Amid Hard Rock Cafe row, Bengaluru-based bands allege payment delays

Amid last week’s uproar surrounding the dissolution of Hard Rock International’s  agreement with its India partner JSM Corporation, Bengaluru-based musicians alleged that Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) has habitually delayed payments to artistes and vendors.

The cafe is one of the few live music venues in the city. “HRC is notorious for not paying artistes. And we have been dealing with this for years,” alleged Chris Avinash, a noted city-based musician who has been a part of multiple bands over the years.

HRC has three outlets in the city — one each on St Mark’s Road, at Whitefield and at Kempegowda International Airport. “Internationally, HRC has a legacy of providing a platform for up-and-coming artistes. It’s an iconic name associated with music,” said another musician who did not want to be named. 

Some groups like the folk rock act, Lagori, insisted on advance payments back when they were performing at the venue. “I think we performed about 4-5 shows at HRC, between 2013 and 2017. And because we insisted on being paid before the gig, we escaped what numerous other bands faced,” noted Tejas Shankar, lead vocalist of the band.

Avinash claimed that the backlog of payments runs into months. “The longest we have waited is probably four months. And the only reason we got paid is because I was relentless in chasing after them,” he revealed. Typically, a reasonably popular younger band that is 2-3 years old draws about Rs 35,000-65,000 per gig, while legacy bands can charge Rs 1 lakh or more. 

Over the years, 30-year-old band Moksha have performed at the venue quite frequently and are due to perform there again on March 28. But their relationship has not always been smooth. Frontman, Richard Andrew Dudley, recalls that in the past, he had a very public spat with the management over delayed payments. However, he claims that the new internal management team that took over recently have been more prompt.

A spokesperson from JSM Corporation, which runs the HRC outlets in India, stated, “We have immense respect for the arts and the artistes who have been associated with us over the years. As per our records, all artistes have been duly paid.” 

After a release was circulated last week stating that Hard Rock International had dissolved its contract with JSM Corporation, the latter clarified, “Hard Rock Cafes in India will continue to operate as usual pending any binding order of a court of appropriate jurisdiction to the contrary.”