mrtcat

This was mentioned quite early on in the original discussion. The replacement is going to have to be pretty special if this is to be avoided.

This is so true. Even the big boys are going to struggle when covid starts to hit 2021 peak season bookings.

Agree. My bandmates have suffered significantly. The reason I'm not an LLP partner is that I own my own business and thankfully that has grown significantly this year.

The 15 most popular bands on our agents books played a total of 1941 gigs between them in 2019. Only one of those bands isn't an all male lineup. 6 of them would fall into the scruffy indie category. It may not be selling in your area but across the uk as a whole it's still a pretty popular choice.

I should make it clear that the agency don't have any problems whatsoever selling female fronted bands. What they say they struggle more with is mixed gender bands. It's also the same with age groups. They can sell young bands, old bands and everything in between but they struggle with bands that dont sit in one age group or another.

This is really the only reason the band are happy to stick to a male front man. The agents have been able to sell the band well for years so why make a significant change.

All well and good but in this instance the agent brings in 100% of our work. If they are right and then we end up with 20% fewer bookings then the band is no longer a viable business. If we were a pub band or just doing it for fun then I'd agree completely.

I totally understand this and my belief is that an LLP is subject to the exact same rules as any other employer so I think any advert we put out will need to avoid stating preferred age or gender. I makes me wonder how tv / film companies can advertise for a male actor or how the chippendales could advertise for a new stripper.

I'm more interested in how people think we stand both legally and morally when it comes to advertising. The band is a registered LLP and I'm the only non partner so essentially I don't actually get the final say on who we advertise for. My concern is not breaking laws or accidentally causing offence if we put an advert out.

I'm not sure. Modern venues are all well equipped. I think it's more to do with their experiences of what clients are booking.

I think it's less about a specific reason and purely based on their experience of what statistically sells best and what doesn't.

I genuinely don't think it has anything to do with capability. History tells us that women can absolutely nail it. I don't know what the reasoning is behind their stance but they really do book hundreds of bands into proper function gigs every day so I have to trust that they know what they are doing.

I don't really know and I don't feel desperately comfortable with it but our agents, who have always been absolutely brilliant for us and keep us booked solid with well paid work have been quite clear in saying that they would find us harder to sell as a mixed gender band.

I think it depends on the style of music you play. We are very much scruffy Indie / rock rather than a smart funk / soul / pop etc style.

What are people's thoughts on this? We are an all male 4 piece band operating as a business playing weddings. Our current lead singer is looking to step back from the mic and focus on guitar playing so we need a replacement. Our agents, who are a big company are clear that mixed gender bands are harder for them to sell and also bands where the age range is too broad. Not sure how I feel about advertising for a 30 something male. What would you do?

Sounds horrific..

I had one that I bought for a gig I was doing in italy with a band i was in. I didn't fancy taking a US Fender in the hold of a plane so bought a j&d jazz and took that. I sold it after I got back but missed it so much that i bought another. I've since sold the US jazz and still have the j&d. Absolutely cracking workhorse bass.

Its probably not soon enough but I work in oxford regularly and am going to Plymouth on 22nd of August.

That's really interesting. My 1024x weighs in at almost dead on 9lbs and the solo'd p pickup is so fat and meaty sounding. I had a regular 1024 that was just the same. Maybe worth trying before buying.

I've got a bb1024x and its sublime for the money. I'd sell every other bass I own (includes fender P, spector euro lx, Warwick streamer stage 1 and a dingwall ng2) before even considering selling the Bb1024x .

That's a result. I get the impression that some companies are using lockdown as an excuse to take the mickey somewhat. I'm lucky that I have a decent supplier here in northants.

Plywood is alarmingly expensive these days that's for sure.

Made a few fearful cabs before and they always sound great. I've been out of the building loop for a while so would be interested to know where you got russian birch from and where you are getting crossover components. Happy to offer any advice along the way should you need it.

You've essentially paid for an East Uni Pre and they've thrown in a bloody nice bass with it.

As with many bands we are doing a few "lockdown" tunes.