posted
The place I have been going to for karaoke lately was in need of a host for one of their shows because their regular host wasn't going to be able to do the show. So I volunteered (needing the money) and the owner said I was going to do the show. We agreed on $150 and free drinks all night. So I go and rent equipment ($60 that I had to borrow...), then I get to the place and the regular host is already there and running karaoke. The owner tells me "Sorry, I forgot to call you and tell you..."
There's really nothing I can do, but man it sucks.
-------------------- Be still my heart This could be a brand new start with you <3 Posts: 1242 | From: Lakewood, Ohio | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
U betchurazz U got burned, my friend! What the hell is wrong with freakin' people anyway? That situation you suffered through just plain sux - pure and simple!!! Let's hope the "karma-wheel" will spin their way accordingly! I'm sorry you got sooo hosed with regard to all that crap, buddy! I think somebody owes you sixty-bucks at a minimum!!!
Posts: 682 | From: Seattle, Washington, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
I absolutely agree, that sux! You should give the bar owner a bill for total rental cost & $150.00 fee he offered. The fact that he "forgot" isn't your fault. I've had an instance where the Legion I was booked at double booked. When I got there the other person was setting up. They paid me for the entire gig, $175.00. It's great having a wife working at a law firm.
Posts: 23 | From: Baltimore, MD | Registered: Feb 2005
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A friend of mine is hosting somewhere out there during the week. This gig is an oddity for him since his other shows are out in Lake County (the next county east of Cuyahoga, for you non-North Coasters).
Best,
Mark
Posts: 1595 | From: Willoughby Hills, Ohio, USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Mark Speck: What place in Lakewood was this, Tony?
A friend of mine is hosting somewhere out there during the week. This gig is an oddity for him since his other shows are out in Lake County (the next county east of Cuyahoga, for you non-North Coasters).
Best,
Mark
The Lakewood Riviera. The guy who I was filling in for is a good guy, I even helped him out and gave him some suggestions of where to shop for good clothes to wear when he's with his band. Plus he does magic tricks and stuff. Good guy. I even stayed for the show after what happened, just because I love to do karaoke. It just sucks what happened to me.
The place is going through some ownership changes, so maybe that could be to blame but still it's not fair to me.
-------------------- Be still my heart This could be a brand new start with you <3 Posts: 1242 | From: Lakewood, Ohio | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
This is a good reminder to all to have a signed contract with whomever hires you. You MUST protect yourself.
Posts: 902 | From: Joliet,IL.USA | Registered: Oct 2001
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quote:Originally posted by flameslayer: This is a good reminder to all to have a signed contract with whomever hires you. You MUST protect yourself.
That's fine for the KJs that can get a Bar to sign a Contract/Agreement. Where I'm from (NYC), most of the Bars would never sign anything. It's all verbal.
But that's a different topic.
Posts: 235 | From: Forest Hills, NY | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
For private parties, I always have a contract signed along with a 20% deposit. I have a cancellation clause which says they have to pay me an addition 30% if they cancel 5 days before the event and the full amount if they cancel 48 hours before the event (if I get another gig, I keep the 20% and they don't owe me). They can cancel up to 15 days prior for refund of the deposit, but I'm thinking to change that to 30 days now.
I've not had an issue with a club but if I remember right, when I first started with my one and only club a few years back, the owner agreed to a post dated check for half the amount with the rest due on the night of the show for the first show. That was a handshake kind of contract. After the first show, he always had a check for the full amount with, sometimes, an extra $20 to $50 cash bonus on real good nights. The few months before he passed away, that extra $50 was pretty regular. (Man I wish I still had that gig!).
So, I guess when I find my next "steady" club gig, I'll probably do the same thing. My other club gigs were mostly last minute fill-ins for sick/vacationing hosts.
-------------------- The Pappy Smoke, Magic & Mirrors Entertainment A song on the lips is therapy for heart, mind and soul Posts: 249 | From: Greenville, SC USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
Hey you guys don't feel guilty about doing a half down half the day of the gig type arrangement. A lot of contractors do it that way, only to make sure that they don't get boned out of private work, just because everyone knows that the deposit is non refundable.
As to the bar gig, the owner should've at least called you, unfortunately there really isn't anything you can do about it, except don't do business with them in the future.
In the years that I have been in business be it as a part time host or more recently full time there is one thing I know, never go by the word of a bar owner. I've had owner's that I've done extra stuff for little or no profit and in the end it's always "What have you done for me lately." It's an unfortunate part of our business, they know that they hold a good portion of the card deck and use everything that happens as an excuse. Of course some owners are better to work with than others, but they are few and far between that is for certian.
posted
A high dollar entertainment attorney at the Mobile Beat Conference a few years ago in Las Vegas told us that a "Deposit", by nature, is always refundable. A "Retainer" is not. I guess that's why lawyers always are on retainer. I changed the wording in my contracts when I returned home.
Posts: 37 | From: So Cal | Registered: Sep 2000
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I'm not sure "retainer" is correct either. It implies that you still have to provide some service later on - you might not want to if the client is an a-hole.
I wonder what he would say if you called it a "reservation fee". That 20% I charge up front means I'm blocking out the time and date for the client's event and I'm turning down any other requests even though I might make more money. If they cancel on me at the last minute (and it has happened!), I'm screwed except for that 20%.
-------------------- The Pappy Smoke, Magic & Mirrors Entertainment A song on the lips is therapy for heart, mind and soul Posts: 249 | From: Greenville, SC USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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