Alice and $$

[Kurt Finchum <finchumk@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm not the 
name artist, I was in the backup band.  At no time was 'freebie' ever 
mentioned when we were first contacted about it.   I can promise you 
that many of the people onstage were getting
paid.  The musicians who replaced us definitely did.   When all those 
big names played Knebworth, I guarantee you the backup bands made their 
usual weekly salaries even though the name artists weren't being 
paid.    That's the way these things work, or at least
it's supposed to be.   Plus the name artists undoubtedly make up for the
 freebie in album sales, something the backup musicians don't benefit 
from.   





Who insulted anyone for doing charity work or helping people?  Not me.  
 What I have a problem with is being approached to play a gig, and then 
finding out two days later that it doesn't pay, as if that minor detail 
wasn't worth mentioning when we were first
approached.    The sound guys get paid.  The roadies get paid.  The beer
 salesmen get paid.   The janitor who cleans the toilets the next day 
gets paid.   But apparently what the musicians do has no value.   It's 
nice to know we're worth less than the janitor.





Think of it this way:  if a corporate executive decides to make a 
charitable donation, does he take it out of the employees salaries?  Of 
course not.   You need to understand that in most bands, there is an 
owner (or partners), and there are employees.   The
salaried employees don't get a cut of the profits on a high-paying gig, 
nor are they expected to take the hit on a low-paying one.   That's what
 salaried means.   





I've been reading the SRV book, and noticed that even after SRV got 
signed and his album was selling like crazy and they were making 
thousands per show, the two members of Double Trouble were making only 
$400 a week (p 213).  That's not much, but they would
have made that even if SRV played a freebie gig.   It's up to the leader
 to take the hit, not the salaried bandmembers.  











> Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:22:43 +0100


> From: dr4gonlady@xxxxxxxxxxx


> 


> That "some kind of Christmas show" is the annual Christmas Pudding, all 


> the artists donate their fee to Alice's charity. That's the whole 


> purpose of the event. Fans travel from all around the world to see it.


> 


> Of course you're allowed to refuse, but I find it a bit weird to insult 


> someone just because they do charity work? Since when is it a crime to 


> want to help people?