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NJ Festival Flop...

 
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jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1485

PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:35 pm    Post subject: NJ Festival Flop... Reply with quote

Arrgh, well it's happened again... playing a festival and not getting paid. The "New Alternative Music" festival in Asbury Park NJ that we played last Saturday... they had booked too many bands, and booked a very huge venue (the Convention Hall), and it seems that the festival ticket sales were below what they expected. So there's no money to pay the bands. This is a problem! I don't want to chase after these people or cause trouble for them, because it's nice folks and a worthy organization and a good idea and all that. But PLEASE don't tell bands that you'll pay them, and make them travel to play a gig, and then tell them AFTER they have traveled and played that the money promised to them does not exist! We were offered an upstate NY gig on the same date at the NJ festival, but we had had to turn down that other show because of our festival commitment; decisions like this get made all the time, so it's really a drag when the event that you stay loyal to is not able to honor their end of the agreement.
Luckily, in this situation, it was not very much money at stake, we had not traveled a very far distance (about an 1.5 hour drive from NYC, and no flights involved, just $40 of tolls, it could have been a lot worse, for bands that travelled a lot further!).
Maybe the lesson is - don't promise people money that you don't actually have. Make sure you have the money to cover your agreements, whether or not the ticket sales for the festival reach a certain point. You can't just start with zero money and HOPE that you make enough to pay people what you owe them. The agreement is never phrased like "well, IF it reaches a certain level, THEN you'll get paid"... that would be a much different sort of agreement for a band to make.
This has happened to us before!
At least we're still doing okay. The UK/Europe tour was fine!
And I'm looking forward to the USA tour in November-December!
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misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 10:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree, as awful as it is, it's a business and people are relying on getting paid to pay their bills, money is a horrible thing to come into it but this is the way the world is. I'm sorry you didn't get your money, good for you putting it out there so maybe next time people will think twice about agreeing to do the festival in the future.
Be safe x
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keithos



Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 44

PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 8:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I see you're doing a few gigs in New York over the next few weeks. I'm going to be there for the first week of October - you got anything lined up for then? Any other recommendations for things to see would be gratefully received. I'm going to be staying in Brooklyn
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misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lucky you Keithos, business or pleasure? I hope the police presence has gone a bit quieter by then. I 'm nervous of any country where there are a lot of armed police about for some reason. x
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keithos



Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 44

PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, yeah just a little holiday. I've booked up a few activities but no gigs yet so I feel I ought to go to at least one.
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jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1485

PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What day do you arrive?
I've got a few little NYC things happening, even tho I keep trying to NOT do too many NYC gigs, stuff always comes up and I have a hard time saying no to various friends who want me to play shows... so I've got:
Sun Sept 25 - "secret" gig at Cakeshop, NYC, 11pm
Thurs Sept 29 - solo gig at Union Hall, Brooklyn
Oct 1 - MAYBE I'll get roped into doing a set at Pinebox Rockshop but I haven't said yes
Oct 8 or 9? Maybe the annual Tuli Kupferberg tribute gig, where I usually assemble a band to play a set of Tuli's songs at Sidewalk... but I haven't booked the date yet...
Nov 1 - maybe a solo set at Sidewalk
Nov 8 or 11 - maybe a band set as part of a show that Peter Stampfel is trying to put together in Brookyn
Maybe other stuff will come up to.
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misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is cakeshop an actual cake shop?! Cake and music sounds very good x
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jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1485

PostPosted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 3:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cakeshop has a cafe/bar upstairs and a music venue/bar downstairs... the cafe does have cake, but not as a particular specialty! It would be nice if they had more cake on offer, all over the place!
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keithos



Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 44

PostPosted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 12:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm there from Tuesday 4th - Saturday 8th Oct so it looks like not during anything you have lined up at present. Please do make it known if you get roped into anything else though!
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misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 9:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There is definitely something in watching the right gig with a cup of something hot and a piece of cake.
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