spindlebox
 
this could potentially BLACKLIST us
 
Songcraft, there is NO agent to impress, no contracts, no money involved for any payout for our trouble.
 

 
Then of course, do as you (and the band) want.
 
Like I said, I don't know the full details about 'your' (this) particular booking in the United States, so I gave you my own direct experience with contracts and booking agents (Harbour Agency, Sydney and Premier, Melbourne) Australia. Once our band made a commitment, there is absolutely no turning back --- otherwise be black-listed or at best; put on the lowest priority (bookings)!
 
I have performed at music festivals (solo and with a band) in Australia -- usually of course they don't pay bands/artists at these events but you get a lot of exposure i.e news press and openings/meetings with labels. At these events, gear such as drum kit and amps are usually (not always) but most times already supplied and setup for bands -- we didn't have to cart anything heavy all, it was a cakewalk :P,  but the traffic and trying to get a parking spot was hell. Oh well that's life. Nowadays I'm retired, no need to work.


To anyone who happens to stumble on this thread:
SXSW (Music Festival and Conference) is possibly one of the biggest of it's kind that sees hundreds of business representative and news press attend every year. If there's a venue for bands and solo artists to gain great exposure and get discovered; then SXSW is a venue to consider. < more info >
 
 

Songcraft, in the original agreement there was cancellation criteria and we met it, so I'm not going to lose sleep over it.  Especially after a fan, that lives in Austin itself and has attended this festival before, just sent me this:

"Its actually 8 blks away from venue where there's parking. Since it's sxsw lots of people camp out in the garages and stuff which is insane but the only way to get good parking. Unfortunately all the clubs downtown are like that"
 
NO THANK YOU
 

 From the perspective of someone who has done BOTH sides of this tail...
 
As a band.
We used to look forward to gigs where the gear was provided.  No, we weren't lazy, it generally meant there was a good reason the venue provided gear which in turn would mean a pain in the ass for US if we'd had to take our own.
The most popular reason was band numbers.  I've played gigs where there has been 5 or 6 bands, all with their own drums and back line, each with their own beaten up truck/van/car/trailer/all of the above to lug it around in.  The chaos starts in the car park, proceeds to the stage, through the whole event and back to the car park where you find you can't get out because the prima-donna headline act (who turned up late as usual) is blocking everyone else, and they're playing last...  This is not a problem if you're playing Wembly Stadium, or (insert huge venue here), but we're not. This is the real world. The "average" venue in the middle of a city is either a pub that holds 50 + a folk singer on Friday night, or a night club that can hold up to 5000 but has no car park and no "loading bay" because it simply doesn't need one.
Then there's the venues that are up three flights of stairs..  or worse, down in the basement with narrow, winding basement type stairs and your asking yourself how the hell did they get all this gear down here when I can't my Marshall cab to go around the corner in the stairwell?
And finally there's playing in London...  if at all possible AVOID playing in London UNLESS you're told the venue provides drums and back line.  In fact, with the 20/20 vision of hindsight, I'd make it a requirement before I played anywhere in London again.  Turn up, plug in, play.
 
As a FOH engineer/stage manager.
I've been both, and at smaller gigs, at the same time.  I've worked large stages with acts from The Levellers to The Stranglers and Motorhead.  They bring their own back line, but have a truck full of roadies to shift it for them, as well as 10 or so of our stage crew.
Back in the real world, I spent 2 years as "house engineer" for a local promoter. He had access to a venue in the middle of town that held 500 - 600 (as long as they weren't too well fed). We had everything from local collage bands to the "has beens" tour. (the old bands from 70's 80's that are still going that you never hear about unless you're at one of these type of gigs). Bad Manners, The Selector, UK Subs, Farrell & Black, etc,.
The only problem was that there were only 3 parking spaces, and I made sure I got one of them. There was a public car park nearby, so you could unload at the venue then dump the vehicles around the corner.  To compensate, where ever possible we got the "headline" act to share their backline with the promoter writing into their contracts that they must turn up on time, etc. so it could all be sound checked and the settings recorded.  The changeover then mostly involved me starting at one side of the stage with my crib sheet and working my way across every amp until I'd reset every knob/switch on the backline.  Much better than trying to herd a bunch of gorillas carrying 3 full Marshall stacks and a 10 piece drum kit out through a small fire door, while being confronted by more gorillas trying to get in through the same door carrying an almost identical set of equipment...  (to the great amusement of the audience!!)
 
 
SXSW is a festival.  Not in a muddy field like Glastonbury, but a whole city like the Edinburgh festival.  Music is just one part of it. The roads will be closed. You will not be able to drive up to the front door of the venue. THIS IS NOT THE VENUE'S FAULT. It is the same for everyone.  The range of venues is from small bars to large theatres (I looked). From basements to "upstairs lounge" (I looked). The acts range from rock/metal through folk to rap and dj's, and the rock bands are playing the small bars as well as the large theatres. Many of the bands are playing 3 or 4 different venues.  The music part lasts for 6 days, you should be playing every day if possible.
 
 
You posted a short while back about feeling let down by your band mates when confronted with recording and "going on the road" and the future of the band in general, from what I read between the lines.  Well this is it. This is what being a "professional" musician in "the business" is all about.
No, you maybe won't get cash in your pocket from this gig, but you'll have SXSW, Austin, TX on your band CV and that could put cash in your pocket in the future.
 
What is almost for certain is that if you turn it down because you had to carry your own guitar 2 blocks along the sidewalk to the venue, then you prolly should start thinking about a different job.  Your promoter will most certainly remember it...

spindlebox

ampfixer
One question. What is it worth to be able to tell folks "we played at SXSW".

I wonder if I could get a SXSW T-Shirt online. 

I know somebody who might be able to print up T-Shirts for you:-) ... for a largesmall fee of course (hey, it's exposure)!

spindlebox
"Its actually 8 blks away from venue where there's parking. Since it's sxsw lots of people camp out in the garages and stuff which is insane but the only way to get good parking. Unfortunately all the clubs downtown are like that"
 

Wow. When this started it was one block away. Now it's 8 blocks away.
I wouldn't even go to hear the bands if I had to park 8 blocks away....but did seriously consider hitch-hiking 2,000 miles to Woodstock.
 
 
 
 

When I was 22, I would have killed to play at this type of event.
At 56 and 11/12, no way.

There are other ways to make it in the business than going through all of that rigmarole.  And Karyn, I do appreciate your perspective.  This has nothing to do with our dedication, but has everything to do with the fact that we have other things going on that are proving to be more helpful to our career than doing all of that.
 
Think what you want, it does not matter to me.  All I know is, we will choose and do Due Diligence more carefully before we get into a situation like this.  We have been playing as a group all over the midwest and south of the USA and have never had to go through a situation like that - and we never will.  For example, we just got an invitation to play with a radio station on the Jersey Shore this summer; and they're going to pay us a few thousand to do it, and help book us on other shows with popular bands in their area, (Philly, NYC, etc.).  So, somehow - even though we have NEVER played a festival like that, or have not gone through being treated like another cow in a herd, and haven't let ourselves be treated like a piece of meat - the good opportunities keep coming.  And if they don't, we make them - by ourselves, without any agents or promoters.  This is what we've been doing for 5 years, and it's working quite well, as you can see.  That is only 1 example.
 
So we look forward.....

And one more thing about all of this EXPOSURE business:

Last year, a bunch of groups from this area went down there and played.   Actually, for the past couple years, Kansas City has sent their own bands down to a bar at the edge of the festival, in an event called the "MIDCOAST TAKEOVER", and many of the bands going this year have gone for the past 2.  A few of the bands from previous years are now defunct, and ALL of them are still doing the same old thing around KC - still playing dive bars and getting nowhere.

So how much did going through all of that help them?  

Just because you go down and let yourself be treated like another number and piece of meat, doesn't guarantee you're going to "make it".  Again, there are OTHER ways.  And the USA is a BIG country, there are many opportunities here besides playing things like that to get notice.   

Not trying to judge, or have any thoughts one way or the other. Just saying it how it is.
 
You came across as surprised and angry that the venue would treat you like that..  Well, any other week of the year other than situations like I posted I'd be right with you, but that is the reality of city-wide festivals.
 
The advantage of them is they look good on your CV, the down side is they can be no more than a cattle market.
 
The worst I did was 3 in one day in London. There was a city-wide charity event going on for 4 or 5 days which culminated with some "big" bands of the day playing for free on Sunday afternoon.  Our band got booked for one of the smaller (read smallest) venues on the Thursday morning...  Our Manager got us booked for a headline slot at the Rock Garden (Covent garden) that night and we managed to blag an hour in the afternoon in a pub.  This all meant hoofing our gear (guitars, snare drum, cymbols) across London, on foot, through the shoppers, several times from 8 am Thursday until 2 am Friday morning.
BBC London (or whatever the local TV was called) ran a feature on the event and we got 30 seconds of prime time TV for free just because we happened to be there on Thursday morning when they recorded it.  Us and the 3 cleaners who made the "audience"...

You're right Karyn, I'll admit, there was a bit of surprise on my part - mostly because NONE of this was stated in the original ACCEPTANCE contract.  They mentioned all of the other details - but some of these, which I think are pretty important!  Nothing about backline, parking or any of that.

You have to understand, this venue and event is 733 miles away (1179.65km).  It will take 1 day to get there and 1 day back.  We were allotted 40 minutes to play, and it would have turned into 30 with our keyboard setup.  Expenses would have run about $500.  If this was about an hour or two away, and wouldn't have required 3 band members take 3 days off work on top of it - that would be one thing.  There are too many uncertainties for us to travel that far and go through all of that stress.  I for one, have learned that sometimes playing "good opportunities" like this, work out to be mostly a good opportunity for others to make money on my back and the backs of others.

BTW, a block in Austin is 1/8 mile.  My Austin contact said people were parking 8 blocks away.  That would be a mile to the club and a mile back through the streets.  Sound fun?

For a 'possible' mention in a paper somewhere, maybe a photo op?  No thank you.