Hollywood Hasn’t Changed a Bit

03.12.07 | Ramblings

In fact, it’s gotten worse than it was “back in my day” of playing the clubs on the Sunset Strip. It’s sad to see that the promoters are still ripping off naive bands who don’t know any better, and giving them less stage time while doing it.

My wife and I went with my sister-in-law to go see her son (my nephew) play his first “big club gig” on Saturday night at the Key Club in Hollywood (known as Gazarri’s back in my day). It was some kind of cattle call round-up that they tried to pass off as a “showcase” event, with 10 different bands only getting to play three or four tunes apiece. At least in my day (I’m starting to sound too old…) you got to do a full set of 10 tunes using your own gear before getting kicked off the stage.

For each band to get to play, they had to sell 100 tickets at $15 a pop — or $1500 worth of tickets. Multiply that by the 10 “showcased” bands and you’ve got a hefty payday for the promoters of at least $10,000 after figuring for the venue rental (if that even happened) and other expenses (ticket printing & photo copies at Kinko’s). The bands were not paid in any way¹ — which is appalling!

My nephew’s band — still being green — didn’t understand the whole “pay to play” concept that goes on in Hollywood, so they didn’t really hustle to sell all their tickets. Sadly, they found out about it 30 minutes before they were supposed to take the stage. The promoter basically told them “Come up with the extra $500 right now, or you don’t play tonight.” Needless to say, they didn’t play. How are five kids — 17 & 18 year olds — supposed to come up with that kind of cash at the drop of a hat? Mom & Dad? It’s sad that they had to learn such a hard lesson about “the business” in the manner they did.

What’s worse, they got no refund for the tickets they did sell² — nearly $1,000 worth. So roughly 65 family and friends who drove more than an hour to come see them didn’t get to, and essentially got ripped off by the “promoter” as well.

There’s a lesson for young musicians in this; Trust no one in a business suit in the music industry — ever, no matter what. If you get offered a gig by a club or promoter, be sure you read the entire contract closely several times BEFORE you sign it. In fact, have a seasoned musician look at it if you can. There’s a good chance they’ve been burned the same way once (yes, I was) and they know what to look for. I guarantee that the smiling schmuck on the other side of the desk is not looking out for your best interests. They are not your friend despite what they lead you to believe. They’re simply out to make a buck, and nothing else.

Remember: There’s much more to playing music than just playing the music.

1. This kind of crap doesn’t happen in other big music cities, such as Austin, Nashville or Minneapolis (New York - I’m not too sure about). Musicians in those cities can make a living playing. For some bizarre reason, clubs in Hollywood are able to get away with requiring talented musicians to provide their craft for free. Ridiculous! ↩
2. Be darned sure you ALWAYS get a signed receipt for ANY cash you hand over to someone — even if you think you can trust them (this includes your “manager”). When I say always & any, I mean just that — every single time no matter how small the amount. That little piece of paper will be the only proof that you gave them the cash if you need to take some kind of legal action about it. ↩