When do you get paid?

[rpjazzguitar]

I've been doing gigs with a verbal agreement memorialized in an email. Maybe I should use a formal contract, but I haven't bothered up to now. I generally know who I'm dealing with at least by reputation. That is, I know musicians who have worked for the same person and were adequately treated.

But, lately, I've had a couple of gigs where the owner didn't pay us at the end of the gig. My bad, but I didn't have in the email a statement about when we would get paid. So, I've had to chase after the payment.

What is your experience with this? Do you expect payment at the end of the gig? Do you expect to have to wait for it? Do you have the issue detailed in a written agreement?

Just wondering. Thanks in advance.

[AllanAllen]

I got hosed at a long distance gig, they turned us away at load in. Now, I use a contract for almost everything. It does not specify before or after performance, but I know one bandleader who doesn't play until the cash or check is in his pocket.

If they don't sign the contract I don't want to deal with them. It's like a canary test.

[chrisrubenwinters]

It very much depends on who you're working with. Negotiating directly with management at a small restaurant? You will probably get paid on the spot. Playing background music for a large corporate/bureaucratic org? It could take weeks for that check to arrive. Having to chase after (or, more charitably, check the status of) payment is a fairly common occurrence. Untrustworthy bookers who'd deliberately stiff you given the chance are absolutely out there, but many people just get caught up in other things and benefit from a reminder.

Get everything in writing. Having a formal contract can only help, but a small claims court should accept an agreement over email as a binding contract.

[Woody Sound]

Chuck Berry demanded the full amount in a suitcase full of cash up front before the performance, which he handcuffed to a fixture close to him on the stage. He also packed loaded.

[AllanAllen]

Chuck Berry demanded the full amount in a suitcase full of cash up front before the performance, which he handcuffed to a fixture close to him on the stage. He also packed loaded.

It’s difficult to hardball a venue owner when you bring 3-5 people. Much easier to do when you have 5,000 coming to see you.

[pamosmusic]

I have a couple who pay after but I knew that upfront and they’re legit things. A country club who uses a booking agent, so the booking agent pays me when his check clears. And a club where the same business owns a couple breweries, so I’m paid by the accountants for the main spot rather than the manager on site. The former usually takes a week or so and the latter a few days.

The second is kind of pain because I pay the band up front, so the wait is a bummer, but it’s fine.

[Stringswinger]

I have booking agents who pay me after the event (which means I end up fronting the money to my sidemen). I always have emails or written contracts with the booking agents for every gig they provide.

Regular restaurant and bar gigs means payment on the date of the gig. I do not have any written contracts with my regular gigs, but I would have one with any one-off gigs.

Private events always involve a written contract. I get 50% up front as a deposit and the other half on the date of the event.

I have yet to be stiffed by anyone, but I once had a booking agent hire me (and my band) and the day before the gig he called me and told me that the fee would be cut in half. I refused to do the gig (after consulting with my sidemen) and never dealt with him again. And I once had a private event where the money was not there on the date of the gig as agreed. I had to chase my money down (I got it and that client tried to hire me a few more times, but I was not "available" to do any more dates for him.) If your word is not good, I don't want to do business with you.

[DawgBone]

I get paid after the gig. I haven't been stiffed in years. In the era of social media I will take the club down if they were to stiff the band. That kinda talk travels like lighting among musicians around here so it's more or less self policing.

[rpjazzguitar]

In the most recent situation, the date/time of payment was left open. I was thinking (hoping, more accurately) that we'd be paid at the end of the gig.

But, this require data from the ticket taker (how many) and then an action by the owner (paying). We got a percentage of the door.

I wasn't really worried about getting payment because I know a bunch of bands who play there and get paid, but I didn't want it to be forgotten either.

So, I send an email inquiring about the payment and was told I'd be paid the next day. Which didn't happen.

So, I sent another email. The day after that, payment arrived. They claim they paid a higher percentage than promised. Probably true, although we had only an approximate headcount. So, I didn't have to chase the payment very hard, but I'd prefer not to chase it at all, which is what usually happens on an average gig.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

The recent focus on money laundering and the resultant rise in required filings has complicated getting paid. More and more venues of all kinds want W-9s, and some are now requiring us to apply as vendors and follow the same payment process and schedule as their biggest suppliers.

Before Covid, I played solo Sunday mornings and with a trio one night a week at our local Whole Foods. They paid each of us with a WF gift card, which was great since we all shopped there anyway. But corporate decided musicians would have to follow their vendor clearance process, which then meant getting a p.o. from the store manager, submitting an invoice, and being paid the billed amount in 60 days. If you wanted to get paid faster, it was 3% off at 30 days.

I went through the process and was approved, but Covid then shut down their live music program. When restrictions were lifted, they discovered to their amazement that they couldn’t get young musicians to jump through the hoops and then wait 2 months to get paid. We did one night there before they shut down the program again. Yes, I got paid (net 60 days), and I payed my drummer and bass player in cash at the end of the gig.

Another WF about 45 minutes from me has restarted live music, and I’m on the schedule starting in January. According to the person running the program there, they’re still following the corporate policy. We’ll see if that’s really the case when we play. If it is, I’m OK with it since I report all musical income and pay taxes on it anyway.

I’ve been asked for a W-9 by many clubs, restaurants, leaders etc in the last 2 years. But almost all pay at the end of the gig without the hassles of purchase orders, invoices etc. More than a few are now asking for invoices, though.

[Stringswinger]

The recent focus on money laundering and the resultant rise in required filings has complicated getting paid. More and more venues of all kinds want W-9s, and some are now requiring us to apply as vendors and follow the same payment process and schedule as their biggest suppliers.

Before Covid, I played solo Sunday mornings and with a trio one night a week at our local Whole Foods. They paid each of us with a WF gift card, which was great since we all shopped there anyway. But corporate decided musicians would have to follow their vendor clearance process, which then meant getting a p.o. from the store manager, submitting an invoice, and being paid the billed amount in 60 days. If you wanted to get paid faster, it was 3% off at 30 days.

I went through the process and was approved, but Covid then shut down their live music program. When restrictions were lifted, they discovered to their amazement that they couldn’t get young musicians to jump through the hoops and then wait 2 months to get paid. We did one night there before they shut down the program again. Yes, I got paid (net 60 days), and I payed my drummer and bass player in cash at the end of the gig.

Another WF about 45 minutes from me has restarted live music, and I’m on the schedule starting in January. According to the person running the program there, they’re still following the corporate policy. We’ll see if that’s really the case when we play. If it is, I’m OK with it since I report all musical income and pay taxes on it anyway.

I’ve been asked for a W-9 by many clubs, restaurants, leaders etc in the last 2 years. But almost all pay at the end of the gig without the hassles of purchase orders, invoices etc. More than a few are now asking for invoices, though.

I get a lot of 1099's every year (from venues, bandleaders and agents) and I send out a lot of 1099's myself. That is how it works if you want to do music as a profession. Invoicing each gig and waiting 60 days for payment would be fine if I could get say, $100 an hour plus per man, like any other profession or trade would, that supplies services and goes through that process for payment.

[jazzshrink]

[Eugle]

I used to do a lot of gigs on handshake deals or just a quick email, especially when it was through people I trusted or had good word-of-mouth. But after a couple of times chasing down payments, I started adding a simple line in the email like “Payment due at the end of the gig unless otherwise agreed.” It’s not a formal contract, but it helps set expectations.


Now I try to get it in writing, even casually. Learned that the hard way. Speaking of chasing info, while looking up a Unity by Hard Rock phone number for something unrelated, I realized how much smoother things go when there's clear communication upfront. Same idea applies here: if it’s not written down, it’s easy for people to “forget.”