I put a band together that was meant to be a bar band. We play raucous music like Ska, Funk, Swing and Punked up versions of pop tunes (
www.kingcomfy.com). We have 3 weddings booked for this summer, with 2 of them being cold calls. The clients are not expecting us to play the Hokey Pokey, The Chicken Dance, We Are Family, or the typical wedding band songs. They have seen our video and songlist, and hired us to do what we do: Ska, Swing, Funk, and Punk. If we did anything else, they would probably be disappointed. And quite honestly, I don't think a DJ can do what we do, so we're not competing with them in terms of material. Not everyone is looking for a typical wedding band for their reception.
That said, the first thing to do is talk to your client and assess what their expectations are. We had a potential client that liked our sound, but wanted us to do alot of Disco, some which had female vocals. In the end, we had to determine it wasn't a fit because they REALLY wanted that stuff in their reception but it's really wasn't material that we did or thought we could pull off vocally. I'm sure there are countless potential customers who checked us out and determined it wasn't a fit without ever contacting us.
Before you put in a quote, get the details, and lots of them. You can have a $100 per man gig that you feel like you got overpaid for, and $300 per man gigs that felt like you didn't get paid enough for. The two main things that you need to determine are time and materials, since that's what you are providing in the end.
Time is the most important thing to consider.
- Unlike bar gigs that usually set up an hour or so before the show starts, you may be setting up at noon or the day before so that the caterer can work around you. You may be waiting around all day in the middle of nowhere to start playing at 7PM.
- Consider the planning and prep time. A bar gig doesn't require as many details since they typically are set up to have a band, but for weddings there can be even more. You should consider the time for gathering info to be part of your quote. I've had to drive 50+ miles to check out a venue, and/or talk with the client or host to check out the details. A bar gig may take me 15 minutes to set up, while I may be trading emails and phone calls for weeks and months to work out the details for a wedding.
- You may need to learn some special songs that you will never play again, and that's another element of time to be considered. Some of the songs may be really difficult or require you to call in an additional musician to pull off.
- Get an order of events. In a bar gig you may play Rock from 9-1. At a wedding you may play quiet Jazz for an hour during cocktails, play a song to introduce the wedding party, wait around for speeches, play a couple of dances, eat a box lunch on the loading dock while everyone eats filet mignon, hustle back to perform a 3 hour show, and then play for another hour because the father of the bride slipped the bandleader a couple of C-notes. Or you may just play for an hour and head home. But get an order of events, and good wedding bands and wedding planners can help with that.
When considering materials, a wedding gig can be different as well.
- You need to take the initial view that the venue is not set up to have a band. While lots of bars may be set up for a band (albeit poorly), lots of wedding venues are not. Getting a floorplan or seating chart in advance will certainly help. Have an idea of what your band may require in terms of stuff like stage space, shelter, power, etc. Then once you figured that out, determine who is going to provide it. If the band is providing it, it has to be rolled into the cost. If the host is providing it, it should be put into the contract.
- Consider things you may need to reduce liability and increase safety, such as a large rug for covering up a cable that runs across a high traffic area. Keep the dance floor clear of band related stuff and keeping anything that someone can trip or knock over away from dancers.
- Of course, consider sound and lighting. If you don't have it, then you will need to buy or rent. You will probably be using your sound system for announcements, speeches, etc. as well. Your sound system may be great for a small bar gig, but not enough for an outdoor event with 300+ guests. Your rig for shows at the local Rock venue may totally destroy (literally) a small dainty room with decorative plates on the walls. Since my band is technically a loud band based on the material, I try to clear up expectations early. (Do you want a loud show or a quite one?). I quote differently based on whether we can get by with a small PA or have to hire out sound.
I cannot stress how important a contract is. If not for legal protection for both parties, it's useful as a reference and to make sure the details are spelled out and agreed upon prior to the event. A well written contract can reduce misunderstandings and differences in expectation.
