Saturday night, I discovered something. Playing in bars here can be pretty lucrative. The bar a frequent as a patron had 2 bands play with a cover of $10. They were packed just like any other Saturday with probably around 200 people. That's 2 grand just off the cover. I asked the bartender what percentage of the door went to the bands an she said all of it.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Why didn't I ever know this?
- Thread starter posijon
- Start date
Build a venue with a reputation for good bands providing a fun night for everyone and people will come. Hire crappy underpaid bands on the cheap that ruin everyone's night, and people stay away. Unfortunately, most venues try to do it on the cheap...
Once you build a following you can make a little money at bars. The last band I was in wouldn't take a dime under $2500 for a bar and no less than $3500 for a private party. Towards the end we were pulling down $5000+ for a wedding. Many Saturdays we would do a $5000 wedding in the afternoon and a $2500 bar gig that night. Throw in a $2500 Friday night show and you're starting to talk about some money.
Well I don't want to be a downer here but, $2000 divided by 2 bands divided by ~4 people per band. And then probably in most circumstances and a 3rd band to the bill.
Playing Saturday night gigs to 200 people is a helluva lot more fun than waiting tables but...
Playing Saturday night gigs to 200 people is a helluva lot more fun than waiting tables but...
That band must have been smokin' good and you must have been in a pretty high-rent part of the country. Around here the best bands can MAYBE score $1K for a bar gig but that's pretty much the ceiling and NOBODY gets that the first time. You have to build up a serious track record at a place before they'll throw 4 digits your way.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
You can get four digits night here and I am in a relatively small population (maybe 300,000 if you drew a 50km circle outside the city) you wouldn't see 2,500+ for a bar gig unless it is the whole weekend though. Private functions, weddings, and especially casino gigs here can 3-5k.
You certainly would have to be a draw to get this kind of pay, nobody gets that kind of money their first show without already have some serious cred.
SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
That's some serious loot how much would you give me to carry the gear and set everything up I'm in for a Washington a weekend 
- Oct 18, 2012
- 6,683
- 5,538
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Fender, Spector, Ampeg, Curt Mangan, Nordstrand Pickups, Korg , Conquest Sound
There is no such thing as a "crappy underpaid" band. If the band is "crappy" they deserve to be low paid.
Having said that, I agree with your overall point. Every venue is different. Some will hire bands that aren't very good because they do not have to pay them very much but figure they can get a few more people in the club than they would without a band. Other venues see value in hiring a good band that can pack the place. Times have changed. When I first started playing in clubs more than 30 years ago, many clubs had bands every night. Now there are fewer clubs that have bands and those that do usually only have them on Friday and Saturday nights. They also do not pay what they used to. The cover band I was in from 1980 to 1984 was getting a minimum of $500 on a weeknight and $1,000 on Friday and Saturday. Sometimes we got more. We gigged five nights per week for almost four years. There were six of us in the band so we each got just around $600 per week. Some weeks we made more. It doesn't seem like a lot of money by today's standards but while I was in that band I didn't have to work a "real job". Most musicians who are starting out today do not have the same opportunities that I had.
Downer? That arithmetic is still $250 per band member per night. Considering that a lot of bands are lucky to get $100 per member for a bar gig these days, I'm still going to count it as a good deal.
Why wouldn't the bar owner pay the bands well?
With 200 people, one round of beer could climb into $1500,so,you'd think the owner would make $20k or more the whole night.(just making a lousy count)
Half of that would be expenses,but I think there is no reason for him to still want to keep part of the $2k from the door.
With 200 people, one round of beer could climb into $1500,so,you'd think the owner would make $20k or more the whole night.(just making a lousy count)
Half of that would be expenses,but I think there is no reason for him to still want to keep part of the $2k from the door.
I have several musican friends a few years older than me (I'm 46) who had similar experiences back in the day. They were in full-time cover bands that played bar gigs 4 or 5 nights a week for weeks at a time, with a bus and usually 7 or 8 people in the outfit (5 member band plus 2 or 3 road/tech crew). They didn't get rich, but they covered expenses and had enough left over. Those days are long gone.
Also, what a lot of people don't realize (or choose to ignore) is that it would take $1,200 - $1,500 to equal the buying power of the $600 a week you were making back in the early 80s (when gas was $1 a gallon, hamburger $.79 a lb, a 6-pack for $2.99, etc.). Band pay has not come close to escalating at the same pace as inflation and that's why it's so much tougher now.
Yeah, I would be very happy with $250 per night! I average around $100 in my current band, but in my previous band, I was averaging around $40 per gig (6 members plus sound man). Im not in it for the money but still!
Exactly. Not gonna make it full-time on that. BUT, as a secondary income, me and every local "weekend warrior" I know who DO have day jobs would be more than happy to pocket $250 for a one-night bar gig. That would be an exceptionally high paying bar gig for this part of the country and you'd probably only get it on New Years Eve or maybe St. Pattys Day.
Heck, I was in a band only a couple years ago that played two-night gigs at the biggest room in town and only netted $205 a guy for the whole weekend.
In my neck of the woods, the bands would NOT get 100% of the door. That is a sweet deal, and kind of unusual from my observations.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
I don't show up for less than $100, for $250 I am there with bells on, hell I play garbage I hate for $250 a night. I am also not a jerk though, so if the band is getting paid $150 for a set I will gladly accept a cut.
You name me one other job that pays $250 for 4 hours of work with 1 hour of break time, that I basically just hang out at.
If your only working on the weekend at anything, not just music = don't quit your day job.
If you get $250 for a Saturday night, throw in 2-3 $100 weekday nights you just cleared $550 this week. Not bad considering you worked maybe 15 hours at most. Toss in a couple students and you have yourself a full time musician gig.
You name me one other job that pays $250 for 4 hours of work with 1 hour of break time, that I basically just hang out at.
If your only working on the weekend at anything, not just music = don't quit your day job.
If you get $250 for a Saturday night, throw in 2-3 $100 weekday nights you just cleared $550 this week. Not bad considering you worked maybe 15 hours at most. Toss in a couple students and you have yourself a full time musician gig.
I don't think it's so much the band or the venue. If you live in an area where you have folks willing to pay a cover charge, yeah, you can make good money. Around these here parts, if a cover charge is involved, the place is damn near empty! Upscale venues won't have crappy bands to begin with. In addition, a local band had to be pretty badass for folks to actually pay to see them. 99% of the bands around here ain't that good, including mine (sorry to say).
