How Many Live Gigs Did You Play in 2024?

[darev]

What's a quilter?

A small, lightweight Class D amplifier. Quilter.

 

[Lo-E]

I haven’t kept count but I’m guessing it’s around 8-10. Slower year than usual for me; I’m usually in the 12-20 range.

 

[Jalopy]

Sadly only two paid gigs. I quit the band scene last fall and went solo on guitar and keyboard, plus some looper pedal and drum machine.

 

[ryco]

Looking at the polling I guess the days of 5 or 6 nights a week at 5-6 hours a night are a thing of the past.
'70s to '90s could make a decent living rocking bars and lounges in agency cover bands.

 

[mikeswals]

Looking at the polling I guess the days of 5 or 6 nights a week at 5-6 hours a night are a thing of the past.
'70s to '90s could make a decent living rocking bars and lounges in agency cover bands.

The big question there is, are there many clubs and bars open/hiring for live music 5-6 nights a week across the USA anymore?
Not in Wa or Cal (the two states I've lived in).
I've visited Vegas and Nashville, and saw bands on weekdays there.

 

[WG Plum]

1, same as '23.

 

[mikeswals]

Last year was 104 (main band, secondary weekly band, and lots of sub calls).
This year is 73...had one of the singers quit in the main band and it killed our schedule as we tried finding replacements twice only to have them not cut it and delay us a lot.

 

[hrodbert696]

Feel free to update if you like, but as of today, here are the results, tabulated with past surveys' results. There were no polls to survey between 2019 and 2021 or before 2013 that I know of.

Gigs Played	2024	2023	2022	2018	2017	2016*	2015*	2014**
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
0	19	9.3	13.1	12.4	8.8	7.2	8.5	11.2
1-11	30.7	31.8	33.2	25.3	29.1	25.6	27.2	30.7
12-23	16.1	18.1	19.2	21.9	16.8	21.8	21.1	"
24-51	16.4	20.3	17.3	21.3	21.9	22.5	17	20.7
52-103	14	13.6	11.8	12.4	15.5	11.3	17	15.1
104+	3.9	6.9	5.5	6.7	7.8	8.5	8	19

* 2015-6 had slightly different brackets from 2018-2024.
** 2014 brackets were 0, under 20, under 50, under 100, over 100.

I'd be cautious about too strong an interpretation of the results. For example, when these polls first started to appear, TBers who didn't gig may not have thought to look at the thread or to reply to the poll, assuming it wasn't for them. There's been a remarkable increase in the number of non-gigging respondents but it's hard to tell if that means fewer people are gigging or that more non-gigging bassists are replying to the poll.

Still, it does look like the chart may document an overall decline in gigs for the TB community. The "busy pro" category - people with over 100 gigs a year - is half what it was eight or nine years ago. The category that seems to have grown is the 1-11 group, while all the categories above it have slid a couple of points each. I'd interpret that as meaning that, on average, a lot of us are still playing out but less often than we used to; people who use to play 60 gigs now play 40, those who used to play 40 now play 20, etc.

But maybe not, because these are percentages, not absolute numbers. TB seems a little quieter since the platform change, I assume people who didn't like the adjustment jumped ship. If you compare absolute numbers, there are currently two hundred more respondents to the 2023 poll than are currently in the 2024 one. That may be less TB activity, that may just be the passage of time as more people clocked in after New Year's last year, who knows. A given category will thus also be different; the 24-51 category, for instance, for 2023 has 109 votes for 20.3%, but this year is just 55 votes for 16.4%. Maybe gigging bassists are just on TB less! Still, grist for the conversation mill.

 

[gln1955]

Feel free to update if you live, but as of today, here are the results, tabulated with past surveys' results. There were no polls to survey between 2019 and 2021 or before 2013 that I know of.

Gigs Played	2024	2023	2022	2018	2017	2016*	2015*	2014**
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
0	19	9.3	13.1	12.4	8.8	7.2	8.5	11.2
1-11	30.7	31.8	33.2	25.3	29.1	25.6	27.2	30.7
12-23	16.1	18.1	19.2	21.9	16.8	21.8	21.1	"
24-51	16.4	20.3	17.3	21.3	21.9	22.5	17	20.7
52-103	14	13.6	11.8	12.4	15.5	11.3	17	15.1
104+	3.9	6.9	5.5	6.7	7.8	8.5	8	19

* 2015-6 had slightly different brackets from 2018-2024.
** 2014 brackets were 0, under 20, under 50, under 100, over 100.

I'd be cautious about too strong an interpretation of the results. For example, when these polls first started to appear, TBers who didn't gig may not have thought to look at the thread or to reply to the poll, assuming it wasn't for them. There's been a remarkable increase in the number of non-gigging respondents but it's hard to tell if that means fewer people are gigging or that more non-gigging bassists are replying to the poll.

Still, it does look like the chart may document an overall decline in gigs for the TB community. The "busy pro" category - people with over 100 gigs a year - is half what it was eight or nine years ago. The category that seems to have grown is the 1-11 group, while all the categories above it have slid a couple of points each. I'd interpret that as meaning that, on average, a lot of us are still playing out but less often than we used to; people who use to play 60 gigs now play 40, those who used to play 40 now play 20, etc.

But maybe not, because these are percentages, not absolute numbers. TB seems a little quieter since the platform change, I assume people who didn't like the adjustment jumped ship. If you compare absolute numbers, there are currently two hundred more respondents to the 2023 poll than are currently in the 2024 one. That may be less TB activity, that may just be the passage of time as more people clocked in after New Year's last year, who knows. A given category will thus also be different; the 24-51 category, for instance, for 2023 has 109 votes for 20.3%, but this year is just 55 votes for 16.4%. Maybe gigging bassists are just on TB less! Still, grist for the conversation mill.

Could be TB is like our church, aging out. I hope not.

Thanks for the work you put into this

 

[Space Pickle]

Still, it does look like the chart may document an overall decline in gigs for the TB community. The "busy pro" category - people with over 100 gigs a year - is half what it was eight or nine years ago. The category that seems to have grown is the 1-11 group, while all the categories above it have slid a couple of points each. I'd interpret that as meaning that, on average, a lot of us are still playing out but less often than we used to; people who use to play 60 gigs now play 40, those who used to play 40 now play 20, etc.

I started playing out in my mid-20's about 15 years ago...the scene was dying a slow death and it has only gotten worse IMO (and this is in a major city).

I'm building a home studio, I'm very interested in exploring the possibilities of making records and live streaming performances however.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

23.

 

[Krakmann]

Salud!

24 from April to December, so 30, give or take. And LOTS of rehearsals (I love rehearsals, as I work at home and that's my main social life besides daughters and girlfriend).

 

[Jefenator]

I used to have multiple weekly gigs. That gave way to monthly. Now, pretty much nothing steady.
OTOH almost everything I do anymore is 2 sets, usually in a nice civilized atmosphere like a winery. (4 sets feels like a marathon now – and I've developed a severe allergy to drunk people.)
$75 is the new $50 and $350 is the new $200. ($1000 gigs aren't unheard of now. But we always seem to have to drive through a blizzard for it.)
This winter is off to a pretty gruesome start for me. Not entirely the gig scene's fault, but at this moment I'd be stoked to get one of those old weekly jobs back – even at the old $50.

 

[Space Pickle]

Just did my first set of 1025. Was good!

 

[fretlessbass]

Somewhere around 400 performances in 2024–(lotta musical theater work, so not nearly as hard as bar gigs!)
Not quite sure whether I’m bragging….or complaining.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

In 2024 I played a total of 135 gigs which is on par with previous years (132 in 2023 and 138 in 2022)

This is an average of around 11 gigs per month or 2.5 per week, but of course they weren’t spread out that evenly. October was especially slow as the trad jazz band I play with turns into a German brass band for Oktoberfest gigs which use a tuba instead of a double bass. The summer months were also slower because of...well, Florida.

Most of my gigs were playing upright bass jazz combos and I played fewer electric bass gigs because the regular bassist for the R&B band I was subbing with is now available more often. I only played two gigs on plectrum banjo in 2024 and frankly I’d be okay with giving up that instrument entirely at this juncture. I share lead vocal duties in the two of the bands I play with regularly, a trad jazz band and variety dance bands.

For the first quarter of 2025 I have more shows and concert-type events on my calendar I hope to do more of this type of work in the future. The pay is better and it's more rewarding than playing music for people that are eating dinner.

- Steve

 

[Space Pickle]

October was especially slow as the trad jazz band I play with turns into a German brass band for Oktoberfest gigs which use a tuba instead of a double bass.

Learn tuba and scoop the guy's gig!

 

[climber]

it was a GREAT year.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

Learn tuba and scoop the guy's gig!

I actually borrowed a sousaphone and had a go at it, but it's a bigger commitment than I want to make. Besides I don't really want to play polka music.

- Steve

 

[HolmeBass]

Only 20 :-(. Just has not bounced back since the pandemic.

But my pay rate is higher than ever, so avg pay per gig is way up.

I’d still rather get back to 40 to 50 per year.