Practical advice on how to not get ripped off
After a bad experience with a new entertainment agency, I decided to dig a bit deeper. In the end, I found some amazing advice from another agent that you can use too.
To understand all the ins and outs, you need the full story. Here’s how I posted in a couple of places online to ask others in the industry for advice. If you just want the final advice, scroll to the bottom of this blog post.
This Is What I Posted to Get Advice
I’m looking for some advice on how to deal with an agency. This is for PA, but I think ultimately, it’s a question for musicians as well. I do both guitar and PA work.
The gig was posted for the 22nd of February in a Facebook group.
I contacted the agent through the ad and was chosen for the gig. I gave her a great price since it was in February and she was a new contact, with the aim of getting more regular work.
The Tuesday before the gig, she asked if I could do the 8th of March as well.
I accepted. She then said, great, but could I do the 8th instead of the 22nd of February? She needed to “move people around.”
This was the first red flag. But I accepted.
On the 22nd of February, I was at home when I got a panic call from the venue: “Where are you? You should have been here three hours ago.”
I explained I wasn’t on the gig anymore, even though I was still on her call sheet. I gave them the agent’s number and texted her about what had happened. No reply. This was the second red flag.
A WhatsApp group for the 8th of March was created with all the band members and me on sound.
I knew two of the people in the band but didn’t say anything.
One week before the gig, I got another offer—a very high-profile show band for Friday and Saturday. No equipment needed, hotels provided, better pay—just mix the show.
I declined to honour the booking I had, even though the pay was less and I had to provide all equipment. I’ve found that if you’re always honest and do a good job, things get better in the long term. You may miss out in the short term, but ultimately, it’s a good idea to be loyal.
The Tuesday before the gig, the agent said the gig was cancelled because the bride was in hospital. She asked what my cancellation fee was.
I said, “Oh no, I just missed another gig as I was committed to you.” She replied, “Try to get it.”
I tried, but it was too late.
She removed me from the WhatsApp group, saying she had been contacting everyone individually to let them know the bad news.
This was yet another red flag, but I said nothing and sent my cancellation fee invoice (half the gig fee).
The Thursday before the gig, I contacted one of the band members I knew and casually asked about the gig, without mentioning I had been cancelled. Turns out, the gig was never cancelled. I bit my tongue and thought: if I play nice, at least I’ll get the cancellation fee she suggested.
The Sunday after the gig, a picture of the band and the agent (she’s the singer) was posted on my friend’s Facebook. If you’re reading this and think I’m crying by now, I’m not—I’m laughing. This is becoming a great story.
Tuesday came around, and I contacted the agent about my cancellation fee. She said the new date for the wedding hadn’t been chosen yet, and I would get that instead of the fee.
I sent her the picture and said, “Imagine my surprise when this pops up. I’ve spoken to one of the band members and found out the gig was never cancelled.”
A few hours later, she replied: “Fair enough, here’s another date for another gig. Can you do it? The gig was cancelled, but that wasn’t the one you were on.”
We are now in yeah-but, no-but, yeah-but, no-but world, and I’m starting to feel my age…
So she’s kind of admitted that she’s lying, but she just keeps on lying. Obviously, I’m never getting paid and will never work with this lunatic again.
Still, because I’m interested, my question is: what would you do?
- Name and shame in Facebook and WhatsApp groups?
- Small claims court?
- Say yes to gigs but cancel last minute as revenge?
- Just forget it and move on?
- Other?
In her final response, she said she wouldn’t pay the cancellation fee as that wasn’t agreed before the gig (even though she was the one who suggested it!).
This was a PA gig. Does that make a difference? I’ve heard of PA guys sending contracts to agents, but most commonly, to the client directly.
I have never heard of a musician sending a contract to an agency. Is it time we start doing this, or do contracts only apply to “normal” people?
I’d like to leave you with a final thought:
What you’re not changing—you’re choosing.
The Response from the Community
Not surprisingly, most people voted for 1. Name and shame! I shouldn’t be surprised—when you ask the mob, they always go for the kill.
The second most popular choice was to move on but with the caveat to always have a contract, never work with her again, and, whenever telling this story in private, name and shame—but don’t do it publicly.
The least popular option was 3. which is funny as it shows how bad she was for doing it to me.
Anyway, to me, this is when things get interesting.
I’m a musician who does PA as well because I had RSI a while back and had to cut down on playing long gigs. But I wanted to stay in the game, see bands, discover how they do it, and perhaps find a way to fix the RSI problem (this is a different blog post for another day—I’ve found a solution!).
So I think this way: I don’t want to faff with contracts. If I did, I’d have my own agency, run my own band, or set up a proper PA company that always does contracts—with the client, not an agent. But I don’t want any of those lives. I just want to do the work and get on with it.
To me, it’s the agent or bandleader’s problem to sort contracts, and if they look out for me, I keep working for them. If they don’t, I move on. Simple.
As far as I know, musicians don’t have contracts for these kinds of bread-and-butter gigs. The agent does. If you are a band, you do. But individual musicians don’t, and if you try, you will be seen as a problem and most likely overlooked.
Anyway, the debate goes on, but I think it’s fairly settled now: tough luck, making money is for other people, you should know better, etc.
Final Advice
The best response and final conclusion/advice that I had—and you can take this without having to go through any of my pain!
Make sure the gig is confirmed over email—this is key.
In your response to the gig (have an email address only for gigs), include in your signature a contract detailing your cancellation fee. All gigs are booked on the understanding that cancellation within 6 months guarantees a 30% cancellation fee, 2 months 50%, 2 weeks 100%—or whatever you feel is suitable.
This way, you kind of have a contract without even having to mention it! (This was my mate Ben’s idea—he runs a great agency based on honesty and trust. Thanks, Ben!)
I hope you found this useful. And as much as I’d like to tell you who this agent was, I’m going to (yet again) bite my tongue—although if we meet in person, she will be named in exchange for pints of beer so I can tell you even more about how the U.K. Entertainment Industry Is Nurturing a Rip-Off Culture.
Update
After only a few hours, my post where I asked for advice got removed from the Facebook group. Here’s a screen shot.
This in itself proves my point that the industry is nurturing this kind of behaviour, it was in this kind of group I found the agent to begin with and now she is being protected, why?
I proceed to post this blog in other Facebook groups, after all, musicians should be interested in this, I have some great advice here about how to deal with contracts for gigs (put your cancellation fee in the email signature).
To my surprise, it gets rejected by everyone. And then it hits me – it’s agents that run these groups! This is where they hunt for their pray, not under their own name of course, and inviting others in to do the same so it’s not obvious.
Welcome to the entertainment industry.