Serious freebie gig dilemma

[theGman]

I'm with the "do it anyway" crowd, no day early sound check. The cops should be aware that, if they would do it for free, they shouldn't expect others to without at least gas and food covered,

 

I'm a reserve cop in our city police and we have done just a few benefits over the years, but I always get money for the others, even if it's a lower amount than usual, and never without OKs from the others.

 

It's not about the money, it's about courtesy and respect for the other band members.

Just think what a mess your band would be if everyone else took their current approach.

 

 

[B3bluesman59]

Get a big tip jar with a "tips" sign taped to it. Display prominently at the front of the stage within reach of the dancers/crowd,etc. Arrange to have the hottest babe in the venue pass the tip jar once an hour or during your breaks. You will be amazed at how much tip money will roll in.

[Bobadohshe]

In my experience I think you're best served in a situation with language like this:

 

+1. This sounds like its a really big deal to the two blue bros. give them that thrill and pride for your band. Tell them you don't like to do free gigs but you're excited to do just this one as a favor to them as you know its important to them. But sorry, can't make a sound check a day before the gig, but don't worry we'll be fine and rock it!

 

This way you convey your stance but keep the vibe positive. If you say 'Man, a cause like our hard working police is something I'm happy to make an exception for' then you at least score huge huge huge points with these guys. You make your stance known and create all kinds of good chemistry. You also don't have to feel like you need to do any freebies in the future (unless they want more police gig freebies in the future). Every time you say no to a freebie in the future, you are making the police dudes feel even more special, because you made that exception for them.

 

Curious what you ended up doing?

[cedar]

Since it appears the the topic of freebies was not discussed in the past - and the event might be important to two members - I agree it's reasonable to appear this time, while making your feelings known about future such events.

 

But I'll add one observation. If this approach causes friction with the leader or other people, then that's their problem, not yours. No one should get pissed at you if you make your feelings - which are understandable - known in advance.

[hatricklov]

+1. This sounds like its a really big deal to the two blue bros. give them that thrill and pride for your band. Tell them you don't like to do free gigs but you're excited to do just this one as a favor to them as you know its important to them. But sorry, can't make a sound check a day before the gig, but don't worry we'll be fine and rock it!

This and +1 about mentioning it being a favor to help set the tone that they would hopefully pay it back at some point and appreciate your participation. Maybe you parlay it into a potential opportunity that pays more down the line that they don't necessarily want to do? Also, I wouldn't draw a hard line against these types of events... you might really enjoy it. You might temper it with caution by saying it's not your preference to do freebies, let's see how it goes... shows that you're willing and you can always give feedback after the gig.

 

One thing I noticed no one else has commented on yet...

 

I should also mention that one of the reasons that we only play once a month is that we have a lot of not available days in our calendar, with a majority of them due to these two guys. The band is split 50/50 between those of us who want to play more and the "others"

This is a bit of a red flag to me. I'm not currently gigging like I used to, but my old group was this way in that half wanted to play every weekend possible and the other half wanted some flexibility and at least a couple weekends off a month. The breakdown came between the guys who didn't have the greatest-paying jobs (play all the time, I need the money!) vs. guys with decent jobs and saw the gig money as a bonus and funding for music gear. I can't say this specifically broke up my old group, but it certainly was a point of contention occasionally.

 

Props to you if the group can compromise and make it work, but if I ever get back into the band scene, this will be priority when I'm 'interviewing' to try and find a group with similar commitment goals as me!

[zeronyne]

I am normally a raging opponent to doing ANYTHING pro bono. Being a musician/creative director/web designer, you can imagine the amount of "good for your portfolio" I'm asked to do. I have a hard and fast rule against working for free. Period.

 

But this is a hard one. Despite all of my personal experiences with law enforcement (99% bad), I really respect the profession and would do something if I could for them. It also doesn't seem like they were trying to railroad you into playing, so it's nice that they simply asked. And two of your bandmates are in blue. I personally would do this gig and deduct the gas (and maybe even time) from my taxes. It's mainly symbolic at that point, but it would be a small justification that you could use as a personal loophole.

 

I don't think anyone would blame you for not doing this gig, but I don't think anyone here would criticize you for playing considering all of the circumstances.

[Adan]

I'd echo what others have said about gigs like this. I've played exactly this scenario . . . tail end of a talent show for a police benefit. It wasn't just a waste of time, it was a humiliating, soul-degrading waste of time.

 

I've never been one to say "no freebies." It's case by case.

[clpete]

When some of the band wants to do a freebie, it can be hard to not go along. However, you need to make a stand so that they understand you expect to be paid for gigs and freebies are not ok for them to book expecting you to just go along.

 

Band members wanting to play an event that they are clearly emotionally attached to should at least offer to gas money to members that have no interest in the gig. Its great to give back or back up your bandmates for a good reason. The cop gig isnt even a good cause. They just want to show off their stuff for their work buddies.

 

Its kind of like the crowd asking us to keep playing after we should be done. We expect to be compensated. We have a tip jar. We are usually willing to play a few more songs if they are willing to drop some money in the jar. Its ironic that the guy who has pressured us into playing freebies is also the guy who refuses to play extra songs without tips going in Jar.

 

We did a freebie early this summer. It was a poker run event to raise money for a cause. A couple of the guys really thought we needed to play it. I reluctantly went along. We were supposed to play for an hour and the sound system/sound guy was provided. Well, turns out we ended up having to use our monitors system. This was a mess. We get done playing our time slot, the MC gets up and starts an auction. Someone had a brilliant idea for us to play another set after the auction. Our band leader agrees, without asking us, to do this. I could tell that the auction was going to take some time. I broke down and left. I played what I agreed to. They played a couple songs, without me, after waiting around for an hour. So, a couple months later there was another poker run which our fearless agreed to do. I flat out told them that I didnt want to do it. The band ended up opting out of the gig even though they will play without me.