Who owns the PA in your band?

Jalapeno

We hired a (really shitty) PA until we could afford our own. We put all gig fees in a pot and over-paid for practice hire (no more than £5 a session, and between 4) until we could afford our own very basic mixer/amp & speakers.  We each had our own mics/stands etc.

We then did the same for lights.

A long-winded way of saying joint ownership.

We overdid it on speakers/wedges I keep 4, plus lights, bassist keeps the other 2 speakers and mixer/amp.

ICBM

I do. But I haven't used it for a proper gig in about fifteen years, and I'm trying not to again - it's just a massive hassle to cart it all into a bar and set up... we prefer to play places that are proper music venues and have a house system. Although I did use some of it for a village fun day six or seven years ago!

I should sell it all really, but... it cost me next to nothing - I accumulated it over the years, many parts as refused-estimate repairs which I bought for pennies and then fixed myself - and I get the nagging feeling that one day I'll need it for something where hiring one is even more of a pain and costs money.

ESBlonde

I own the pa, that way I know it’s good for purpose. The danger continues to be that I load into my vehicle then load into the venue, then mostly set it up, then break it down - I usually get some help on load out but have to load the vehicle and then unload at home and store. 

At 64 I’m by far the youngest of the three or 4 of us but even in past times I’ve always felt lumbered so beware people with no invested interest will be reluctant to partake of any work, a charge for the service is reasonable in many circumstances IMHO.

firepaulmusic

I own the PA in my 3-piece band. I take 10% of whatever fee we get. The only issue I can foresee is if a bit of kit gets dropped/damaged by a band member loading in/out. Because I'm paid to provide the system doesn't mean there's a no guilt clause for damage...

roundthebend

firepaulmusic said:

I own the PA in my 3-piece band. I take 10% of whatever fee we get. The only issue I can foresee is if a bit of kit gets dropped/damaged by a band member loading in/out. Because I'm paid to provide the system doesn't mean there's a no guilt clause for damage...

So, do you have an agreement about what happens then? I'm thinking that I will recoup 50% of the cost from gig fees, and then just take a flat hire rate. So, a £350 sub needs replacing..... I'll start taking a bigger cut until I've had £175.

Jalapeno

roundthebend said:

firepaulmusic said:

I own the PA in my 3-piece band. I take 10% of whatever fee we get. The only issue I can foresee is if a bit of kit gets dropped/damaged by a band member loading in/out. Because I'm paid to provide the system doesn't mean there's a no guilt clause for damage...

So, do you have an agreement about what happens then? I'm thinking that I will recoup 50% of the cost from gig fees, and then just take a flat hire rate. So, a £350 sub needs replacing..... I'll start taking a bigger cut until I've had £175.

Need to be uber-explicit about stuff like that or you could end up being perceived as being like Lindsay Buckingham and the mess of his studio costs during Tusk recording

Rkphilpot

We hire our PA, as we only gig once a month or so it makes more sense than buying one. We get it at an absolute steal, so any money we earn goes to hiring cost before we then split the surplus.

We are a three piece, I sing and play guitar, which means its my responsibility to arrange collection and return of the PA around my shift work and the gig, along with providing my own stuff for playing guitar. Also all 3 vocal mics...and instrument mics...and drum mics...cables...ipads (2)...lights...oh to be a bass player.

fastonebaz

 I think i might start charging the singer 10% of fees for everything I've spent on guitar equipment.  Oh and a drumkit with 7 cymbals and 4 toms is pretty expensive that's another 10%.  

Danny1969

Generally you should all end up earning a lot more money than you ever put in the PA. The HK Actor DX we got in one band was about 5K back in 2008 but we've earnt that 30  times over from then till now. I have replaced the amps in the bass bins because no matter the quality class D amps will always fail at some point. That was £425 x 2, they failed within 2 months of each other after 10 years which is fairly typical.  If you choose the gear wisely it will go on for quite a long time, some things like decent mic's will outlast the band members. If you make the cables yourself out of decent quality mic cable and Neutrik XRL's they will almost never need replacing. 
I spend very little on guitars and amps because I don't think it's necessary to. Cheap guitars are so good these days and a decent 2nd hand valve amp can be picked up for £350. Spend the money on the PA instead. 

ScreamingDave

In my last band we bought the PA and lights together, but I stored it and lugged it around in my company’s van, so when the band split, possession is nine-tenths and all that jazz!  In the new band me and the keyboard player are what’s left of the old band, so I figure we own it, but having said that it’s not an issue who owns it. There’s no hint of us getting our own way or we take our ball home.  We’re kind of grown ups now!

midiman1962

I spent years owning pa and setting it up most recently in my trio. Post Covid I realised that I wasn’t really enjoying it mainly due to the logistics of having to play guitar, sing and then mix at the same time . I cut in a sound and light guy and just made him a 4th member of the band (gets 25%). The bass player and I own a few bits of pa but the sound guy does it all and the improvement in experience is about 100% for everyone.

p90fool

midiman1962 said:

I spent years owning pa and setting it up most recently in my trio. Post Covid I realised that I wasn’t really enjoying it mainly due to the logistics of having to play guitar, sing and then mix at the same time . I cut in a sound and light guy and just made him a 4th member of the band (gets 25%). The bass player and I own a few bits of pa but the sound guy does it all and the improvement in experience is about 100% for everyone.

I really want to do this now we're a 4 piece instead of 5. 

I would love to be able to just plonk my amp onstage and plug my guitar in, like a normal person. 

Fez

I own most of it the other guitarist and I bought a new mixing desk between us and at times we have used the band kitty to get stuff .The pa lives at my house and I normally transport it, last gig our second singer picked me and the pa up in her new car.

Danny1969

p90fool said:

midiman1962 said:

I spent years owning pa and setting it up most recently in my trio. Post Covid I realised that I wasn’t really enjoying it mainly due to the logistics of having to play guitar, sing and then mix at the same time . I cut in a sound and light guy and just made him a 4th member of the band (gets 25%). The bass player and I own a few bits of pa but the sound guy does it all and the improvement in experience is about 100% for everyone.

I really want to do this now we're a 4 piece instead of 5. 

I would love to be able to just plonk my amp onstage and plug my guitar in, like a normal person. 

I've always been in bands that had dedicated FOH engineers, even in the early nineties when we played every Monday night for £70 we split it 5 ways between the band and the sound engineer. You can get a kind of rough and ready mix onstage but it's far better to have someone mixing you properly, turning your guitar up for solos and fills and backing your vocal off when you can't quite get there. Basically mixing the band but also showing the band in their best light as well. 

I am gig'ing in one band at the moment though who don't have anyone out front mixing and I am the one who has to try and achieve some kind of mix from the stage. I mute the effects between songs and push up the lead vox for songs in a lower register and pull down the vocal a bit in the screamy numbers ... that's about all I can do. I'm totally aware it's not enough really. 

I actually enjoy mixing bands myself, if they are all good muso's. I was mixing a pro band at a posh gig in  Tumbridge Wells last week, all good players, no wedges, small backline. They would use an agency engineer if no one in their usual pool of people couldn't do it. They wouldn't attempt it themselves. 

robinbowes

Danny1969 said:

I actually enjoy mixing bands myself, if they are all good muso's.

*Everybody* enjoys mixing bands if the players are all good!  

CaseOfAce

Our bass player owns the PA and has never asked us to pay rental for it when gigging. I'm not sure how that would go down now if he did since we've been working this way for a few years. 
I bring my own floor monitor, mic and stand as does the singer.
Pretty lucky I guess.
Ideally it should be the lead singer who owns the PA right - since everyone else is already buying, maintaining and using their particular gear already?

roundthebend

It's an interesting view that the singer should buy the PA. If the whole band get mic'd up then that's a shared use. In our band the drummer uses an electronic kit, so we'll also be needing a sub to get the kick sound.

I'm guitarist and singer. So, I'll have an expensive situation if it works good you say.

Stratavarious

I own a bunch of PA and use it for various bands I am in, events, local theatre, etc. But others have mixers as an option for some gigs and lights are someone else, although I have those too if needed. Others who sing have monitors, as do I.

My experience is most band lineups don't last too long and it is best to have at least one workable basic PA owned by a player or you get lost in the finances or kit logistics with any changes.

it is good if singers or those needing it, sort monitoring.. wedges or IEMs, mics and mic stands.

i think it is fair to say that 10% goes into a kitty early on, or that the PA lugger gets a slightly bigger cut.  In a new band, any excess can buy banners or promo stuff.  We kitty things like insurance too and would if key kit needed a repair.

Flanging_Fred

I feel very lucky. Our singer has purchased the PA and lights and he is also a landscape gardener, so has a rather nice big van to cart it all about in. We also have the use of secure storage for it all at our rehearsal studios. As a band we make sure we all participate in loading in and out. 

I have purchased my own active floor monitor even though I don’t ‘need’ it. I also have my own mic’s and stands if I need them over and above the ones that came with the PA. 

Rowby1

Three bands.

Band A, a shared by all members, vocal and kick drum only PA. Bought for out of gig money.

Band B, singer/guitarist/front man. 

Band C, our sound guy who is definitely considered a part of the band.