Seeing as how Halloween is usually a pretty big party day, do you charge more to play? I know that generally NYE gigs are known to be a "premium" gig night, but what about other big party holidays?
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Do you make more on Halloween?
- Thread starter phunky_guido
- Start date
This year I am hopefully going to be performing post Black Mass on Halloween, as my local Church always holds them as a form of psychodrama to creep people out! Probably a free gig, but as it's for the local followers it feels wrong to charge them - it's like charging family 
This year I am hopefully going to be performing post Black Mass on Halloween, as my local Church always holds them as a form of psychodrama to creep people out! Probably a free gig, but as it's for the local followers it feels wrong to charge them - it's like charging family
Your church holds a black mass on Halloween?
Yeah, but I'm a LaVeyan Satanist so it's the third highest day in our calender
We don't practice magic or anything, we just do it, like I said, as a psychodrama and then party afterwards for a bit before going home back to our normal lives - many have work the next day so we only party until 12pm or so
we've done a few Halloween shows and for us they've paid less than normal shows. Mainly because being in an originals band and it being somewhat of a special show there's normally more bands on the bill to split the door with. Our preference is 3 bands maximum on a gig. We've been a band for a long time and have a lot of material so it's not unheard of for us to play nearly 2 hour sets. When you start splitting the door 4 or 5 ways unless you have new Merch to push you'll be make much, not to mention I'm not a fan i moving the gear just to play 30-45 minutes. My goal with every show money wise is to pay for gas, batteries and a set of strings. So I'm perfectly happy playing for about $50-$70 depending on how far i have to drive. But its tough to even get that when the show money is split between 5 bands.
Halloween?
I kid, but in spite of all the American TV we get it's still a very minor blip on the social scene here.
I kid, but in spite of all the American TV we get it's still a very minor blip on the social scene here.
The money is usually the same, but the slutty nurses, slutty vampires, slutty school girls, slutty angels......... They help to make it all worthwhile.
we are actually not getting paid, but i'm sure i'll sell enough drawings and paintings to more than cover gas and beer, a true punk rock success story
We usually raise rates for Halloween, Thanksgiving Eve, New Years Eve, St. Patrick's Day, and 4th of July. Pretty much any holiday involving excessive party people being out and about.
If the venue seeks out my band specifically for a date like Halloween, the night before Thanksgiving, 4th of July etc, then they get charged more than the usual rate. Not NYE rates, but more.
My band's first gig was on Halloween night. We haven't played that same venue since (it closed) so I can't say I have anything to compare it to. We played all our music and did the theme from John Carptenter's Halloween mid-way through the gig. Was pretty epic for a first show
The only calendar date we charge a higher rate for is NYE.
Halloween is always a fun gig but we've never felt the need to charge more for it...we enjoy the party too...
Halloween is always a fun gig but we've never felt the need to charge more for it...we enjoy the party too...
I'm waiting for the bar owners to "decide" that they can charge bands for the honor of participating in such an awesome, only comes around once a year, Halloween bash.
OR selling raffle tickets with the WINNER being able to play in their bar FOR FREE on such an opportunity. Just think of the exposure !
OR selling raffle tickets with the WINNER being able to play in their bar FOR FREE on such an opportunity. Just think of the exposure !
