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Dicelines Gigs in Aberdeen


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I will correct you if you're wrong - you didn't read what I typed! Read it again! I said bands SHOULDN'T be salesmen for gigs!

No no, I know you said that - I meant that I completely agree with what you said - just that I was open to correction on it :)

Either way, it looks (sadly) as if these sell-tickets-to-get-paid clowns are really starting to take a grip in Aberdeen :(

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Not really. The only promoters that I'm aware of the operate on the policy of "sell tickets to get paid" are RFR (and im not sure if that operates for every gig) and Kef.

There's the Emergenza and other scam-a-likes too' date=' don't forget :p

It's sad that RFR do it to be honest - even if it's just for some gigs, it puts out completely the wrong message really. As for Kef, does anything need said? Anyone playing a Kef gig and not holding onto the ticket money until they get paid is an utter fool, though.

Both are easy as fuck to avoid if you have an issue with the principle of it.

Exactly, there's so many different people out there that there's no need to ever play one of their gigs. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least four different promoters who have put on some very big gigs without needing to demand the support slots sell tickets. Sure, it's nice when bands do sell tickets for you - but (as I think you've said), it should always be voluntary.

If I was in the scenario with a promoter who had promised pay then suddenly gave a bull-shit reason later I'd simple refuse to ever play the venue or have anything to do with the promoter again (I'd hardly class not playing Kef as being a tragedy).

What gets me is the way that people choose to lie about it - why on earth do you have to lie, when the vast majority of bands are perfectly happy with being told straight what the situation is? Of course, I guess you can get more gigs out of them and continue to line your pockets if you lie about it.

On the other side of the coin my band have given up money due to gigs being quiet etc etc to free up more cash for out of town bands... this I actually don't mind as long as it's voluntary - in fact I'd encourage bands to do this. I don't play gigs for money.

I think the whole issue is that everyone should be getting a fair deal out of it - but I know from personal experience, bands who will do such a thing will always, always get mentioned in a good light by me. It's a nice thing to do, and I'm sure any band with sense will always realise that the small touring band today might be the big touring band of tomorrow.

One bit of advice for anyone reading this : you don't have to sell tickets to play good gigs.

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Apologies but I can't just sit back and let this one lie…

Here’s a different view, bearing in mind that right now is the first time I haven’t been in a band for around five years…

Firstly, at this moment in time I’ve got over 50 shows on the go, including onsales and what I’m working on ‘behind the scenes’ and more coming in everyday, for this I do all the initial enquiries, sort out the deals, do all the onsales, advance everything, do all the promotional stuff (paper ads, posters, radio ticket giveaways, online stuff, uni work, various listings magazines and on and on and on), I have to do accounts on everything, book supports, run and settle the gigs and blah blah blah. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to individually promote every single band that plays one of our shows, and to be completely honestly, if I did, I’d feel as if I was being dishonest to myself.

I do this because of 2 simple things. 1. I fucking love it, and 2. I’ve sat back and watched Aberdeen toddle along for years, with people moaning that either 1. Nobody comes to Aberdeen to check out Aberdeen bands, 2. No ‘good’ bands ever come to Aberdeen 3. You have to be in London for anything to happen, and at the same time, bitching and moaning about each others bands or patting your mates on the back, even though you’d be doing them a lot more of a favour if you actually told them that you thought their band’s shite. I guess I feel like I’m in a position to make a difference to Aberdeen musically as a whole, and I think it’s fair to say that all 3 bullshit statements above are all now well and truly squashed.

So you have to sell tickets for a gig to get paid…

Yep, that’s how it goes I’m afraid, it’s a shame for you. I’ve done it for years, between Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh; in fact, I’ve done it running at a loss on several occasions, just because I’ve been so keen to get people in to see my band. If My Mind’s Weapon can sell 65 tickets for a gig in Glasgow on 3 days notice, then surely you can sell 25 tickets in the place that you live, and as a result, chances are that it’s the same place that a majority of the folks you know live in too, and there’s your 50 quid. Do any of you expect more than 50 quid to play a show in Aberdeen? If you do, then I’m sorry, but the sad reality is that you need to get off your high horse and do some bloody work for your band. Nearly every show I’ve put on since last September, where a headlining act has taken a touring support (sometimes American bands, European bands, even had bands from oz and NZ), and the tour supports set fee is only $50. These are bands on big booking agencies, bands on major labels/big Indies, who have to travel the length of the country to get to Aberdeen, who have to pay for accommodation etc… But they realise the beneficial nature of tour supporting an established act, how you can learn, how you can play to a new crowd, often a crowd away from the utterly sceptical Aberdeen-Music.com punter stereotype that’s the reason that I personally spend hardly anytime on these boards anymore.

Certain Aberdeen bands have played RFR shows on several occasions and never left with less than £100 in their pocket for playing a 25 minute slot with bands they love, bands they look up to.

Another sad reality is this… 90% of the time, local bands aren’t added to bills to add to the musical spectacle of the evening, they’re added to warm up the crowd, to take in the odd face that wouldn’t come see the headliner otherwise. A lot of the time now I have to put forward several options to the headline bands management for consideration of a slot with said band, and more often than not, local bands are deemed not good enough to play, but I say ‘ah well’ and give them the gig they want anyways as I’m that sort of guy.

I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in helping bands that have no interest in helping themselves. If you’ve worked hard and I know you have your own following in the city that’s merited, then I’ll stick you on a flat fee for a gig, but why in god’s name would I want to pay band A, B or C, 50-100 quid on top of the expenses I already have (ticket printing, poster printing and distro, newspaper ads, national ad contribution, security, catering, PRS, staffing, engineers and crew, PA Hire – it can be endless, and that’s without the actual band fee’s), for some bunch of jokers to turn up an hour and a half late, without any amps, when they haven’t been arsed to pop into the Bassment to pick up tickets and to act like rock stars for the evening, not too mention that they’ll probably act like a bunch of amateur wannabe’s when they actually get their shit together to grace the stage. What in God’s name makes you think that you DESERVE or are OWED anything, just because you and a few mates can stick a drumbeat to a few chords loosely in time? Especially when I have another 10 bands dying to play with one of their favourite bands, and willing to sell tickets at a discounted price, just for the pleasure of bringing in people to see a band that they love, and to hope that that band might mean the same to a friend that it means to them.

There’s the high horse, there’s you, right on top. Here I am, telling you it’s time to get off.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m 100% for doing my god darn best to help out bands with a desire to succeed, that I’m 100% against anything that may be deemed as unfair treatment of a band, and I honestly believe from the bottom of my conscience that our ticket deal (Each band is given a book of 100 tickets to sell. If for example, the ticket price for a gig is £5.00 for each ticket sold we need to receive £3.00) is totally healthy and beneficial for bands.

For a start, if 3 local acts are playing with a headliner, and all of them sell 50 tickets, even though all 50 tickets are sold to ‘mates’, that means you’re playing to 100 people that might never have seen you before and you get £100, how many other times has this happened at gigs in Aberdeen? It also a mean that you actually have to do some work, and installs a work ethic that can be developed and will become essential should your band look out with Aberdeen. I’ll also say that I’ve never set a band a target amount to sell, and if you turn up only having sold 2 tickets, then you won’t hear a grumble from me, even though you’ve just pestered the shit out of me for the slot.

Cloud Cloud Cloud, hopefully one day soon you might learn to shut your mouth, instead of running it at every fucking opportunity about things you don’t know jackshit about. Have you every actually been in a band? What makes you so qualified to comment? Have you ever actually had the desire to be able to just go out and play music and say ‘fuck it’ to everything else? I have, and so have many many others out there, what gives you the right to have a go at me, and yes I take this personally, who, as cheesy as it sounds, dedicates my whole life to bringing good bands to Aberdeen, and as a result, putting the city as a whole under the spotlight!?

Can I void this whole thread by asking one question…?

If I booked a band you loved, I band that meant something to you, , would the fact that I ask, and I say ‘I ask…’, cause that’s all it is, a request, not a necessity, you to sell some tickets stop you from playing that show?

Course not – you’ve already asked for the slot before I’ve offered it…

Jamesy

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*claps hands*

well said.

having to sell tickets in order to get some money is fair enough. reminds me of the days when lava did loads of gigs. bands would sell the tickets cheaper before hand, take some money for themself then give paul the rest. I was always happy to get a cheaper ticket and know that some of the cash went to the bands rather than paul taking it all.

obviously is not fair if you were touring somewhere and expected to sell tickets in order to get any money at all and you didnt actually know anybody in that city at all. I feel that a promoter should be willing to cover some of the travel expenses if they are resonable enough. I know we did when putting on our gigs at uni. and the majority of the bands didnt want any more money. they were happy for the exposure.

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Guest DustyDeviada
reminds me of the days when lava did loads of gigs. bands would sell the tickets cheaper before hand' date=' take some money for themself then give paul the rest. I was always happy to get a cheaper ticket and know that some of the cash went to the bands rather than paul taking it all.

[/quote']

Emma and I ususally just sell the tickets at cost price, we would rather have a bigger crowd than a couple of quid.

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Hi everyone,

I'm not going to go too much into the whole issue of whether ticket splits are right or wrong. I'm not in a band, but I manage one, and therefore I can see things from the band's perspective. I've agreed to plenty of ticket split deals for the band I manage in the past, and I do think it's a fair way of doing things.

In an ideal world, every band playing every gig would be paid a massive fee and every gig in the world would be busy and all the bands would make a whole load of new fans every gig - but as we know, we live in the real world.

Leaving the rights and wrongs of ticket splits aside, I would like to respond to one item raised in this thread - where a band only received tickets 3 days before a gig. I think it was actually a few more than 3 days, but what happened was:

For every band we book, we want a signed agreement in place, so that both the band and ourselves knows what to expect from the gig. These agreements are e-mailed out to the bands well ahead of the gig (within one week of the booking being made) and then if they don't return the agreement then we send them weekly reminders. If the gig is getting close (i.e. 3 weeks away) then we phone as well as e-mail the bands to ensure that everything is ok. Once we receive the agreement then we post out tickets to the band (and the bands are aware of this). In the case of the band that only received their tickets a few days before the gig, it's because they hadn't returned the agreement until a few days before the gig - so it's not a case of us withholding their tickets for some sinister reason, in case that's what people were thinking!

All the best,

Ally

Dicelines

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Most bands have. It's down to the band though... if they don't mind doing it then that's cool. I think it's a personal choice. However' date=' it's very easy to avoid gigs where you have to sell tickets. I haven't played a gig like that since like July 2004 (approx) and I can't say I feel although I've missed out on anything, I also hope to never have to sell a ticket again. However, I have handed out fliers and put up posters off my own back and I have no problem with doing a little promotion. Like I said though... it's down to personal choice.[/quote']

I find ticket selling much more strenuous and irritating than poster distribution and fliers. I would be much happier with having to do poster distribution and fliers. Just chuck on some tunes and put them through doors/hand them to people/shops.

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your all moaning fucks, really.

Get a grip, as always bands seem to think they are doing venues a favour by playing there and that if things are not laid out for them on a plate then there is a problem. No one ever seems to remember that the venue/promoter is taking a risk by putting you on.

I think the way rfr does it is the best, make the local bands work for their night and make them realise that if they want to do anything in this industry they will have to work their asses off for it. I wait the come back about the jobs thing, but in all the bands i have been in so far memebers have worked and managed to sell tickets, its a piss poor excuse coming from people who again think they should be treated like a star when they open some shitty local gig. If your not prepared to do the work then either dont be in a band or dont moan about it.

Why shouldnt a local band have to sell tickets for a gig, especially if they are supporting a bigger band, again they should be fucking happy they are getting a chance to play with said band and not moaning cause they only walked away with 30 for the night.

Its simple, if you want something laid on a plate then go to a fucking restaraunt dont be in a band.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I really couldn't care about getting paid to play a gig. Music is supposed to be fun. People pay money to do their hobby all the time. If we were to get a gig in Aberdeen, we'd have to travel hundreds of miles, get accomodation and feed ourselves for two days. Its not all about money making, its about having a laugh with your mates and doing something you love.

Money(if you make it) is just a little added bonus.

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