This was a call I received a few years ago:
Organizer: "Hi. is this Rozz?"
Me : "Yes. Who is this?"
Organizer: "I'm calling on behalf of .......... we would like to get you to perform for this year's .............. Festival."
Me : "Sure. Please write in officially to my email, and I will submit my fee quotation and technical rider."
Organizer: "What do you mean?"
Me : "My price, and my requirements. Don't you want to know that before you hire me?"
Organizer: "Well, we don't really have a budget for this. We were hoping you would do this free as a sign of goodwill, or that you would find a sponsor to cover your costs."
Me : "Let me get this straight - you are asking me to travel up there, with my band, incur all these costs etc etc etc, and you want ME to find somebody to pay for all my costs. Somebody other than you. You, who'll be selling tickets and profiting from the sales, are offering me absolutely no payment at all. Tell me - what's is the benefit for me, then? What do I get out of this?"
Organizer: "Yes. It would be very good for your image to be in this festival. Also it's good exposure for you."
Me : "My image is already fine, and I'm exposed enough already, thank you. Tell your 'boss' that when he is ready to pay for me to be there, he can contact me again then. Otherwise, no."
*click*
Three phrases I just LOVE to hear from event organizers - "We don't really have a budget,""Goodwill," and "Exposure".
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