Ethics,Morality,Loyalty and other unused qualities of some musicians.

[Salty Tonk]

This is a long story.But I just have to tell it to ya'll.About 8-10 months ago,My wife had been managing my band,we decided she should branch out and manage some other acts as well.She picked up a female singer who had had some limited success(charted some songs on Christian charts and overseas country charts).The singer was a recording artist but was not playing live at all.We started out by letting her come up with our band and do a few songs.Problem #1,We had a fairly high profile gig(a flood victim benefit)TV news crews,and live radio shows going on.So it was a pretty big exposure thing.Anyway a couple of the guys that were playin with us at this show hadn't played her stuff before.So we set up a rehearsal especially for her tunes.She doesn't show up.Our bass player calls her the next day,she asks what time to come to the show.He tells her she can't come.No practice,No play.That was the first of many episodes.Next my wife booked her at one of the clubs we play at.She was to play one weekend,we were to play the next.The tuesday before her gig she calls my wife and says to call and cancel.She doesn't have a band together.My wife books our gigs there as well.So we had to end the business relationship with the singer.We couldn't have her canceling and my wife having to call and cancel.But the split was supposedly on good terms.We could still all be friends.Anyway sometime later we auditioned a fiddle player for our band and hired him for one gig.The singer comes to the gig,and befriends the fiddle player.We weren't gonna keep the fiddler(he plays too LOUD),the singer hires him as her new manager/bandleader.All was good or so we thought.I helped them out by recording a few tunes of them in my home studio,a demo for hiring other musicians,I did this free of charge.I did it for the experience and to help them out.Well anyway the last thing that happened over the last 3 weeks.Our bass player had taken a house gig in another band a few months back and we were getting set-ins to play our shows.We had and audition set up for a new bass player on a sunday.I had recorded the fiddler in my studio on the friday before,he was to come by and pick up a cd of some different mixes on the sunday,so we were trying to be nice and told him he could sit in on the audition since he would be coming by anyway.We had a good jam,my wife videoed it,the fiddler hung around and played guitar on a few tunes then left and the band really sounded good after he left.We hired the bass player.A few days later the singer(from above)stops by our house with her boyfriend to hang out and have a few beers.I pop in the video of the audition and said"Check out our new bass player".Well the next day after that I try to call the fiddler to tell him I have a new mix on his song I think he would like,no answer left message.My wife trys a few more times,no answer left messages.He never returns the calls.Well we here this last sunday that our new bass player had practiced with their band and they were trying to hire him away from us.My wife talked to the bass player,he is kinda keeping his options open although he said we had first consideration.I forgot to mention that the singer in question comes from a very wealthy family and daddy can pay her musicians way above scale.I can't compete with throwing money around.I think I may lose the bass player.I'm so pissed that the did this to us after all we did for them free of charge.I also forgot to mention that when my wife took her on as a client,my wife told her she wouldn't charge anything for her services until she had her steady bookings and money coming in.She did alot of work i.e. phone calls ,mailing cds,and various other tasks for free.We did all these things out of frienship and good will and we get screwed in the end.Anyway I had to get this off my chest.Sorry for so long.

[whitefang]

I thought that shit only happened with family, from my experience. Sad thing is, if your wife charged a fee up front, the singer would have probably bitched about what a greedy sleeze she is. Given the opportunity, however, the singer shows who the sleeze really is. If they call back, for whatever reason, tell them you moved. Whitefang

[Salty Tonk]

Yeah Whitefang,we have been screening calls this week.She has called about 6-7 times this week.My wife answered the phone 1 time yesterday without lookin at the caller id,and it was her.They had an intresting conversation.My wife was civil,the singer tried to act cool(like nothin was going on)eventually my wife led her into a trap and she was busted.It ended with the singer saying she could care less how we felt about it,she needs a bass player.What a wench. :freak: