Many times over the years, people have come to me and asked my to get my friends/group to perform. When I ask them how much they are paying, I am told that they have no money but that the cause is good and we will get good exposure. My response to them is that "We only play for good causes but we cannot eat exposure."

As a rule, I have found that people who do not pay treat you poorly in other ways. When I volunteer, it's my choice, not the sponsor's. When I run a gig, I make sure the people are taken care of. As a result, my friends are willing to work for less or free if I ask them to. Then again, reputation is everything.