I understand you too @Lanny I’m from Bonnie Scotland and live in Oz 
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It’s often about managing expectations. My garage band was a lot of fun and not half bad. I thought it would be cool to play a neighborhood cookout. We put together a set list, rehearsed the hell out of it & were good to go until our singer said he didn’t want to play in front of people, even 20-30 friends. Dude! You could have let me know that before I had the flyers printed!
Same thing with my improv team. (think “Whose Line is it Anyway,” but with one 30-minute weird storyline). When live comedy was possible 🥸, we were pretty freaking good, playing shows regularly and festivals up and down the east coast.
I had pushed, shoved, and sharp-elbowed our team into a big deal comedy festival when one of the members said, “yeah, I don’t feel like traveling.” Dafuq? Can you not tell me this shit ahead of time?
(Sigh) I realize I’m venting on your thread. Sorry about that.
The point is that it’s really f*cking handy to have this information going in. Talk about it!
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More reasons I quit 4-5 people groups. 
Most of the time the issues will be with the lead guitar and/or the singer that create issues like these.
In your big deal comedy festival gig did you have a contract with the organizers?
If you did there could be legal implications because that drop-out in your band created a hole in their entertainment venue if you do not show up.
This brings up another thought, especially if you are playing paid gigs. At some point you are going to be approached by a by-law enforcement officer that will demand to see the players musicians union cards. If you can’t produce the proof of membership they may just shut you down or hand you a fine, or both, but you will not be able to continue your set. Of course if this happens the event organizers are not going to be very happy and your reputation suffers. On top of all this there are the song copyrights to worry about at paid gigs but that is a whole other grey area that needs to be checked out. These are issues that band managers normally handle and one of the reasons why bands have them. 
There is a lot more to playing gigs than a lot of may people realize.
As far as jam sessions are concerned according to the musicians union there are no issues as long as no money is changing hands.
Just a few things you may wish to consider that I have come across over the years.
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If this happens, demand to see theirs first, obviously.
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Not obvious to me.
Confronting them with demands would just be asking for trouble.
How do you know it’s not just some random jerk messing with you?
If someone is going to try and exert authority, they should be able to back it up.
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This happens in Canada? I remember using CFM to get permits to go to the States to perform but I was oblivious that you had to get them for the local scene. You mean even festivals too?
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haha yes
They have AFM/CFM ID or if the AFM/CFM have empowered local by-law or police for enforcement the officers are wearing a uniform and driving vehicles with signage.
Current CFM rates are $120/yr so really it’s not worth screwing around with them if you are doing a lot of paid gigs.
This is what the music police look like over in Ontario. They take it pretty seriously.
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I was only saying that you may be required to show proof of CFM membership, which you should have, if you mare playing a paying gig. Permits are something else.
Speaking of permits:
I had a situation a few years ago where about 15-20 of us got together to jam in a local waterfront park.
We were not asked for CFM membership cards but I was informed by local by-law enforcement that we needed a group permit for gathering that many people together. Of course we had over 100 spectators that joined in on the sing-a-longs, so that attracted attention.
Because we were not charging for the performance and it was all just pushed aside but I was warned that in the future we should check with them before playing on municipal property whether we were being paid or not.
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Good luck with that smart ass approach
Do you not have anything constructive to say
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Hey @SubsonicRob I was just talking to the CFM regarding renewing my membership and thought you may be interested in this.
According to the agent I talked to if you are at a paying gig at a a bar, in Ontario at least, they are required to make sure that band they hire have paid up CFM memberships for each player.
I think he’s being perfectly constructive, because if I were in that position, I would pay the cash, get the card, and then relentlessly mock those losers, because they are trying to be the fucking Music Police.
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Church worship group? They would have dumped me the moment they saw the Pentagram medal hanging on my neck LOL. What a bunch of wankers!
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I was in the music scene from about the mid 2000’s to about 2015. I really didn’t know that musician’s even had a union. I thought the band was covered by the Socan license fees in bar and other venues. Good to know but I doubt very much I’ll be back in that seen again but you never know, so thanks.
This one I know oh too well. Until the world got messed up I worked on photo and video shoots throughout southern Ontario and wherever the project was, except for private studios, permits had to be applied for and then paid out in advance. The closer to Toronto the higher the price.
Wow. Just, wow! Some humans sure do have a high opinion of themselves. You’d think playing music on a rock in the middle of space would be a thing that makes you realise how insignificant we all are, but there they are, preaching their opinions.
Luckily, you’ve dodged a bullet there!
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That was totally my take as well.
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