A major cashflow problem

wherediditallgo

Toto wrote: »

WEll good for you conor, but obviously my business is very different to yours. Would you suggest we don't take work just incase 3/4 of our clients go bust? Where do you draw the line? Cash in hand up front? I can just see Eric Clapton et al agreeing to that!

Exactly. I've done a fair bit of work in the music industry behind the scenes as well as performing, & if I had tried to cover every eventuality, not only would I not have earned some of the money I did, I also wouldn't have got the opportunity to do the work in the first place. The entertainment world isn't the same as standard industries - bruising someone's ego can do as much damage as providing the wrong equipment, or putting something they're not keen on in a contract & aren't prepared to negotiate over. With some people, something as simple as limiting the riders can make the difference between getting a contract & it going elsewhere. If you can't do what they want the way the want it, there's going to be someone somewhere to take your place.

Richard_S

Hi Toto,

I think I know you well enough not to bother suggesting the obvious.

I know nothing about your capital reserves but one thing I know for absolutely certain is that once you've taken a knock there's always something else lurking in the background just waiting to pounce.

Treat spending a £1 as if it's equivalent to a pint of blood, look after your small guys we always have, but they'll be just as keen to stab you in the back as anybody else, so don't be bothered about spreading the pain, and if they have to wait, so be it; they'll get over it.

Cash is King, get your forecasts right and make sure there's enough to meet the VAT bill; they'll be the ones to trip you up just when you think you've got things back on track.

Apologies for conveying our best wishes through my O.H (I'd been temporarily locked out of the site) but when I read your post it was almost as if it had happened to us; again.

Rich

Toto

Thanks Rich, the VAT is always shoved into a savings account attached to or business current account. Every invoice I do, I work out the VAT I will end up paying (after costs) and put that away. I'm dead careful about the VAT man, he'll have our insides for breakfast, I'm well aware of that.

If the worst comes to the worst we can sell a bit of gear, we have some stuff which could go without too much heartache. That isn't the plan right now but if something else comes up we might need to. All cash reserves will be gone now, we're back to working hand to mouth again. I wish we'd got the deal done a few weeks ago and got the business sold. But hindsight is 20 20. We were a bit tied to timelines anyway, so probably couldn't have changed much, desperate to sell never did get a good deal.

What happened to you getting locked out. It was really sweet of you to call Jane for her to post. You're lovely people and I'm glad we got to meet you both.

This is going to be a bit of a slog, but, it won't be the first one. I guess it will make me appreciate the beach house in St Tropez I'll have when I retire (dreaming again). I'm sure we'll all end up somewhere nice though, and if not, it won't be for the want of trying, will it?

wherediditallgo

Toto wrote: »

If the worst comes to the worst we can sell a bit of gear,.....

I know what you meant, but that did make me smile. I've known people who've done that....

Toto

hahaha ok, glad you know what I mean. What did you do in the industry where? Your post was spot on. Although the rider thing made me smile. We get stupid riders, I mean really stupid ones all the time. We usually now just ask, for a chanel list, we'll work out the rest from the info we have from that and the venue.

We do one venue which is this tiny tiny but very exclusive club in london £50 for a whisky and coke (I kid you not). They have regular bands on there, and yes they are all huge names. But the riders come with demands for nothing less than 2 XL4 for front of house, plus a monitor desk, 22 wedges on stage plus side fills. I laugh and say, we could probably just about fit that all in if we knock down the walls and remove all of the punters. They get a digital desk and 8 monitors maximum.

I love to read the diva list (as I call it) the personal riders. But it's all management really who don't have a clue. When I'm working as a muso, I'm dead chuffed if someone puts me a bottle of water on stage, surprisingly, it doesn't happen often.

See, start talking work and I start to waffle... so, what do/did you do? I'm dying to know.

wherediditallgo

I'm a singer-songwriter & poet - if you can imagine the lovechild of Benjamin Zephaniah & Maya Angelou, you'll have an idea of my work. I also sing a fair bit of Billie Holiday, Nina Simone & Ella Fitzgerald if I do jazz/blues covers.

For two years I ran a recording studio - I was as green as grass, so whatever I didn't know I had to blag until I learned it. Apart from a part-time receptionist, I was the only woman there amongst a group of men who thought they could blind me with science. I was mainly dealing with new artists, so I'd be involved at every stage - from organising their recording sessions, to getting pressing plants sorted out, the distribution, getting them on radio playlists, getting SOR deals with stores like HMV, getting coverage by local media. I'd organise their shows, sort out ticketing & minor catering & sometimes had to deal with solo artists who tried to turn up with 20 people saying they were part of their team because they didn't want to pay to come in - I actually did stand there & say "If your name's not on the list, you're not coming in" for those expecting to be on guest lists.

I spent many nights sleeping on studio floors because there were so many sessions booked in that it wasn't worth me going home when I wanted to make sure everything ran properly, & when engineers argued I just made a decision & walked away. For instance, one kept trying to get free sessions for his friends but wouldn't ask me (a lowly woman) for the time - one too many arguments about it resulted in me just changing the locks & keeping the keys with me. No keys, no freebie. Also had to deal with bills - why don't people realise VAT has to be paid for phone calls? I put a payphone in at the highest rate, which soon stopped people using the phone like it cost nothing.

It was the hardest & the best way to learn, & I loved every second of it. Once the OR & I have sorted our relationship out, I want to have my own studio & publishing house. I have a small home studio that will do for now, but the day I get some money, I'm off to build the place of my dreams.

Toto wrote: »

I love to read the diva list (as I call it) the personal riders. But it's all management really who don't have a clue. When I'm working as a muso, I'm dead chuffed if someone puts me a bottle of water on stage, surprisingly, it doesn't happen often.

How funny - same here. Whenever I do a show, the staff are always surprised when I just want a bottle of water or orange juice, & I don't even mind paying for it.

Burlesque_Babe

Hi there Toto

I'm a rare visitor to the BR board and I've never posted before, but know you from our DFW chats.

I'm really sorry to hear what has hit you, but I know that you are strong and you will find a way to sort through this.

PM me if you wanted a chat.