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Gig Pay

#21
jaywa said:
I'm your classic "weekend warrior" with a white collar day job and for me, my band is my 2nd job. In other words, I try to apply the same standards of performance and professionalism to my gigs as I do Monday-Friday at the office. By the same token, I expect to be fairly compensated on my 2nd job, just as I am at my day job. If I want to play for free, I'll do that at my church. But pretty much any other situation, it needs to be financially worth my while.
Click to expand...

+1

<----Same boat as you (without the white collar job). I do have a great day job. And, yes, I do this as a second job (with about 3 bands). I've, thankfully, been "around" enough to learn a few lessons along the way.

Some of those lessons were addressed in my earlier post.
: )
 
#25
jaywa said:
I'm your classic "weekend warrior" with a white collar day job and for me, my band is my 2nd job. In other words, I try to apply the same standards of performance and professionalism to my gigs as I do Monday-Friday at the office. By the same token, I expect to be fairly compensated on my 2nd job, just as I am at my day job. If I want to play for free, I'll do that at my church. But pretty much any other situation, it needs to be financially worth my while.
Click to expand...

This is my position as well. I don't need to make the money but I also want it to make sense. I have a lot of fun but I expect to be compensated for making the bar money. It's not charity work, it's a business.
I put a lot of time into practicing on my own (Even up to rehearsing a whole night of songs alone, the day of a gig when possible) and it's 120 mile round trip to the place we practice as a band and it's 120 mile round trip to most of the gigs for me as well.

Factor all of that in, you really aren't getting $12-$15 an hour like some people were saying, you're getting more like $5 an hour.
At this point I'm about breaking even just on gas money spent.

edit:
Also, we tend not to even get a discount on our tab. So maybe I should start bringing protein shakes and skipping on the beer every weekend because I end up spending around $30-$40 when my girlfriend comes.
 
#27
zephyr_words said:
...it's 120 mile round trip to the place we practice as a band and it's 120 mile round trip to most of the gigs for me as well.

Factor all of that in, you really aren't getting $12-$15 an hour like some people were saying, you're getting more like $5 an hour.
At this point I'm about breaking even just on gas money spent.

edit:
Also, we tend not to even get a discount on our tab. So maybe I should start bringing protein shakes and skipping on the beer every weekend because I end up spending around $30-$40 when my girlfriend comes.
Click to expand...

I started bringing a cooler years ago...I aint' paying what they want for drinks nor food!! If you are lucky enough to get a band room..have one of your band friends setup the table!!! You can even pretend you're famous while playing at the bowling alley (My gig this weekend) 140 miles round trip!!
It does at least have PA/lights and guys to help unload and set up!

:hiding:
 
#28
otis_thick said:
I started bringing a cooler years ago...I aint' paying what they want for drinks nor food!! If you are lucky enough to get a band room..have one of your band friends setup the table!!! You can even pretend you're famous while playing at the bowling alley (My gig this weekend) 140 miles round trip!!
It does at least have PA/lights and guys to help unload and set up!

:hiding:
Click to expand...

Yeah bar owners just love it when you bring your own beer.:rolleyes:
 
#29
^ I think if we tried that around where we play, we'd never be welcomed back.

But! A few times I have successfully negotiated to at least get our drinks at a reduced rate (or even 'at cost'). That way the bar isn't losing money by comping the bevvies, but also not making money off the 'hired help'.

To OP: I think that based on what you've told us about your band, you're doing pretty good, pay wise! Keep it up!

-kdiggity
 
#30
michael_atw said:
If you think about it, a hundred for 3-5 hours of loading/setup/play/unloading is not too shabby. That's $15-25 an hour.
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A teacher or professor's pay doesn't just reflect time in the classroom, there's a lot of prep and grading; a lawyer's pay doesn't just reflect time in the courtroom, there is again a lot of very important preparation work. And for both, rate of pay is related to the amount of education and training an individual needs to be competent for that line of work.

You can't calculate what a musician is paid per hour unless you take practicing, marketing, etc. into account - not to mention the capital investment in gear and learning to play competently in the first place. At $20 per half-hour lesson, I am spending nearly $1000 a year on each of my kids to learn instruments. That's a lot of investment. I don't do it for them to be able to become professional musicians, but if we're going to calculate if musicians are paid what they're worth, it should be part of the equation.
 
#32
zephyr_words said:
This is my position as well. I don't need to make the money but I also want it to make sense. I have a lot of fun but I expect to be compensated for making the bar money. It's not charity work, it's a business.
I put a lot of time into practicing on my own (Even up to rehearsing a whole night of songs alone, the day of a gig when possible) and it's 120 mile round trip to the place we practice as a band and it's 120 mile round trip to most of the gigs for me as well.

Factor all of that in, you really aren't getting $12-$15 an hour like some people were saying, you're getting more like $5 an hour.
At this point I'm about breaking even just on gas money spent.

edit:
Also, we tend not to even get a discount on our tab. So maybe I should start bringing protein shakes and skipping on the beer every weekend because I end up spending around $30-$40 when my girlfriend comes.
Click to expand...

Two solutions:


1.) Don't drive so far to practice.
2.) Don't drink so much beer.
 
#33
hrodbert696 said:
A teacher or professor's pay doesn't just reflect time in the classroom, there's a lot of prep and grading; a lawyer's pay doesn't just reflect time in the courtroom, there is again a lot of very important preparation work. And for both, rate of pay is related to the amount of education and training an individual needs to be competent for that line of work.

You can't calculate what a musician is paid per hour unless you take practicing, marketing, etc. into account - not to mention the capital investment in gear and learning to play competently in the first place. At $20 per half-hour lesson, I am spending nearly $1000 a year on each of my kids to learn instruments. That's a lot of investment. I don't do it for them to be able to become professional musicians, but if we're going to calculate if musicians are paid what they're worth, it should be part of the equation.
Click to expand...

Oh geez...get that far into it and it's not about the music anymore! I could calculate how much body wear, health care long-term, car wear, etc. etc. as well. Put in the instrument cost, amount it costs for the water/drinks I bring with me, amount for the medication the next morning....Might as well quit while I'm ahead and go live in the forest hitting sticks together. :)
 
#34
zephyr_words said:
I've played smaller places where we've brought about 10 and larger places where we've had about 30-50 show up just for us.
Click to expand...

For bar gigs, the number one factor is how many people you bring in... and how much they spend on food and (especially) alcohol. If you're consistently packing the joint, then you have serious negotiating power.

Of course there are other important factors such as punctuality and maintaining appropriate volume... and yeah, I suppose talent counts too. :hmm: But if the bar is making lots of money from your fans, then they may well overlook deficiencies in these other areas. I mention that because I often hear "That band is lame, how are they getting so many gigs?" The answer may well be, "They have lots of friends who drink".
 
#35
FWIW, I play in two four-piece bands, and the only reason we take less than $100 per man is when it's the first time in a new venue.

The band I've been in since Y2K used to play for a minimum of $600, but the economy is down. More and more bars are paying on commission: you play for the door, or get a percentage of sales. We've been rejecting those offers so far, but might take one in the lead singer's neighborhood, because we think we can pack the place and make good money.



P.S. My other band has eleven members. Their minimum fee is $900 -- that gives each member $50, and covers PA/soundman. I take those gigs because my bandmates are good musicians, and also good people: less drama in that 11 member band than in either four-piece band! Fortunately, our semi-regular restaurant gig has been paying $100-150 a man, because we get a cut of the door ($8 cover) and we've been drawing well.
 
#36
Originally Posted by zephyr_words
I've played smaller places where we've brought about 10 and larger places where we've had about 30-50 show up just for us.

Well...the 10 person show probably got the bar $250-300 in the till. Then after you subtract their costs of keeping the doors open, paying your band, paying employees, keeping booze on hand and paying insurance and utilities, they made about -$____ enter whatever number you want.


Not a shot on ya...just putting it perspective. Though, I'm pretty comfortable you have already thought of that.
 

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