All too often, local bands and musicians believe that the sound company is just a necessary evil that takes their pay away. In the race to the bottom, they often do more harm than good to both the money in their pockets and their success.
At the top of the live music market, things are pretty rosy. The problems experienced in recent years with record and album sales have ensured that there has been somewhat of a resurgence of live shows and events. World tours, adoring fans, and fame and celebrity await those who reach the pinnacle of the market, and even in today’s ever changing entertainment industry you can be assured of enough wealth to, at the very least, be comfortable and never have to worry about paying the rent again!
However for every high flier, there are hundreds or perhaps even thousands of bands at the opposite end of the scale. Struggling with less than perfect equipment, unappreciative audiences, unprofessional promoters and small, cramped bar and club venues, they see a very different side to the live music world. Pay is also often a big issue at these gigs; bands are often expected to play for “exposure” (i.e. free), or to work under the infamous “pay-to-play” scheme where they have to pay a promoter a set fee to play, and then make the money back (and hopefully a small profit) through selling tickets themselves (usually to friends and family).
So it is understandable that musicians in this position may be tempted to scrimp and scrape on any and every expense. When having to hire a sound system for a show, the system (and sound engineer that operates it) is often treated as a necessary evil: something which is vital to the show taking place, but which is only subtracting from their own pay, and so as little as possible should be spent.
Rather than paying the cost of hiring a professional company, many bands will descend towards the cheapest option they can possibly find. ‘Disco Dave’ who has a small PA system and is willing to work for a few beers just to get out of the house, or ‘Student Simon’, who is super keen and just starting out in the music biz and is happy to work for the experience, are just two of the typical characters they may hire, but in the long term is this a wise choice?
Yes it may save you a little money at this particular gig, but spending a little more money hiring a professional sound company brings with it a whole host of advantages that are often worth more than just a little cash in your pocket.
