Fame & Fortune: Victor Wooten Bass player extraordinaire has all his bases covered
Page | 1 | 2 |

Bankrate: Does being a bandleader give you a different level of financial responsibility than just being the bass player in a band?

Victor Wooten: It can. In most situations, when you're just a bass player or a side man in a band, you'll be getting much, much less than the leader. But Bela and I don't always follow that approach. The way I look at my band: I am out on tour supporting my career, but my band mates are also out on tour supporting my career. So I need to make sure that they're well compensated for it. When I'm on tour, I know I'm going to get money from record sales, and when people leave the tour they'll remember my name. So I'm going to make sure my band members are well compensated for helping me out. I don't take a bigger cut than everyone else.

Bankrate: Are you saying you give everyone an equal share, or just that you give them a fair deal?

Victor Wooten: Some of it is completely even. It may depend how long they've been with the band. My brothers have been there from the beginning. They have helped the band become what it is. I may have a sound man or tech person who is on their first tour with me, so they may not make as much as the band member who's been there for eight years.

Bankrate: I would imagine it's the same in the Flecktones, considering how you and your brother Roy are essential to the band.

Victor Wooten: Exactly, my brother and I have been with the band from the very beginning, as well as our sound man, Richard. So we treat it as a partnership between the four of us.

Bankrate: It's impressive to hear you refer to the sound man that way.

Victor Wooten: He's a very important part of it. We can play all the music we want, but if the audience doesn't hear it correctly, it could make or break the performance. As far as I'm concerned, the sound man is a band member and should be treated as such.

Bankrate: As bandleader, is there a greater level of financial risk for you?

Victor Wooten: Yes, mainly because of how I treat it. For example, when my band got stuck in Spain because of a flight cancellation and had to buy new tickets home, I footed that bill. I didn't look to the other band members. I took it upon myself to get them home.

Bankrate: But with greater risk, you're also looking at greater reward.

Victor Wooten: Yeah, the record sales are going to come back to me. When you look in Pollstar (magazine) you see how well or how badly the band is doing, you're seeing my name. So, I realize I'm going to benefit in ways that the band members aren't. So it makes sense for me to pay them well to make them as comfortable as possible.

Bankrate: From a business standpoint, which role do you enjoy more -- bandleader or band member?

Victor Wooten: I enjoy them both. After being a leader for a while, it's always good to be able to let loose some of that control and responsibility and just be a bass player again. I feel fortunate that I get to do different aspects of it. I can't say I like one better than the other.

Bankrate: You have a family, so I would imagine financial security is a big factor for you. Do you get into the particulars of investing, or do you have people who handle that for you?

Victor Wooten: A little bit of both. My wife knows more about it than I do. I have a good friend I've known for a long time who handles our investments, but I do pay attention to it. It makes sense to know what's going on.

Bankrate: Do you favor any particular type of investments?

Victor Wooten: I like investing in property, owning land. That always seems to be a good investment.

Bankrate: Do you just mean owning your personal property, or are you also a landlord or investor?

Victor Wooten: At the moment, I only own my own property in Nashville, but I have many good friends, including many musicians, who own other property and other land. That just makes sense to me.

Bankrate: Do you see yourself going more in that direction in the future?

Victor Wooten: I run a bass camp twice a year, and I would love to own the property the camp is on. That's a long-term dream of mine. Hopefully, I'll get to go in that direction in the future.