what do i do - non payment, violent threats

[psychwardmedia]

it's going to go fine...thanks to you guys I got my confidence back and have a good course of action.
_________________
Psych Ward Media - The asylumn of sound

[Zacharia Matilda]

Sounds like a scary situation. Keep us posted.
_________________
dehumidified

[chris harris]

[Nick Sevilla]

[cgarges]

For whatever it's worth (and I don't want this to degenerate into some crazy race debate), in all the sessions I've done in the last seven years (at my current base of operations and freelance gigs at other studios), I had one bad hip hop experience, although I am owed no money. There is one bluegrass group that still owes me money, and twice I have had to send collection letters to rock bands who scheduled at the last minute and then didn't show up. Both of them eventually paid, including the late fees I charged them for paying late.

The deposit route really is a fairly foolproof way to go. I can't recommend it highly enough. The few times where I've gotten burned over the years, it's been because I bypassed the deposit scenario for whatever reason.

But, don't let this one guy shake your confidence. It's terrible that you got so psyched for this session and then got treated like that. There are certainly clients who can be a real pain and you can't always tell who that's gonna be (there are assholes looking for deals and there are assholes with plenty of money). But for the most part, if you treat everyone like the business dealings that they are, then you'll have fewer problems and you'll be able to sleep better at night. The sooner you get used to having conversations about money and procedures, the easier it will be. And the more honest and comfortable you are about that stuff, the more people will be willing to deal with you on that level.

As far as breaks are concerned, there's no reason not to take breaks, unless there's a deadline and you're on the last day of the session, at which point you have to be upfront and honest about the likely result. Legally, most states require employees to take breaks every few hours (I think in NC it's a 1/2 hour break for every six hours worked and one-hour break for every eight hours worked) and if it comes down to it, I would have no problem pulling that card on a paying client who was that insistent about work. That's part of the reason I like working a day rate.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC
_________________
www.chrisgarges.com
www.oldhousestudio.com
Bunky Moon, The Public Good
Playing drums with Mitch Easter

[cgarges]

For whatever it's worth (and I don't want this to degenerate into some crazy race debate), in all the sessions I've done in the last seven years (at my current base of operations and freelance gigs at other studios), I had one bad hip hop experience, although I am owed no money. There is one bluegrass group that still owes me money, and twice I have had to send collection letters to rock bands who scheduled at the last minute and then didn't show up. Both of them eventually paid, including the late fees I charged them for paying late.

The deposit route really is a fairly foolproof way to go. I can't recommend it highly enough. The few times where I've gotten burned over the years, it's been because I bypassed the deposit scenario for whatever reason.

But, don't let this one guy shake your confidence. It's terrible that you got so psyched for this session and then got treated like that. There are certainly clients who can be a real pain and you can't always tell who that's gonna be (there are assholes looking for deals and there are assholes with plenty of money). But for the most part, if you treat everyone like the business dealings that they are, then you'll have fewer problems and you'll be able to sleep better at night. The sooner you get used to having conversations about money and procedures, the easier it will be. And the more honest and comfortable you are about that stuff, the more people will be willing to deal with you on that level.

As far as breaks are concerned, there's no reason not to take breaks, unless there's a deadline and you're on the last day of the session, at which point you have to be upfront and honest about the likely result. Legally, most states require employees to take breaks every few hours (I think in NC it's a 1/2 hour break for every six hours worked and one-hour break for every eight hours worked) and if it comes down to it, I would have no problem pulling that card on a paying client who was that insistent about work. That's part of the reason I like working a day rate.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC
_________________
www.chrisgarges.com
www.oldhousestudio.com
Bunky Moon, The Public Good
Playing drums with Mitch Easter

[lyman]

[chris harris]

[fossiltooth]

[joelpatterson]

I had a classical piano player hit me with, "Oh, what? Wait a minute, the video part doesn't just come free with the audio recording?" so if there's a truism to be found, it's that flakiness knows no limits and no genre.
_________________
Mountaintop Studios
~The Peak of Perfection~
Petersburgh NY 12138

mountaintop@taconic.net

[Gregg Juke]

Well, doesn't it?!?!?!???

That seems highly irregular to me, Joel. Highly irregular.

GJ

[joelpatterson]

Of course there's a deeper question, which is, why do I want any money at all?

Don't I like music?
_________________
Mountaintop Studios
~The Peak of Perfection~
Petersburgh NY 12138

mountaintop@taconic.net

[psychwardmedia]

ok so first, I'm confused as to why hip hop and dealings with it became such an issue, this was an irish punk type band (think flogging molly). Now...actions taken so far, I have emailed public relations at the base with info on the incident. Next (tomorrow) I'm calling his credit union, and also calling experian, trans union, and equifax to find out how long I have to wait before filing a report for non payment with them. Also I plan on working on having a lean placed and contacting ASCAP to see if there is anything I can do, assuming he is a member of course. It's in my past, and I've since found work with a wonderful guy doing live sound, it's not what I dream of but it's steady and he's a real nice guy. Speaking of, any thoughts on protecting my ears during live sound without inhibiting the way I hear what's going on? I've noticed that my earplugs block some frequencies more than others.
_________________
Psych Ward Media - The asylumn of sound

[psychwardmedia]

[Scodiddly]

[Scodiddly]

[fossiltooth]