how do you get paid?

Here are my questions about this:

1.  Do you get a check or a deposit to an account?
2.  If a check, is it made out to your band name or to a band member?
2.  Do you get paid in cash?
3.  Who pays you?  Does the payer pay the lead person in your band?
4.  Does the lead member in your band distribute the money?  If so, do you trust him?
5.  Are band members paid equally or do different members make more than others?
6.  Does someone think he's the most important member in the band and thinks he should be paid more than everyone else?
7.  Have you ever not been paid even though you were supposed to be paid?
8.  Have you ever been lied to about how much the band was paid and you got shorted in the process?
9.  Do you think all band members should be paid equally?  Or do you think a person should be paid differently depending on their instrument, such as a guitarist vs a drummer or a lead singer vs a background singer?
10.  If you're in a teenage band, who controls the money and how people get paid?
11.  If in a teenage band, do parents ever get involved in handling the money?
12.  If in a teenage band, do any of you have parents who expect you to pay them a part of what you make for room and board or whatever?
13.  Are you satisfied with what you make?  Do you think you're paid too little for what you're worth?
14.  Do you work for free a lot (or always)?

Well, thanks for answering.  I was a musician years ago and I never made any money.  Lots of times we played for different members family parties and, of course, no one paid you for that.  Feeling good about paying was supposed to be your paycheck.  It was like people thought they were doing you a favor by letting you play for them.

Again, your answers, insights, and comments are much appreciated and I greatly look forward to hearing them!

I haven't been paid to perform in 30 odd years. But what the hell. Fun to answer anyway.

1. 90 percent of the time had cash. The 10 per cent was by cheque to the band name. We had an account opened for that purpose.

2. Band name

3. See answer to 1.

4. We had a manager who handled that.

5. All live performance money was split equally.

6. Well. Me (guitarist and co lead singer) and keyboardist did all the singing, writing and, with the manager,  the organising. But since we were both such lovely people we didn't ask for more.

7. Yes. Luckily the musicians union went into bat for us and we got it.

8. I hope not. Didn't seem like it

9. Definitely lead guitarist deserves more.

10 -12  Teenage bands were all free gigs I think. Hard to remember now.

13 I only very rarely play now. It's always for free as I just sit in. . Although I usually do it with my old keyboardist. He still gets paid. Around 500 Australian dollars a night. It's just spare cash for him.

14. Haven't been paid since the 80s. If I was living off it I'd be dead.

[nimrod]

1.  Do you get a check or a deposit to an account?
2.  If a check, is it made out to your band name or to a band member?
2.  Do you get paid in cash?
3.  Who pays you?  Does the payer pay the lead person in your band?
4.  Does the lead member in your band distribute the money?  If so, do you trust him?
5.  Are band members paid equally or do different members make more than others?
6.  Does someone think he's the most important member in the band and thinks he should be paid more than everyone else?
7.  Have you ever not been paid even though you were supposed to be paid?
8.  Have you ever been lied to about how much the band was paid and you got shorted in the process?
9.  Do you think all band members should be paid equally?  Or do you think a person should be paid differently depending on their instrument, such as a guitarist vs a drummer or a lead singer vs a background singer?
13.  Are you satisfied with what you make?  Do you think you're paid too little for what you're worth?
14.  Do you work for free a lot (or always)?
(/quote]

1) Depends if its for an agent or private gig, if agent gig then straight into a bank, can be weeks later
2) Get paid in cash if its a private gig like for a party or wedding.
3) Usually the one who gets the gig gets paid then sends a share to the others
5) All paid equally
6) No
7) Just once
No
9) All Equal
13) Too little
14) Never

[Loco Mo]

Thanks, tkitna, Moog and Nim.  I will have to review your answers and submit your grades afterward - although grading may be difficult for questions with no universally correct answers.

BTW:  Can musical performance be priced or is it priceless?  If priceless, then I think you could never be paid enough.

From my many web travels, I've gotten the impression that many musicians are very unhappy with the money end of it.  It's like very few can actually make a living off of music.

But - those dinosaurs of Rock and Rock from the 60s, 70s and 80s still seem to fare well in today's world of music pay poverty.  The legends can still benefit from their fame as long as they release previously unreleased materials or variations on old hits or graphically pleasing materials and books to accompany their products.

I'd hate not being able to break even after investing money in music lessons and in the instruments themselves.

I guess you play for the love of it and as people nowadays seem to universally say:  that's enough - you don't need to be paid for something you love.  And besides, we like you playing for free because well, we don't want to spend any money on anything and that suits us perfectly.  Oh, the modern fan - what a precious jewel he is, isn't he?

[Moogmodule]

Thanks, tkitna, Moog and Nim.  I will have to review your answers and submit your grades afterward - although grading may be difficult in for questions with no universally correct answers.

BTW:  Can musical performance be priced or is it priceless?  If priceless, then I think you could never be paid enough.

From my many web travels, I've gotten the impression that many musicians are very unhappy with the money end of it.  It's like very few can actually make a living off of music.

But - those dinosaurs of Rock and Rock from the 60s, 70s and 80s still seem to fare well in today's world of music pay poverty.  The legends can still benefit from their fame as long as they release previously unreleased materials or variations on old hits or graphically pleasing materials and books to accompany their products.

I'd hate not being able to break even after investing money in music lessons and in the instruments themselves.

I guess you play for the love of it and as people nowadays seem to universally say:  that's enough - you don't need to be paid for something you love.  And besides, we like you playing for free because well, we don't want to spend any money on anything and that suits us perfectly.  Oh, the modern fan - what a precious jewel he is, isn't he?

I'd say 99+% of people never recoup the time and cost of getting decent at music. You do it because you love it. It's the only reason. Very few people are then able to turn it into something like a living.

[nimrod]

I never expected to make a living out of music, that's why I became an engineer 
Musicians can't get mortgages.

[Hello Goodbye]

I only played in a band once.  I had a blues guitar lesson with Ian Buchanan that day and his band, The Pigmeat Blues Band, had a gig at The Metro Bar that evening...


https://youtu.be/th__Lp1tgQw


Ian received a phone call from his rhythm guitarist who said he was arrested and couldn't make the gig.  Ian asked if I could fill in on rhythm guitar.  I told him I never played in a band before.  He told me to just chunk out chords and keep in time with the drummer.  Reluctantly, I agreed.

In the middle of the first song (playing above), Ian turned the volume knob on my amp to 0 and told me to just "look like I was playing guitar."

[nimrod]

I only played in a band once.  I had a blues guitar lesson with Ian Buchanan that day and his band, The Pigmeat Blues Band, had a gig at The Metro Bar that evening...


https://youtu.be/th__Lp1tgQw


Ian received a phone call from his rhythm guitarist who said he was arrested and couldn't make the gig.  Ian asked if I could fill in on rhythm guitar.  I told him I never played in a band before.  He told me to just chunk out chords and keep in time with the drummer.  Reluctantly, I agreed.

In the middle of the first song (playing above), Ian turned the volume knob on my amp to 0 and told me to just "look like I was playing guitar."

ha2ha
That's a big thing to admit Baz.

[Moogmodule]

I only played in a band once.  I had a blues guitar lesson with Ian Buchanan that day and his band, The Pigmeat Blues Band, had a gig at The Metro Bar that evening...


https://youtu.be/th__Lp1tgQw


Ian received a phone call from his rhythm guitarist who said he was arrested and couldn't make the gig.  Ian asked if I could fill in on rhythm guitar.  I told him I never played in a band before.  He told me to just chunk out chords and keep in time with the drummer.  Reluctantly, I agreed.

In the middle of the first song (playing above), Ian turned the volume knob on my amp to 0 and told me to just "look like I was playing guitar."

ha2ha

[Hello Goodbye]

ha2ha
That's a big thing to admit Baz.

ha2ha

Yeah, well I told Ian I wouldn't be any good.  I learned what it was like being Stu Sutcliffe...

[Hello Goodbye]

Ian Buchanan and his band were all about fifteen years older than me.  I was 22 at the time.  They were all tough, seasoned and rode motorcycles.  Several weeks later, they invited me to join them for a meal at The Broome Street Bar in lower Manhattan where they were very well known and sometimes played gigs.  Our waitress was very pretty with long brown hair.  She was wearing a halter top and hiphugger jeans.  I told Ian that she was a "10."  He wasn't sure what I meant so I said that she was a 10 on the Richter Scale.  Steve, the rhythm guitarist, was out of jail and said "Oh. a major earthquake?"  I said yes.  When she came back to take our orders, Ian said "This is Barry, one of my students.  He thinks you're a 10."  I was blushing all over the place but she smiled at me and continued taking our orders.  When she left our table, she tousled my hair on her way to the kitchen.

It sure was fun hanging out with those guys!

[Moogmodule]

Great story HG. Sometimes i think the nicest part of being a muso was just the hanging out.

[Hello Goodbye]

And I got to do that a few times Moog.  I would always ask him "When are we going to The Broome Street Bar again?"

Ian went to Antioch College and while there lived in the same rooming house as Jorma Kaukonen.  He taught Jorma the style of fingerpicking Delta blues he learned from Reverend Gary Davis...


https://youtu.be/q_AJifsE2eQ


https://youtu.be/Rw5u6xQQ0Lc


He was also friends with John McLaughlin and Al Kooper, amongst others.  Al Kooper once dropped by his apartment while I was taking a lesson.  He sat down and waited until my lesson was over.  I didn't know who it was but Ian introduced me to him when my lesson was over.  I could hardly get a word out I was so starstruck.  Ian quickly added "He's planning on being a doctor."  Al Kooper replied "That's good!"

The time Al Kooper waited for my lesson to be over must have been quite painful.   

The only other times I ever played with someone else was with my friend Steve who could play guitar, banjo, the cello, piano and organ.  Seeing Al Kooper that day prompted me to get together with Steve and play some Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde stuff with me on guitar and harmonica (yes, I had an Elton harmonica holder) and Steve on Hammond organ.  We taped a few songs and Steve could do the Al Kooper organ swirls very well.  I did the singing and I think we sounded quite good when we played back the tape.  Steve played those signature organ swirls in One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) just like Al Kooper...


https://youtu.be/Bq-bNR-z7Nk


I wish I had that tape!

[tkitna]

Very cool stories Barry.