I think pay should be equal, however, if the band requires a PA or lighting system then the following should apply:
A.) Either the band purchases said gear as a group asset
B.) The band should rent the gear as a band expense before the profits are spent as it is an expense just like advertisements, head shots or recording costs.
C.) If one member owns the gear then the gear should be rented from that member. Where this gets sticky is deciding on a "fair" rental rate. This can be very difficult. I would suggest that a lower than market rate rental should be considered fair as this member has a dedicated and, hopefully, long term "client." Now there are some things that should be made clear in this scenario. First of all if everyone in the band understands the necessity of options A and B then paying a member for option C should not be considered unfair. Unfortunately people often start to feel a little jealous about those additional payments being made but that should not be the case. Then it needs to be decided who should assist in the setting up and striking of gear. If it is a little system then that is probably not tht big a deal. I have been in bar bands that carried very seizable amount of gear and it was all hands on deck as we understood that the show was part of our success. Also you need to decide how to handle the inevitable repairs. Three options here:
1- all repairs are the responsibility of the gear owner. This generally means a higher rental rate.
2- all repairs are the responsibility of the lessee which is the band. This should be coupled with a lower rental rate.
3- normal wear and tear is handled by the lessor (the equipment owner) while other issues are handled as a band expense. This generally allows for a lower rental rate, however, this can cause a lot of issues when figuring out how to draw the proverbial line.
Lastly, do you expect your "audio company" to keep up with current technology? This probably does not apply if all you have is a powered mixer and a couple of speaker on stands.
Overall determining the rental rate is difficult. It will probably be calculated as return on investment over two to three years whatever works for you guys.
Look at it this way, you supply a drum kit and cymbals. The keyboard player supplies his gear (which can be heavy and very expensive) The bass player provides his gear, etc. A PA has to come from somewhere. If you don't want to pay this guy for his, do you want to rent one or just buy one for yourself for no profit?
