I’m a caller for small ONS and local dances and I generally find that organizers offer to pay me more than they pay band members. I usually decline this and offer to split the total with the band so that each individual is getting the same amount. This feels fair to me as, while band members are investing huge time in practice and money in instruments, at the level I work with, they are doing it for pleasure as a hobby, while I am calling more as a volunteer, out of a desire to build community, and I do tend to carry the stress of making the evening successful, especially with crowds with mixed levels of experience.

On Jul 31, 2017, at 6:30 AM, Sarah Gowan via Organizers <organizers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

Not sure if Katy meant something different, but we ask that each individual performer be paid the same amount. i.e.: if the caller gets $100, then each member of the band gets $100. Travel expenses are handled separately.


Sarah


From: barb kirchner <barbkirchner@hotmail.com>
Date: Sunday, July 30, 2017 at 10:35 PM
To: Katy Heine <kheine@twcny.rr.com>, Sarah Gowan <ladysmyth@rcn.com>, A list for dance organizers <organizers@sharedweight.net>
Subject: Re: [Organizers] pay parity for callers & musicians

not sure what you mean by "each band member".

if "each" band member expects to be paid $100, and there are three band members, do you mean the caller wants to be paid $100 or $300?  

cheers,
barb


From: Organizers <organizers-bounces+barbkirchner=hotmail.com@lists.sharedweight.net> on behalf of Sarah Gowan via Organizers <organizers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2017 2:23:14 AM
To: Katy Heine; organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
Subject: Re: [Organizers] pay parity for callers & musicians
 
Parity for sure! 

Consider the thousands of hours it took for our musicians to learn to play
the instruments, learn the genre, and learn how to play for the dance,
fitting tunes to choreography, and making the dance more danceable. In
addition, bands invest rehearsal hours, both as individuals and as groups.
And the equipment! Many of our musicians have several instruments that
cost them thousands of dollars apiece. More than few $8000 fiddles have
graced our stage and most instruments worth playing cost, at a minimum,
$2000. Musicians also pay for their own pick-ups, special mics, strings,
picks, reeds, rosin, music books, stands, insurance, and assorted
paraphernalia. The financial investment alone, even for our least
experience and shaky players, is mind-boggling. The payout from the dance
can never adequately compensate our musicians for the work and financial
investment they make to get to the point of being able to play for an
evening. The very least we can do is pay them the same as we pay our
callers.

Sarah









On 7/30/17, 8:29 PM, "Organizers on behalf of Katy Heine via Organizers"
<organizers-bounces+ladysmyth=rcn.com@lists.sharedweight.net on behalf of
organizers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

>I've been booking performers for dances for many years and just recently
>encountered, for the first time, an expectation that the caller (booked
>separately) be paid the same amount as each band member. Is this a new
>thing? What's the practice in YOUR community?
>
>Thanks,
>Katy Heine
>_______________________________________________
>Organizers mailing list
>Organizers@lists.sharedweight.net
>http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers-sharedweight.net


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