Gig pay math starts fights
Bands finish loud sets and start quiet math. Fuel, strings and door cuts split by memory breed resentment.
1. The problem
Working bands end loud sets and start quiet math in the van. Door money, fuel, strings and food split by memory while the driver waits unpaid. Someone covered parking and forgot; someone else ate twice. Small imbalances compound across a tour into real resentment. The hardest part is fuel versus pay on thin nights. A gig might net little after the drive, yet shares stay fixed. That uncertainty makes it hard to keep the band about music instead of money.
“After every show we argue about fuel and cuts in the van. I need one sheet that splits each gig fairly.”
2. What exists
Splitwise, Settle Up, Tricount and notes apps split group costs, while bands track gigs in chats and memory. Trip splitters assume equal shares and ignore gear, driving and tiered cuts. A note might list totals, yet per-gig shares with receipts never reconcile. There is little help with a gig-first ledger combining pay, costs and custom shares per show.
3. The solution
The solution could be a gig ledger that opens at load-in and closes at payout. It could log door pay, merch, fuel, food and strings with receipt photos per show. It could split by custom shares that honor driving and gear, then ping who owes whom before the van door closes. Tour totals could show who carried costs across dates. The goal would be bands that argue about setlists instead of splits.
FAQ
Common questions from people facing this problem.
How do bands usually split gig money?
Agree shares upfront for playing, driving and gear, then log every cost per show.
How to split band expenses fairly?
Photograph shared costs, assign them to the gig pot, and settle the same night.
Should band drivers get extra pay?
Yes, most bands add a driving cut or fuel-first split before dividing the rest.
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