Gear upkeep and repairs

So if you are a DJ, you’d own your own decks, mixer, cables and headphones; a guitarist his guitars, amplifier, cables and effects pedals; a drummer a set of drums. But it is important to discuss these instruments and pieces of equipment upfront and come to agreement over their maintenance, upkeep and repair.

 

Financial responsibility

 

While it is easy to see who owns what piece of equipment, when it comes to upkeep and repair, who is financially responsible? For example, guitars always need new strings, turntables need new needles and drums need new skins and sticks. In the beginning many bands simply agree that all members should pay for the upkeep of their own gear. But it will soon become clear to you that some members will need to spend more money doing this than others. If you are splitting your earnings equally, they are earning less per show than anyone else, merely because of the instrument they play. A set of drum skins costs way more than a couple of new styluses or a set of guitar strings.

 

Group incurs costs

 

A basic recommendation is that being in the group should never cost anyone any money once the unit has achieved earning potential. This means that no income that the group earns should be split amongst members until such time as the costs that the group’s activities incur have been paid off. This includes equipment maintenance and repair costs, rehearsal space and transport. In other words, the group will pay for drum skins, new cables, guitar strings and whatever else the band consumes in the act of being the band. Should major equipment failure occur, it is also possible that the band could purchase replacement gear. For example, if an amp blows up, or a turntable is smashed, the group might consider buying the replacement. However, that piece of equipment then becomes communal property and, should the member who uses it choose to leave, she will have to negotiate to buy it from the band.

 

 

Buying a sound system

 

As mentioned previously, the other major piece of gear that a band could ultimately own is a public address system (PA). A PA consists of the front of house equipment including the mixing desk and any processing units the engineer might use and the snake cable taking signals from stage to the desk. The onstage sections include the speakers themselves, the amplifier system, monitors through which your sound is played back on stage, microphones and cables, microphone stands, extension cords etc.

 

Due to the fact that many venues in South Africa do not have in-house sound systems, many bands are forced to consider whether or not to buy their own. Assuming that your band has considered all the options discussed previously and decided to actually buy a sound system, there needs to be clear agreement on how this important piece of equipment is handled and ultimately owned. There are two basic scenarios. One, the band buys the gear and therefore owns all of it, and is financially responsible for its upkeep, repair, transport and running. Secondly, one band member could personally contribute all or some of the money required to buy the system. In this case that member is either the full owner or part-owner, with the band becoming the other part-owner.

 

 

PA - source of income

 

Owning a PA means more than just having a useful piece of gear at your disposal. It can also act as a source of income for the band. Just as other people hire out sound systems to bands, you could also hire yours out to earn extra money. Of course, this is an entirely new line of business for the band and the risks need to be carefully thought through and managed. However, if your group is only using the equipment one or two nights a week, you could effectively make the equipment pay for itself by hiring it out on nights it is not in use. This money would then be band money that goes into your coffers to help pay for things like guitar strings, petrol, tour accommodation and so on. Of course it does need to be considered that the more a sound system is used, the more maintenance it needs, which is in itself a cost to the band.

 

Next week: Money issues

 

Originally published in David Chislett's One, Two, One, Two: A Step By Step Guide To The South African Music Industry. Download a free copy of the book at www.davidchislett.co.za.