Fees

I really wonder who was the first guy to say, “yeah I’ll play your venue, but you have to pay me a fee”.

When you think about it, venue operators make no money whatsoever in Second Life. Yes, there is a venue tip jar, and some people do tip the venue. However the overhead of running a venue prevents it from every being profitable.

Every month the venue owners pay out of pocket to keep live music happening. Thank you all.

On the other hand, I remember the first time I got a fee for playing a show. They told me they would pay me 5,000 L$ for an hour show. I told them I didn’t feel right taking a fee and they told me that was what they paid everybody… so… I accepted it.

Once you cross the fee line, it’s impossible to go back. Those few extra Lindens make every day a bit more satisfying. Yes, it’s very nice to be compensated for your time. I don’t play a lot of fee-paying shows, and I’m very grateful to the venue operators that can afford to show me that little extra token of respect.

Thank you, thank you very much.

For the record, if anyone is interested, when asked about a fee I tell people my fee is 3,000 L$ per hour-long show. In case you’ve not been shopping around, let me assure you it’s reasonable. Some performers ask for 6,000 L$ an hour and that seems to be the top of the scale. The average, from what I’ve seen is about 4,000 L$.

I came up with the number 3,000 L$ simply because that is an average of what I make in tips at a good music venue. This allows me the latitude to play… questionable shows and not have to worry about the lack of tips.

Now you might wonder why I even bring up the topic of fees. Well I’ve been noticing a few performers that seem motivated only by fees. They announce their price at the outset of the conversation and storm off is the venue owner can’t afford it.

While it is reasonable to expect to be compensated for your time, performers have to keep one thing in mind. The fee they are demanding is coming out of somebody’s pocket. And while all tips come out of somebody’s pocket, the fee demanded of the venue operator is only compounded by the fact they have to pay the overhead on a venue that makes them no money at all.

Some venue owners can afford to pay a fee and do, but this should be viewed as a token of appreciation the venue owner has budgeted for, not something you are entitled to.

I play one regular show per week that pays a fee. I pick up a few shows that pay a fee. But the majority of shows I play are tips only. I feel I should point out; some of my most profitable shows are “Tips only” shows.

I appreciate it when a venue owner can afford to pay me a fee; I see it as a favor and not something I’m entitled to.

I feel some musicians need to start putting music first and not sweat a few bucks here and there. It’s not a lot of work to start the stream and play.