If you are an 'unsigned' artist or band and want to get a gig at Guilfest this year - you better have a few quid in your pocket, as it is not cheap- money is the magic word here !
This is what happens when you call Guilfest to talk about the possibility of having your act on one of the unsigned stages; you will need to persevere and be very patient ! Keep calling and you might be lucky to speak with the not so very friendly Suzie Pile - the woman in charge of the pre-selection of 'unsigned acts'. She lays out all of the terms and conditions, which as you might guess are 99.9% financial. Out of curiosity when we asked her for a definition of an 'unsigned band', she replied saying that a signed act is a ‘big name'. I must admit that this didn't make any sense to me at the time and it still doesn't !
Anyhow, back to the financial aspect. If you want to play at Guilfest on one of the 'unsigned stages' you have to buy at least 50 one-day tickets at a minimum cost of £35 each or a combination of week-end tickets, each costing £90 and having a total minimum spend of £1,750.
All of this is on the basis of an upfront payment once you are selected and approved before the actual gig takes place. You will be getting a discount of £5 ONLY for each ticket on those costing £35 and a £10 reduction on the £90 week-end tickets. This is your ONLY option and this was heavily emphasised 3 times by Suzie Pile during the course of the telephone conversation.
So, fellow musicians, be prepared : you won' t be able to negotiate and if you do go for it and they ultimately accept you, you won't be able to offer your fans a real deal by selling the Guilfest tickets much cheaper unless you sell them at cost price or at a loss.
After having spoken with Suzie Pile, you will need to send her an email suzy@guilfest.co.uk (feel free to bombard her - she loves 'unsigned bands'), and afterwards you have to fill in an application form and send her a demo.
And then, you may just get a chance to perform at Guilfest 2007 and if you are lucky you will have to lay down the bank notes. Don't forget, it's £1,750 minimum to play ! This all leads me to believe that Guilfest might decide to put the bids up - it could easily end up costing a band between £2,000 and £2,500 if not more just to get a 30 minutes slot. Does this sound like the e-bay of music ?
Let's have a look at the figures now; How much do Guilfest actually make just on the unsigned acts ? Based on last year's line-up for the unsigned stages (The Rock Cave + the 2 Live Club stages), I counted a total of 100 bands. That's 100 bands all paying a minimum of £1,750 = £175,000 ! There is another stage called The Funky End Tent, which I suspect could be another unsigned stage and if so, we can then add another 30 or so bands paying £1,750.
Total : 130 unsigned bands x £1,750 = £227,500 !
Wow, that's what I call a real result ! For the Guilfest organisers, of course. The way this is going, Guilfest will in future be running their business purely on unsigned bands over the next few years.
Now let's go back to Suzie Pile's definition of a signed band being a big name' - it is very clear to me that without the unsigned bands, she wouldn't have a job. In fact, the unsigned acts are paying her wages not the big names. Therefore Miss Pile, you could at least be friendly when on the phone to your wage payers and not treat them like cattle, after all, unsigned bands are YOUR ONLY OPTION !!
If you do want to get your band on the Guilfest line-up, you can call Suzie Pile on 01483 454 159 and don't forget to give her my best regards !
For more reviews, visit www.reviewravers.com
This is what happens when you call Guilfest to talk about the possibility of having your act on one of the unsigned stages; you will need to persevere and be very patient ! Keep calling and you might be lucky to speak with the not so very friendly Suzie Pile - the woman in charge of the pre-selection of 'unsigned acts'. She lays out all of the terms and conditions, which as you might guess are 99.9% financial. Out of curiosity when we asked her for a definition of an 'unsigned band', she replied saying that a signed act is a ‘big name'. I must admit that this didn't make any sense to me at the time and it still doesn't !
Anyhow, back to the financial aspect. If you want to play at Guilfest on one of the 'unsigned stages' you have to buy at least 50 one-day tickets at a minimum cost of £35 each or a combination of week-end tickets, each costing £90 and having a total minimum spend of £1,750.
All of this is on the basis of an upfront payment once you are selected and approved before the actual gig takes place. You will be getting a discount of £5 ONLY for each ticket on those costing £35 and a £10 reduction on the £90 week-end tickets. This is your ONLY option and this was heavily emphasised 3 times by Suzie Pile during the course of the telephone conversation.
So, fellow musicians, be prepared : you won' t be able to negotiate and if you do go for it and they ultimately accept you, you won't be able to offer your fans a real deal by selling the Guilfest tickets much cheaper unless you sell them at cost price or at a loss.
After having spoken with Suzie Pile, you will need to send her an email suzy@guilfest.co.uk (feel free to bombard her - she loves 'unsigned bands'), and afterwards you have to fill in an application form and send her a demo.
And then, you may just get a chance to perform at Guilfest 2007 and if you are lucky you will have to lay down the bank notes. Don't forget, it's £1,750 minimum to play ! This all leads me to believe that Guilfest might decide to put the bids up - it could easily end up costing a band between £2,000 and £2,500 if not more just to get a 30 minutes slot. Does this sound like the e-bay of music ?
Let's have a look at the figures now; How much do Guilfest actually make just on the unsigned acts ? Based on last year's line-up for the unsigned stages (The Rock Cave + the 2 Live Club stages), I counted a total of 100 bands. That's 100 bands all paying a minimum of £1,750 = £175,000 ! There is another stage called The Funky End Tent, which I suspect could be another unsigned stage and if so, we can then add another 30 or so bands paying £1,750.
Total : 130 unsigned bands x £1,750 = £227,500 !
Wow, that's what I call a real result ! For the Guilfest organisers, of course. The way this is going, Guilfest will in future be running their business purely on unsigned bands over the next few years.
Now let's go back to Suzie Pile's definition of a signed band being a big name' - it is very clear to me that without the unsigned bands, she wouldn't have a job. In fact, the unsigned acts are paying her wages not the big names. Therefore Miss Pile, you could at least be friendly when on the phone to your wage payers and not treat them like cattle, after all, unsigned bands are YOUR ONLY OPTION !!
If you do want to get your band on the Guilfest line-up, you can call Suzie Pile on 01483 454 159 and don't forget to give her my best regards !
For more reviews, visit www.reviewravers.com
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