Best and worst paying bands

[RustyAxe]

That's one of the appealing things about corporate/wedding work. Rates aren't determined by the region's lowest priced bar band.

But they are determined to some extent by the region's most popular DJ's. The wedding band thing ain't what it was 20 or 30 years ago.

 

[Allan Allan]

View attachment 3601737

LMFAO, heard me play have you? No, I thought not...

What's up with that? I at one time thought about starting a thread about surley/whiney/angry TB posters, but decided it best not to. There's very few of them, and for the most part people are awesome on here, but every now and then you get that one guy that's gotta throw a dig out to feel awesome, standard keyboard warriors. I was quite careful to keep my post non insulting to wedding/corporate band folks, I don't care what people play, nor how they play it. I was merely stating that most such bands have very similar playlists, and after 20 years of playing guitar in such bands, I'm over it. And for what it's worth, my band is doing quite well without such tunes.

If you like playing mustang sally three times every weekend, good for you! Pick on brother....

That's fair and I shouldn't have phrased it as a dig on you. It should have been a general statement at least, but as usual, it would have been best to not reply at all.

 

[210superair]

That's fair and I shouldn't have phrased it as a dig on you. It should have been a general statement at least, but as usual, it would have been best to not reply at all.

No worries brother.

 

[EastCoastThump]

But they are determined to some extent by the region's most popular DJ's. The wedding band thing ain't what it was 20 or 30 years ago.

^Absolute Truth. Not much in the business side of live music is the same as it was decades ago.

Still, if my pay has to be influenced by one or the other, I'll pick "most popular wedding DJs" over "region's lowest-paid bar band."

 

[Nevada Pete]

Really, any band can be lucrative if you market yourself correctly. Never undervalue yourself just to "get the gig". I have a friend who's 80's tribute band started taking gigs for $400/night (6 members, plus they hire a sound guy). They thought that they could increase the price as they start filling rooms. A year later, the band can pack almost any room they get into, but still get paid the same. They devalued themselves from the get go..

On the flip side, they also screwed any other act from getting a decent pay at the club. We have tried to book at some of the same clubs, but we ask $800/night. The owners would constantly say "Well, we pay "Band XXX" only $400 a night and they pack the place. We can pay you that or no deal". So now we have a choice to either take the lower cost gig or pass on the club all together (we will often choose to pass).

<(we will often choose to pass)>

Good for you! I think your friend's 80's tribute band that started taking gigs for $400/night had the right idea. Where they went wrong was they failed to leverage their draw. They would have had to be willing to refuse to play subsequent engagements for the same money at that venue once the crowds started showing up in order to pry more cash out of a nightclub owner. As a rule, nightclub owners won't believe it's the band that's drawing the crowd unless you prove it to them. But if a band doesn't leverage that draw, they'll still make no progress cash wise. Why would a nightclub owner give a band more money when they know the band will cave in and play for the same old sum? Answer: They won't.

When a band is building their business, sometimes they have to take their draw to another venue to make their point. It's something you have to be prepared to do at any time (i.e., somehow be able to contact your following). Of course, it's a lot easier to say all this than it is to actually make it happen.

A couple I know here in Vegas has a duo act where they perform with pre-recorded backing tracks they make themselves. Sounds cheesy, I admit, but it actually works well for them both performance wise, and money wise. They are exceedingly talented and will tend to fill the rooms they play once they've been there for a while. They had a standing gig at one of the big casino's here in Vegas that caters to locals, and would put 300 people in that joint every weekend. Sometimes even more. They did that without fail for an entire year plus a few months, and were paid well for it. Everybody was making money. Even that was no guarantee. The joint got a new manager, and the first thing he did was bring in his preferred band. You could have shot a cannon ball through the place and not hit anybody after they did that. Yet, the venue including higher management didn't change their mind. I don't think they even have live music there anymore. Yes, there are easier ways to make money than playing music.

When my two friends lost that gig (which happened about five years ago) they signed with an international talent agency and started augmenting their schedule with gigs in Hong King, Singapore, Dubai, places like that. Lot of wear and tear on musicians.

 

[Pat C.]

In the experience of TBers, what are the best paying bands to be in, cover or otherwise, and what are the worst?

...I'm interested in all your experiences in what the must lucrative band is to be in, barring the obvious of course, like being in Led Zeppelin or something. So other than that, where's the money and where's it ain't?

For me, the most lucrative bands I've been in included a tribute band based in New York and a wedding/corporate band based in Atlanta. Following that was a wedding/corporate band based in Mississippi (pretty different pay scale than the larger markets). After that it'd be the slew of bar-cover bands over the years. The originals projects I have supported paid the least (sometimes nothing), and usually required the greatest time commitment in terms of rehearsal and recording.

The tribute band recently started playing again and even though I live in Alabama the twice a year gigs are lucrative enough they can afford to cover my travel expenses to NY and we can still all make decent coin on the gig. No rehearsal either, we all learn our parts at home and come to the gig prepared to jam.

A shot from a show last weekend:

Please elaborate the idea of a "Corporate" band. I have worked in Corporations for 20 years and never seen a band get booked around here.

Is there like a link you can share that shows there is such a thing? Thanks for helping me. I am just a dum ole otter.

I'd categorize as "corporate" any and all playing experiences that I've done from an actual corporation's annual party to conventions catered to a specific industry to private group events and parties to charity events to municipal shows. That's a pretty loose definition but these types of non-bar and non-wedding gigs at that pay scale tend to get lumped into a "corporate" or function category.

Here's a shot of the stage post-sound-check for a corporate/convention at the Hard Rock Biloxi main showroom:

Some video from that gig:



Another 'corporate' in a Westin ballroom. The Theme was "A Night in Narnia".

What about those casino gigs? They seem to pay decently, so I’ve heard.

This probably varies greatly depending on the type of gig (Saturday headline in a showroom vs. weekday evening in a lounge), the poshness of the casino (Bellagio or Wynn vs. the Golden Nugget) and in which region the casino located (Vegas vs. Atlantic City vs. Mississippi).

I came across a recent job posting for a singing bassist for the house band at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. It paid a salary of $950 per week for 4 five-hour shows per week, 48 weeks per year. They band also did other function gigs which would be paid separately.

-------------------------------------------------------
Here is a "casino" gig I did on New Years last year (attendance was 4000+):

The stage after soundcheck:

And a piece of the show:

 

[Nevada Pete]

I've made more $$$ with my classic country band than any other project. Been with them for 10 years, consistently playing locally every other weekend. Sure, I could make more per gig in a wedding/corporate band ... but I'd have worked a LOT fewer gigs, would've had to rehearse to keep sharp, and probably would have had to travel a lot more.

Classic Country will never die!

 

[JimmyM]

<(we will often choose to pass)>

Good for you! I think your friend's 80's tribute band that started taking gigs for $400/night had the right idea. Where they went wrong was they failed to leverage their draw. They would have had to be willing to refuse to play subsequent engagements for the same money at that venue once the crowds started showing up in order to pry more cash out of a nightclub owner. As a rule, nightclub owners won't believe it's the band that's drawing the crowd unless you prove it to them. But if a band doesn't leverage that draw, they'll still make no progress cash wise. Why would a nightclub owner give a band more money when they know the band will cave in and play for the same old sum? Answer: They won't.

When a band is building their business, sometimes they have to take their draw to another venue to make their point. It's something you have to be prepared to do at any time (i.e., somehow be able to contact your following). Of course, it's a lot easier to say all this than it is to actually make it happen.

A couple I know here in Vegas has a duo act where they perform with pre-recorded backing tracks they make themselves. Sounds cheesy, I admit, but it actually works well for them both performance wise, and money wise. They are exceedingly talented and will tend to fill the rooms they play once they've been there for a while. They had a standing gig at one of the big casino's here in Vegas that caters to locals, and would put 300 people in that joint every weekend. Sometimes even more. They did that without fail for an entire year plus a few months, and were paid well for it. Everybody was making money. Even that was no guarantee. The joint got a new manager, and the first thing he did was bring in his preferred band. You could have shot a cannon ball through the place and not hit anybody after they did that. Yet, the venue including higher management didn't change their mind. I don't think they even have live music there anymore. Yes, there are easier ways to make money than playing music.

When my two friends lost that gig (which happened about five years ago) they signed with an international talent agency and started augmenting their schedule with gigs in Hong King, Singapore, Dubai, places like that. Lot of wear and tear on musicians.

Yeah, but as long as you can stay off the weed (and up until recently, the alcohol in Dubai), it can be fun, too.

 

[bbh]

Anything with crowd participation is fun. I’m doing for the people more than for myself so when I see that type of involvement I will always be happy.

 

[David Jayne]

Anything with crowd participation is fun. I’m doing for the people more than for myself so when I see that type of involvement I will always be happy.

We're entertainers, yeah? That's how I see it. I'm VERY INTO being the best musician I can be. Ears, feel, tone, feel, being prepared, all that.... also feel..... But at the end if the night, if we haven't ENTERTAINED folks we're not coming back. That goes for all y'all, and it matters NOT what kind of music you play. "Well, but I'm an ARTIST." Great! The best and most successful artists of all time throughout the ages entertained their audiences well. If you don't value this, you might be better served pursuing a different field.

 

[David Jayne]

Yeah, but as long as you can stay off the weed (and up until recently, the alcohol in Dubai), it can be fun, too.

: D