Paid Your Dues?

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

Anyone here pay dues to the musicians union?
I'm thinking about joining. What are the benefits?
I know diddly about it.
I'm gettin' ready to join SAG~ the Screen Actor's Guild too.
From what I understand, extras get paid twice as much with a SAG card.
You have a better chance of getting some speaking lines or a role in a film as a union member.
So I wonder if there's some similar benefits for musicians who literally pay their dues.

[nofi]

here in atlanta i know only one guy in the union. he gets the call to back touring stars like tony bennet, etc. the atlanta symphony and chorus are in a union as well. georgia is a right to work state so being unionized is a moot point for 99.9 % of us. very few situations demand union players unlike heavily organized states like new york.

[gweimer]

In my 5 years of roadwork throughout the Midwest, I only got carded once.  I started out as a member, but quickly realized that bar circuit work doesn't require a union card.  It was nice knowing, though, that they would have sent a $10 floral bouquet to my widow in the event of my death.

[Freuds_Cat]

OK I have a story to tell:

Played around the state for three years in the early 80's and built up a following that averaged at about 800 punters per show 3 and 4 nights a week. None of us were in the Musicians union and none of the venues we played required us to be.
Then one day we score the support for the reformed Mk2 Deep Purple. 25,000 at an outdoor venue. We were to get $650 for the support which was all good because the extra publicity is hard (or expensive) to buy.  The $650 was enough to cover the cost of the crew and incidentals for the show.

20mins before we were due to go on a small fat bald guy with a bad attitude comes up as we were warming up and says "hey, are you guys in the union lets see some cards".
We politely say no, we have never been or needed to be in the union.
He then bluntly tells us that if we are not in the union then this is a Union controlled venue and no non union members can play here.

Our manager John says "OK well what do we have to do to become members?"
He gets us to fill out some forms and charges us $150 each ($750).he then proceeds  to inform us that as he is aware that we have been playing around the place for longer than 12 months that he will be charging back fees for last financial year. So far we are up to $1500.
This is minutes before when we are trying to get ourselves ready to play in front of 25,000 people!

Well we still figured that it was worth the publicity even though it was now gonna cost us $850.

5 mins to go and the promoter walks in and informs us that as we are are now union members and we were not when the contract was signed that he is no longer bound by the contract and as union members he was only required to pay us the Minimum fee as laid out in the Unions conditions of engagement.

He paid us $150

Thanks to the incredible protection of the Musicians Union we went from doing a show at a break even rate and getting a lot of cheap publicity to paying $1350 to support Deep Purple.

Thanks guys 

[pamlicojack]

I do some voice work for local TV and radio and the only SAG members I've runinto have been real @$%^ers with attitudes...

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

OK I have a story to tell:

Played around the state for three years in the early 80's and built up a following that averaged at about 800 punters per show 3 and 4 nights a week. None of us were in the Musicians union and none of the venues we played required us to be.
Then one day we score the support for the reformed Mk2 Deep Purple. 25,000 at an outdoor venue. We were to get $650 for the support which was all good because the extra publicity is hard (or expensive) to buy.  The $650 was enough to cover the cost of the crew and incidentals for the show.

20mins before we were due to go on a small fat bald guy with a bad attitude comes up as we were warming up and says "hey, are you guys in the union lets see some cards".
We politely say no, we have never been or needed to be in the union.
He then bluntly tells us that if we are not in the union then this is a Union controlled venue and no non union members can play here.

Our manager John says "OK well what do we have to do to become members?"
He gets us to fill out some forms and charges us $150 each ($750).he then proceeds  to inform us that as he is aware that we have been playing around the place for longer than 12 months that he will be charging back fees for last financial year. So far we are up to $1500.
This is minutes before when we are trying to get ourselves ready to play in front of 25,000 people!

Well we still figured that it was worth the publicity even though it was now gonna cost us $850.

5 mins to go and the promoter walks in and informs us that as we are are now union members and we were not when the contract was signed that he is no longer bound by the contract and as union members he was only required to pay us the Minimum fee as laid out in the Unions conditions of engagement.

He paid us $150

Thanks to the incredible protection of the Musicians Union we went from doing a show at a break even rate and getting a lot of cheap publicity to paying $1350 to support Deep Purple.

Thanks guys 

25,000 people times 10 bucks a ticket is A QUARTER MILLION BUCKS!!!
25 k X 20 bucks a ticket is HALF A MILLION BUCKS!!!!!
I'm guessin' the tickets went for 40 bucks each. A MILLION BUCKS!!!!!!!
The promoter has some BIG BRASS BALLS to offer you $650!!!
Then to reduce it to $150 is BEYOND SLIMEY! I woulda hurt that bastard.
I'm guessin' the bald headed guy was the promoter's son & pocketed your cash for union cards. Did you ever get your cards? No, I betcha.


Well, guess I ain't gettin' a musician's union card. haha
Still gonna get a SAG card tho....this is HOLLYWOOD & I need one.

[Freuds_Cat]

No.... unfortunately I wish you were correct.


The sad fact is that he WAS the Union rep and we did get cards and never ever had a reason to use them again. Even when touring with BB King and Canned Heat.