The Importance Of Holding The Rules Of The Game For Band Personnel

Illustration of work agreement (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Friendship is the key to togetherness. When taken from the context of a band, this is clearly very necessary. It's just that, keep in mind, if music is used as a job, then the rules of the game will speak. Because friendship will just disappear if the rules of the game that are clear are violated arbitrarily. In this case, the black and white matters in the band must be strictly adhered to.

Lots of bands have experienced splits because the personnel could not keep the rules of the game set by the band management. Or it could be the other way around. Because they saw the band as a second family, they finally did not care about the values of professionalism and more adhered to the philosophy of 'gentleman agreement'. As a result, misunderstandings that lead to the dismissal or resignation of personnel often occur.

There are so many examples like this. But because we know directly the bands that will be discussed, for the sake of mutual convenience, we chose not to mention either the name of the band or the personnel in question. This paper is solely to emphasize the importance of professionalism in a band. Not to corner one party.

First, an incident that was experienced by an Indonesian rock band that has a fairly massive mass base. About ten years ago, the band had very few jobs. One of the personnel then 'prostituted himself' to become a movie star for the sake of - which he said - made a living. Meanwhile, his friends remained in the 'red' zone by doing nothing. As a result, he received threats of dismissal.

According to the frontman of this band, looking for a job on his own even though in a different field is an effort to 'find safety' that cannot be justified. “Lo, it's like finding a drop of water in the desert and you drink the water yourself. While we don't give it to you. That's selfish! " Those are the words that the frontman of the band said was like the impromptu movie player imitated to us, one day.

Fasting to talk between personnel then becomes a temporary solution. And this often happens, like a married couple. But, having the same dream keeps them coming back. The band was solid again. But for how long? No one knows. Now, the urge to reunite the band's 'best' formation caused fear to the members who joined afterward. The threat of division came back.

Then, there are Indonesian metal bands that can be categorized as big and have many show schedules. Unhealthy management and non-transparent rules of the game made one of its personnel resign because they were only paid like an amplier regardless of the value of the contract the band manager received from the promoter. In other words, he and the other players only got paid in the form of a sweat wipe which was far below the wages the manager and frontman of the band received.

Feeling that the band he lived in was a second home and considered the frontman of the band as a friend, these departed personnel felt that a standard rule of the game was not important. As a result, it is easy for him to be 'fooled around' with his master. Meanwhile, the master, feeling that he is the owner of the band, is free to do anything to the personnel whom he considers 'smells of kencur'.

Another story came when we accompanied one of the Indonesian pop bands on a three-point tour of the Iberian Peninsula three years ago. Unlike it looks on the outside, this group turns out to be the vocalist's solo project which only positions the other members as contract employees. According to the outpouring of the drummer, he was contracted annually with a percentage payment system for each gig job plus receiving Rp. 250 thousand for each vlog and song sampling he made.

“I've wanted to leave it for a long time, but I'm bound by a contract. I want to go alone instead of joining this band. But the difficulty is, my contract with them has not expired. I can guarantee it. Because I make music, this band won't work if I go, ”he complained.

A few weeks later, the drummer decided to leave as soon as his work contract ended. The band had no ideas, lacked jobs, and the name slowly disappeared.

It is not without reason that the drummer left the band he lived in. Apart from the (again) minimal honorarium, the comfortable atmosphere within the band was almost non-existent. The difference in strata between the frontman and owner of the band and the other members was clear. Harsh words often came out of the mouth of "the employer" as soon as the "messengers" made a little mistake.

In fact, when other personnel had to walk to the location of the gig due to limited budget, he would order a taxi by himself for personal comfort. We even shook our heads at this 'boss' behavior. You see, we are among the band members who walk. Kilos of bray! While carrying gig equipment as well, because they did not bring a crew.

In essence, putting the contents of four or five heads together is not easy. Lots of internal things keep them up and down. The tolerance and proportions of each personnel became known over time. What rock band personnel do who are looking for a job without the band's knowledge cannot be justified. The careless act of the metal band frontman is also a mistake. Even so with the bossy behavior of the owner of the pop band.

So, sticking to the rules of the game is very important. This applies to all personnel, including the band leader. However, if the level of comfort is already at its lowest point, deliberation to reach a consensus is the most appropriate solution even if there are personnel who have to be sacrificed.