Posted by Daryl on March 24, 2003 at 12:30:08:
In Reply to: Accompanist Payment Issue Advice Neede posted by Matt A on March 24, 2003 at 07:56:26:
I run into this a lot with session singers - they want to be paid extra for having to be in the studio more than we originally agreed because I have to teach them the song they didn't bother to learn....grrr......
I would ask myself one question - would I want to work with her again? If not, cut her the check for $135 and tell her what she can do with the bill for the extra $60. If you feel you might need her again, I would try to compromise and maybe offer her an additional $30 for the extra 45 minutes of rehearsal you needed together (regardless of the reason). If she's insistant upon the additional $60, politely tell her that you feel that the additional charge is unfair and that you had agreed upon a fee which you are more than happy to pay. If she pushes it, you might remind her exactly how unprofessional it is to renegotiate your fees "on the fly" and how that type of behavior might discourage other people from hiring her in the future. Frankly, good pianists are not as rare as you might think - you don't need to be dealing with a musical extortionist.
Pushing arrogant pianists down a peg,
Daryl