Sunday, October 19, 2008

BIG FREE EXPOSURE SHOW!

OK, this one just showed up in the last couple of days. Here was the post:

http://saltlakecity.craigslist.org/muc/883827915.html
FREE EXPOSURE DWNTWN !!!! (SLC DWNTWN)
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A very popular place is going to have a HUGE Haloween party and we need a band. What kind of music do you play? This is NOT for pay, it is for fun. THX

Yeah, thanks. They are having a HUGE Hal(l)oween party at a "very popular place" - so huge and so popular that they cannot afford to pay a band. BUT, they really really want you to play.

Between fits of laughter, I discovered my favorite response to this ad:

Somebody should apply for the gig in question with the intention of flaking on the night of the show. I think it'd be hysterically funny to have a club that was expecting some band to play their enormous Halloween party for free...and then have the management thereof standing around with their dicks in their hands while several hundred people stood around in the silence, sipping their beers and wondering why the fuck they came to such a quiet party. LOL.

You'd have bragging rights as the band that fucked over "the one venue" (whose name we've not been made privy to) by not showing up to play the BIG FREE EXPOSURE SHOW! on Halloween. I'm enough of an asshole that I'd be willing to wear that badge with honor. Yes, you run the risk of getting a bad reputation among club owners in Utah, but since they're all evidently out to fuck musicians (read: us) over to begin with...well...fuck 'em. Do unto others before they have the opportunity to do unto you.

Awesome. It probably won't happen, but it was good to see that other musicians are cluing into the ethical stupidity of these episodes. If you saw this ad, please resist the urge to play it. If you happen upon this "BIG FREE EXPOSURE SHOW" on your Halloween night romps, find the coordinator or host and really give them a real fright - by asking them why they won't do the right thing and pay their musicians.

1 comment:

Weedback said...

Hey,

Yea well the young bands will always jump through the hoops. It has just become comon knowledge for most folks who dont give a rats ass about music that all of it should be free now.

Like your blog a lot. I wrote a little article in mine on what you do. Feel free to check it out at:
http://gigdoggy.wordpress.com/2008/10/21/pay-the-band-blog-for-displeased-musicians/

Would you mind giving me your contact information?

Cheers

Rob

Keep up the good work