Legend's????

girlzrock · Post by **girlzrock** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 10:37 pm

Has anyone ever made good money at this place (more than $500 per band)? My band has been asked to play there and have been told that they can't guarentee any amount of money but if we bring a good crowd then we may get paid what we need. I have not seen anyone on here who has had anything positive to say about their experience or the amount of money they received. Not that money is everything but having fun is important. I have played there once and had a crappy experience but figure every place is worth a 2nd look if the circumstances are right. Here are my concerns, please let me know your thoughts:

1) Not sure it's the right location for our style of music (but the other band who would be playing is great).
2) I've heard horrible stories about bands being required to pay the sound guy, door guy, bar guy and anyone else who happens to work that night our of the door money. I don't think that is the bands responsibility personally. I'd rather supply my own equipment and door person if that is the case.
3) How do you know which band brought the most fans for pay at the end of the night. Wouldn't want to get screwed if we brought a lot of people, wouldn't want the other band screwed if we didn't.
4) Not sure how much I trust them to tell me what they made on the door. There's no way to tell unless you have your own person. Been screwed on this before (not necessarily at this bar but others).

Thanks for your help and your thoughts!

Oliver's Army · Post by **Oliver's Army** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 11:04 pm

My $.02?

Seems like a hassle with too many "maybes"

Ask for a set price of X with no stipulations. You play...you're paid, plain and simple. No payouts... no door...no sound guy... nothing. Then have them sign a simple contract... If they wont, pass on it and never look back.

It is an odd place for your type of mix.

And most importantly...

You're better than this.

girlzrock · Post by **girlzrock** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 11:14 pm

Hey Ollie,
thanks for the feedback. I was told they won't give us a set amount of money. I was definitely going to have a contract regardless. My experience last time taught me that.

I think you're right, not the right place for what we do. The only reason I'm considering it is because of the other band that would be playing. Very well known around town, we've never had a chance to play with them, and I think it would be a fun night of music. Of course, if we really wanted to play with them we could set up something somewhere that we know we make good money.

I was hoping there was someone who has had a decent experience with Legend's that would make me want to play there, but I'm really leaning towards not. it will just depend on what the rest of the band wants to do.

Thanks again for your thoughts!

Oliver's Army · Post by **Oliver's Army** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 11:24 pm

I never understood why it is such a hassle with *some* places to work out a deal.

You would think/hope that a place that has been in business for this long would have the kinks work out of the system.

Band X wants to play, or they call band X and a price is negotiated that makes everyone happy.

But with them it's like a new adventure every time.

In my days of working for bands with sound or promotions, it was never like that.

I called the bar and and told them a price, They either took it or not.

A place where they ask you to pay THEIR staff, where they cannot give you some guarantees, where the details are grey, where you have to *trust* the staff not to screw you, where its a big surprise what happens come payout....man I would not want that for one second.

Pass.

girlzrock · Post by **girlzrock** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 11:40 pm

yeah I just did. I thanked them for contacting us but explained that we were unable to play without a guaranteed amount of money and a contract. Oh well, what can you do except protect your band and keep your standard. Whle I hate turning down gigs over money, especially gigs where we would get to play with another really cool band, I just don't think it's fair to ask a band to bust their asses for you to make money and the band maybe makes $30 for each member (that's what my other band made there so I figure I can speak with some amount of experience). Not saying money is everything but it helps to compensate for the amount of gas and time involved.

adam atherton · Post by **adam atherton** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 11:56 pm

we have a show set up in april with them....this has inspired me to PM the booker and insist that we have our own door person there.

we've agreed that we (the bands) get 100% of the door, and i don't want screwed over.

i hope this dosent end up being a complete f###, because we're bringing 2 acts from Indy to play.

girlzrock · Post by **girlzrock** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:10 am

That's cool. I hope it goes well for you guys! I don't want anyone to think I'm slamming this club because all I can do is go on my experience and what I have heard. That doesn't mean everyone will have the same experience.

I would suggest a contract anywhere that's new to your schedule. It can eliminate misunderstandings between you and the club. I'm a big believer in running a band like a business. It's better for you and for the club.

I would suggest covering everything in the contract (you not paying a door person, sound man or bar staff should absolutely be stated), what the cover charge is and that 100% goes to your band for distribution to the other bands, bar tab if you want it included, no other bands can be added to the night (they did that to us the night we played. It was supposed to be 2 bands and they brought in a 3rd which obviously reduced what we made considerably), if they won't allow you to have your own door person (many won't because of the ID thing), let them know you'll have someone sit with the door person to help collect money and make sure they keep their own tally on things, and then I would give them the schedule of who you have playing with you. Make a copy of the contract for them and keep one for yourself. It's just a good idea for most bands to have something like this. Many bars won't sign but make it appear that you are protecting their interests as well as your own.

adam atherton · Post by **adam atherton** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:57 am

good looking out.....thanks jen!

Garr · Post by **Garr** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:12 am

I have never had a problem with Legends, EVER. I've always been paid fairly and treated well by this venue. They are not, though, the best venue for established acts because the draw there is so variable. I've seen bands that pull 400+ at other venues only draw 50 people to Legends, and they can't afford that risk.

The way I've seen deals there before is this: the headliner gets all the cash and then pays the opening acts. I've found that to often be the best method of dealing with them. I've done basic head counts at every show I've opened or headlined there, and often times (if the bar side stays busy) we make more than I would have estimated. At times where it was clear that we brought or kept more of the crowd as an opener, the owner himself has come up to me after we were paid by the headliner and given us a "bonus" for the good draw.

Never needed a contract. Verbal agreement was always good enough. After hearing horror stories, though, I've always waited for the other shoe to drop.

jewlee138 · Post by **jewlee138** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:47 am

@Atherton-
Did they say it was ok to have your own door person???

HillgrassBluebillyFTW · Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:31 am

adam atherton wrote:...and insist that we have our own door person there..

Not gonna happen.. the Door Nazi will not give up rank. Best you could probably do is have someone watch her and then even if you dispute the number of people through the door... you still won't get anymore money than she tells them were through the door.

switzerland666 · Post by **switzerland666** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 8:51 pm

what's the status with the volume issue they were having?

deadindecatur · Post by **deadindecatur** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 10:37 pm

im gonna say legends sucks just on the basis that ive played there probably 25 times and have never once gotten paid, and have always had my band members argue with the soundman and b*tch about how crappy the sound was. oh, and make sure none of your band members are under the age of 21 or the old b*tch at the door will be sure to treat them like a phucking toddler.

Brandon · Post by **Brandon** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 11:04 pm

We had a great experience there. Pay was good, free drinks, good night overall. We have our 2nd gig there this month, hopefully things will be the same. It's crazy how different everyone's experience there has been.

girlzrock · Post by **girlzrock** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 12:10 am

I'm glad to hear the good experiences! You never want to hear of bands in town getting screwed over by a club so I'm glad there are some good experiences out there. We have decided for our band this probably isn't the right venue for what we do. Plus, we're running into the problem of not wanting to over saturate ourselves in town and we're quickly approaching that issue.

On a side note, I have discovered that the more professional your band acts, the better you will typically be treated. I'm not saying that those who have had poor experiences aren't professional, because God knows that we have been treated badly at a few places and we strive to run our band like a business at all times, but it can go a long way in teaching club owners how to treat you. Show respect to get respect. It won't always work but if you stay consistent, you'll gain a good reputation in town with the clubs that you want to have a good reputation in.

Just my left over change (I'm so broke right now I don't quite have $0.02) Sucks when your band takes some time off and you're used to the money