So last week my band completely rocked a school gig, and we have a had a few gigs spawn from it. One of them is this gig with this guy from school whos throwing a huge party and he wants my band to play for around 2 - 3 hours at this event. Sweet deal, hes going to pay us, which is another plus but should we charge? There are four guys in the band.

We charge a minimum of $100-$150 per person (we have 6) depending on distance to travel. For a good friend, I would probably forget about my part.

I'd say $300 at most if you even decide to charge.

I say, factor in gas for one person, labor that isn't involved with playing....

charge 10 an hour, and multiply that by 4 ppl?

$10/hr per man? Yikes...

I'd do that gig for probably $300 (for my trio). More if they wanted us to learn/play covers.

Dave

$10/hr per man? Yikes...

I'd do that gig for probably $300 (for my trio). More if they wanted us to learn/play covers.

Dave

heck, i don't know, i'm just throwing numbers out there:rolleyes:

personally, i wouldn't know yet, i'd be happy if anyone asked me to do anything for free.

No! Bad! Go to your room!

Haha... in all seriousness, I get a little moofed (it's like miffed, but not in a bad way) when people who don't know what they're talking about give advice, especially business advice! :)

DO NOT play covers for free. If you're in an orignials band, and it's necessary to play for free to get exposure for your creative endeavor, go for it. If you play covers, though, you are basically a DJ, you're providing a service, and that service has value. You devalue yourself and other musicians by not charging for your service - not to mention the fact that if word gets out that you played this party for free, you will have a HECK of a time getting paid ever again for a similar gig.

Check out this thread:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=331199

and specifically, my post @ #22

- Dave

P.S. Just realized, you are the same guy from the other thread! haha... no worries, to each his own!

the one about food right :smug: ?

that's why I want a UB...

So i can play at a swanky hotel restaurant :rolleyes:

food and pay....

and an excuse to talk to the piano girl:D

the one about food right :smug: ?

that's why I want a UB...

So i can play at a swanky hotel restaurant :rolleyes:

food and pay....

and an excuse to talk to the piano girl:D

Can't argue w/the piano girl argument :)

What's UB? Upright bass? (I've usually seen that as URB, if that's what you meant).

By the way, I *love* my Line6 Variax for that sort of thing. It can definitely do the upright sound, with a lot less hassle, better signal & dispersion from my Schroeder cab, and with the turn of a knob, access to 20+ other tones, from a P Bass to a Ric to a Warwick Thumb to a fretless Jazz w/flats to a Tacoma Thunderchief to a....

;)

Dave

Remember that unless you're doing SOLID, explanable favors, for a good friend, for instance, low pricing or freebies can come back to bite you later on.

If you play this party for $100 - $200 then everyone will expect you to play for them for that amount. Do you want to go to a bar and try to negotiate with an owner who just had the guy that hired you tell them that you played for 3 hours for $200? Plus, with added cost comes a sense of greater worth. Messed up, I know, but people seem to think more highly of bands that pull $1000 a night than those that play for $300 a night regardless of talent.

I think, it goes without saying, that one should sit for a very, very long time and think this through:hmm:

Are you any good? :)

Are you any good? :)

+1

I can't believe no one's addressed this yet. Is your buddy wanting a band for his party just so there's some live music? Does he just want to hang out with some cool musicians? Or is it a "you-guys-are-super-awesome-and-everyone's-gotta-have-you-playing-at-your-party" kinda thing?
Keep in mind, if you price yourselves too high, he may reconsider having you play, well, because maybe he didn't like you THAT much.

If only relative skill and virtuosity could be graphed with a band's asking price:p

that would make things so much easier.

Maybe all of the working musicians on TB should just graph their usual going rate so we can all see what the numbers turn out to be?

And how long have you/the band been playing?
You mentioned a school gig... I'm thinking high school?

uh.. he's in school, i doubt the guys going to wanna blow $300 on a band, unless he's rich in which case, 300 per man/per hour :cool: He was proably thinking more like 100-150 for the band.

yeah we are in high school and play funk / reggae music if anyone wanted to know that. We've been together for a few about a year and a half and due to inconsistant guitarist and lead singers we havn't been able to reach our full potential until about four months ago when we found a singer and guitarist perfect for our style. We played at a school battle of the bands type of thing, and alot of people said we won hands down when compared to the other bands. This gig spawned from that event, and it was basically this random kid comming up to our guitarist and asking him if we would be interested in playing for 3 hours at his house, and he said he would pay us as well.

Then start with a high dollar amount and go from there.

Then start with a high dollar amount and go from there.

How about, 10% of their annual income :D ???

Welcome to the church of funkadelic bass players:ninja:

In a case like this, I'd ask what the max they're willing to pay is, and go from there. If you can't get a reasonable rate for the band, you turn it down based on the abovementioned reasons... unless you don't mind playing for free in general. If it's for fun, then go for it...

I'd do it for $20 lol. But right now, I'm willing to do any gig for free.

I'm in a five-piece band. We're not gigging yet, just rehearsals. The band leader says there's no money in this business anymore (cover band), that it's mostly for fun. He says $300 per night for a band is about tops. But now they are talking about adding a 3rd guitar player/singer and maybe a keyboardist. That would make seven pieces if they add the others.

I never discussed money with this band when I was "hired". I just assumed when gigging I would be getting the customary hundred or so per show. I'm telling him if that's not possible, he's looking for another bass player.

I'm not saying they would, but there's nothing to stop the band from taking a $600 gig and throwing a measly $40 my way. I mean, I've already been told there's no money in it, right?

Find out what kind of money's being offered, and discuss it with the band(if you haven't already). If you're all available, and on the same page regarding payment, then go for it and have fun.

Keep in mind, you're young guys just starting out; acceptable compensation is relative. So, if you end up getting some gig experience, along with ~$25.00/food/drink and possibly another job... well, you see where I'm going with this.

Good luck.

I start at $200 per piece for any private function. More if it's after 8 pm or very early, and more than that if it's on a Friday or Saturday night or the hours are longer than 2 or 3 hours.

That said, when I was in a rock band in high school, I would have leaped at the opportunity to play a party for free. :bassist:

-Will

I'm in a five-piece band. We're not gigging yet, just rehearsals. The band leader says there's no money in this business anymore (cover band), that it's mostly for fun. He says $300 per night for a band is about tops. But now they are talking about adding a 3rd guitar player/singer and maybe a keyboardist. That would make seven pieces if they add the others.

I never discussed money with this band when I was "hired". I just assumed when gigging I would be getting the customary hundred or so per show. I'm telling him if that's not possible, he's looking for another bass player.

I'm not saying they would, but there's nothing to stop the band from taking a $600 gig and throwing a measly $40 my way. I mean, I've already been told there's no money in it, right?


My band is a cover band that plays what the people want, not our favorite covers. Four piece, don't leave the house for under $400. More common are $5-600 gigs.

Seven piece cover band is a waste of money and a logistical nightmare, IMO. You're going to play covers of actual bands that probably have a lot fewer members than yours?

Seven piece cover band is a waste of money and a logistical nightmare, IMO. You're going to play covers of actual bands that probably have a lot fewer members than yours?

It's their idea, not mine, and I'm not for it at all. Two guitars, bass and drums is enough. We're five piece now only because of the singer. The singer doesn't play an instrument, but I'm counting the singer as a "piece" because the singer will of course, get a cut of the money.

So last week my band completely rocked a school gig, and we have a had a few gigs spawn from it. One of them is this gig with this guy from school whos throwing a huge party and he wants my band to play for around 2 - 3 hours at this event. Sweet deal, hes going to pay us, which is another plus but should we charge? There are four guys in the band.
House party gigs can be frustrating. I find that most people who want your band for a house party don't realize:
* how much a band typically charges,
* that a band will need a lot more space than a small corner of one room,
* how freaking loud it will be with live drums, guitar amps, etc. (It's a lot louder than mom & dad's stereo system, so having some understanding neighbors is crucial).

How much to charge? Depends on whether you really have 2-3 hours of material, and whether doing it for the money or just for fun. If you don't really have that much material and are just planning to wing it, don't charge much.

I view pricing as situational. My trio may get anywhere from around $750 or more for 90 minutes at a festival to $200 and dinner for three 60 minute sets in a small bar. All venues are not equal. Your level of professionalism also has some bearing. Is this your first gig? Is this guy a good friend of the band? How badly do you want to get out and play live? Also, you should know that what you charge for a casual party does not place a limit your future earnings. I doubt very much that the Stones are still playing for the same amount they were paid to do a bar gig 40 years ago. Finally, after more than 35 years of playing, I can tell you that most people who say they won't leave the house unless they get $X spend more time at home that playing music.

I don't remember seeing it, so make sure to charge/arrange for P.A. equipment and operation.

peace,
memphissound <><