Wednesday 25 May 2011

Musicians Tools :0

Hi everyone, I suspect that being a BRAND NEW blog that the sindication of this isn't going out to dozens of countries, or people, or.. well you know what I mean.

Today I'm talking about simple things.. the tools at the disposal of the musician. Thought I'd get the process above the belt!!

Apart from the obvious amps, guitars, keyboards, mics, lights, leads etc etc... the working musician will ponder a problem at virtually every gig.

What time do we start, how long do we play, when do we finish, when do we take a break and how long are the breaks?

I created a little spreadsheet years ago to calculate ALL that and more. If you are a gigging muso, you will find this little tool invaluable. Over the years I have added extra fields so I can keep track of important information from the gig. Stuff like, who the agency was, how much the commission was (automatically calculated too), what distance we travelled, any extra outgoings like PA etc. then finally what the final split up of what was left actually goes to us.. the muso's.

I have added a link to the sheet which you are free to download for private use.. don't go stealing my idea and selling it to others please. There are still a couple of kinks I will iron out when I get a chance.

Here are a couple of screen shots of the sheet. I usually save the completed sheet with the date and gig info so I can electronically file it and refer to at a later date. Particularly if some calls and says "You played for my friend Johnno last September and I would like to book you. How much will it cost?" You can quickly check the details of that gig, how much you charged, how long you played, if it was from an agency and you may need to refer them back to the originating agency etc.

Anyway, I hope it is helpful. If it is please leave some comments.

Until next time.. rock on