Pay to play?!

I never have, but I guess it can happen at several clubs in Seattle.  The Preachers always play for a set fee, and rarely perform in a club where a cover charge is being collected any more.  Only a couple of the clubs we play in provide PA gear (let alone a soundman) so we are usually dragging a PA system around with us up and down the I-5 corridor.

I recall dropping in on some friends' blues band that was playing at a club in the Fremont neighborhood a couple of years ago.  They were the third (and final band) band to play that night.  I paid a $5.00 cover to get in.  This club provided a full pro PA system and soundman.  The soundman and doorman were paid a guaranteed amount, which was deducted from what was collected at the door before the bands were paid.  

My pals' share of the evenings take?  Twenty dollars, or four dollars apiece - about the price of a double tall mocha at a Seattle coffee shop.  Yikes!! 

Look here for an interesting blog post by Seattle drummer and instructor Tarik Abouzied about the economy that underlies the Seattle music scene.  Be sure to check out the readers' comments, some are quite good.

The Preachers are rehearsing today.  See you at the nightclub!

You can check out the Boneyard Preachers here.