“Rule number 1 be great. Rule number 2 be grateful for the ability to create. Everything else is extra.”
— Tracii Guns / L.A. Guns

FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY — How much money is fair pay when playing music?

That is the million dollar question, no pun intended… and it seems there are all kinds of opinions as to what is acceptable pay in the music / entertainment industry.

Metal Sludge recently posted the following article: “SCREW YOU TOO … Stevie Rachelle explains to Matt Starr, why his Idea is flawed when he says: “Accepting Low Paying Gigs Screws Everyone” which has stirred the pot and then-some.

The article has brought on much debate, with musicians, fans, and others taking their side, and speaking their mind.

The above noted Metal Sludge article was spotlighting recent comments from rock drummer and self-proclaimed coach Matt Starr, stating that if a musician takes a ‘lower paying gig‘, he is not only screwing himself, but he’s screwing everyone.

Starr charges his clients / students $247.00 per hour, to learn how to get paid the big bucks, or so he claims on his coaching website.

I opted to speak out and could not disagree more… and I did so, as I think Starr‘s message is flawed, if he feels the same application of his ideals works across the board with all players or all ages.

I can’t imagine telling a 22 year old local player he’s “screwing himself” if he plays that cover gig this weekend for $150.00, all the while telling him that he should pay me $250.00, so I can better teach him to demand $400.00 for that same gig.

In the end… the kid would still make $150.00, as he gave Matt Starr the other $250.00 of his hard earned money for a .PDF file full of Matt‘s latest ‘How To Make It Big‘ pitch.

My article states I believe doing this work for a living is not a ‘one size fits all‘ for each, or every opportunity, and any offer should be considered, using a sensible and logical sliding-scale approach.

There are many ways to get paid, and not all gigs are the same… be it a session gig, a local show, performing with a tribute act, playing regionally, or doing international dates and appearances which involves travel, hotels, etc…

This can also include writing sessions, recording sessions and rehearsals as well.

In the end… as the old saying goes, ‘the harder you work, the luckier you get‘ applies here and in life, and with experience, knowledge and a general love of your craft, good things will come.

I am a firm believer in karma, put out good, and it will come back… I also believe that everyone has a best way to do things, as it suits or benefits them and their current situation.

A few noteworthy rockers have chimed in with their 2-cents on this debate, and I’ve shared some of that here.

L.A. Guns founder, lead guitarist and chief songwriter Tracii Guns has weighed in with the following: “You’re supposed to play music and create art because you love it. The percentage of musicians (whoever) that make a single dollar is very low. Being kind and extraordinary may lead to some great networking where pay can be involved. When I think of how many endearing incoherent charming people have risen to the top it shows that the unique artist will rise not the know it all artist.”

Guns ends his comment with this: “Rule number 1 be great. Rule number 2 be grateful for the ability to create. Everything else is extra.”

Bowling For Soup frontman Jaret Reddick jumped in the comments on Instagram as well adding: “Love it. Def agree with Tracii and I love your quote… “the harder you work, the luckier you get.” Being called “the hardest working dude in the biz” is something I wear as a badge of honor.”

Black N’ Blue guitarist Brandon Cook also added his thoughts on Starr‘s Facebook share: “i think it’s about investment. if you take a low paying gig and don’t invest your whole life into it, it can be beneficial to you. but it really just depends on your motives. i think stevie is missing a key part of your message which is the complaining and hopelessness many musicians engage in without doing all they can to learn their biz and charge a reasonable amount for reasonable expectations of work. like working a bar band that is super low dough and not quality people expecting to make it big from there. Stevie is makes solid points. but in our conversations, i don’t think you disagree with what he’s saying at all. stevie made a choice but think he had certain options because he already has a brand afforded by a major label deal, he has metal sludge and other things going. But what he’s also doing is taking calculated risks. without calculating things, risks are too much. Stevie is a true pro, FOR THAT EXACT Reason. he’s a smart dude. my take away is that there’s more than one way to skin a cat and no one should take too much opinion of anyone because their life is not yours. you have to research and do the math for yourself and earn it like everyone else.”

Original Warrant guitarist Josh Lewis adds: “Being a musician, is like running any business… sometimes it’s worth it to take the “50% of something is better than 100% of nothing” approach. Sometimes, like in Stevie Rachelle Tuff case, opportunities come from relationships. Taking a pay cut a few times might pay off, or it might be a waste of time, or even set a precedent you don’t want. Either way, it’s a lesson that you will benefit from.”

Others from the industry have chimed in including ‘Big’ John Murray, who is best known for his appearances on Vh1‘s Rock Of Love, and his time acting as security for Bret Michaels of Poison among many others.

Murray adds: “That goes for the TM’S, ASSISTANTS, AND CREW AS WELL. Good etiquette and DRIVE, will pay off tenfold if ya do it right.”

In the end, I can vividly recall a conversation my band (TUFF) had with our then manager, Brian Kushner of Powerstar Management.

Kushner was mediating the band, as we were sorting song-writing splits, publishing and other related monies that were about to come into our account, after signing with Atlantic Records and Sony Music Publishing in 1990.

These were 2 major league deals, that were suddenly going to put multiple 6-figures into our hands collectively as a band, and we no doubt, needed some guidance.

We were all in our early 20’s, and at some point, we all had an idea, of what we each thought was fair, and in the end, Kushner pulled all of us aside, and simply said something like: “100% of nothing is nothing… and 50% of something is something.”

Which, this right here, points back to what Josh Lewis said above.

This from 35 years ago, in some ways parallels this debate in 2025, as Matt Starr seemingly applies his; “I am digging my heels in, this is my rate, take it or leave it” approach, where I am willing to say; “Okay, well if you can’t pay me that, how about we try it this way.”

I still feel Matt‘s advice, is bad advice, especially for the younger, more impressionable players who are just starting out.

The 20-something musician from Iowa says: “Well, Matt Starr played with Ace Frehley and Mr. Big and he told me to do this, so I guess it might be the right thing to do.”

Then as the ensuing year, or two unfolds, the kid from Iowa has turned down 4-5 jobs based on his “this is my worth and I am not budging“, approach while the guy down the street took all of those gigs right out from under him and has that much more experience, exposure, and contacts to build on.

I have heard stories of artists, or bands, with their agents setting a fee, and sticking to it.

In other words, “We want $5,000.00 or we’re not playing“, and even if the promoter offers $4,750.00 the artist says; “Sorry… we’re going to pass.”

This is essentially a game of chicken, or hard-ball, and in the end, if you play that long enough, and hard enough, you might be sitting at home more than you are standing on stage.

Everyone is different, but I would rather play 2 shows and take home ‘some money’, than play no shows and take home ‘no money’.

Again, every situation is vastly different, much-like a contract structured for a professional sports athlete.

Of course everyone wants the guaranteed money, but often these contracts for pro athletes are full of incentive clauses, that their performance brings them something extra, in addition to the guaranteed pay.

In my previous article, I quoted John 5, and how he approached playing in Los Angeles when he first arrived here on the scene, and trying to get his foot in the door with as many labels, artists, publishers and song-writing teams as he could.

5 said: “I did sessions for like half the price, and I played on everybody’s records, every T.V. show, everything you can imagine”, and while we can’t be sure it was that operational mode that landed him where he is today in Motley Crue, or his past high-profile gigs with Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie and David Lee Roth… but one could assume his work-ethic, skill and ability to negotiate himself in the door has paid off.

In the end… everyone has a different perspective on how to go about this business, and we can all agree that not every story – success of failure – is alike.

Thank you for reading, and while I am here… let me coach you on how to buy a T-shirt or something from my store… to support this site… just click HERE and you are on your way to a successful purchase!

Stevie Rachelle

Stay tuned to Metal Sludge for Breaking News, Updates and Features along with both New Interviews and Classic 20 Questions.