Does raising rates lead to more gigs?

[Core Creek]

My regular band made the decision before I joined to take fewer low paying gigs. They went from 120 or so before I joined in 2023, down to 75 gigs in 2024 and looks like 59 in 2025. Having said that, average pay per gig has stayed above $300, and in 2024 we did 14 gigs that paid less than $200 and this year only 6.

While I would like to be gigging more I had two of the best paid gigs of my career this year so I appreciate that I’m well compensated for what I am doing.

 

[Runnerman]

Raising your rate on a current steady venue is not the way to go IMHO. You need to find better gigs overall. Find the places that pay more than you are making now and try to break in. If you are only a bar band, it will be tough if you keep with that model. Expand into the private party realm if you genuinely want to make more money. That's where the money is.

 

[pepj]

We put up rates on a certain gig and have now cleaned that off our schedule.

We felt the guy was not a nice guy to deal with and we all hated the gig. All that and other venues would know the rates he paid as he wouldn't be shy making it known to talk himself up. It had to go and that was a no brainer.