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Your typical gig pay?

#41
It's simple... take what they have to offer..
It's a school... It's only two hours....
It's not a Prom.. so there's little pressure.
If you don't take it.. someone else will.
I get $1500 for four hours... but not on a Monday or Tuesday etc. If I didn't have a gig and was offered $75-$80 for two hours at a LOCAL Christian School for a Christmas Tree Lighting, I'd take it and be very happy.
Ken
 
#42
Well, they technically didn't actually offer anything; they asked what we want.
I asked for $300.
Not sure they have anyone else to consider(smallish town, small school).
If we get the 3 bills(or even get haggled down a bit)we'll be happy.
The gig is Dec. 12 so I'll keep you/us all posted. :)
 
#43
bassteban said:
I'm doing a Christmas tree lighting at a Christian elementary school. Three piece, jazzy carols, 2 hours w/a break. What should I charge? The same group got $250 for a similar length set at their harvest festival.
Click to expand...

I'd say that's pretty good for the venue. When you deal with places like that, you have to look at it in publicity. How many possible clients will be there. A cut in pay is worth the exposure.

I normally don't unzip my gig bag for less than $70/hr. We are normally booked for 2 hours at private parties (which is most of our gigs). When I do public events, though, the pay is normally a bit less but the publicity is well worth it.

Also, it sounds as if these cats are fairly open minded. Use this to help promote jazz in your town. It seems as if a good job Dec. 12th would lead to more bookings-Take advantage of that! It may also be a reason to give them a deal, if they need it (be mindful that they were probably not given a huge budget for music).
 
#47
Typically my bands get $75-$125 per person for a usual bar/club gig. My minimum is $50, and there has to be a good reason for making only that much. I'll go for $75 without a fuss.

No playing for free at any time, for any reason. Period.

Best night I ever had was $900. New Years Eve 1999. 5 piece band, $5000, less 10% to the agent that booked it for us.
 
#49
The gig was last night & went fairly well. We were supposed to play outside, but it was pretty cold, so when offered the option of setting up inside, we jumped. Various problems: Drummer brought the *John Bonham/outdoor* set, we all dressed for the cold & the setlist was all pretty loud & rockin'. Add to that the room was acoustically awful and it was at times a near-trainwreck in progress. We turned way down, played the mellowest stuff we had & were mostly well-received. I do recall one number which received applause from one(& only one :atoz:)audience member...
Ah well, live & learn. :cool:
 
#50
Our 4 piece ensemble (makes it sound classy, doesn't it?) generally gigs for $350 - 500 ($87.50 - 125.00 / man) but we'll accommodate the CB Club at the Pipefitters' Union Hall for $175 plus weiners and cokes. Sometimes you just have to be flexible. Think we're making $1200 for NYE but that includes food and spouses are welcome. There's something to be said for venues close to home.

Riis
 
#54
My four-piece cover band charges 800-1000 € plus travel expenses if applicable. That leaves us with 200-250 € per person.

With my reggae band, we usually play for 100-150 € per person (5-piece). That's for max 2 sets, while we usually play 3 sets with the cover band.

I don't play that much for money, but to charge less than you're worth is to cut the legs off musicians that are trying to make some money, or even a living, from playing. Finding and keeping good musicians to play with is also easier if you book gigs that give all of you a good extra income.
 
#55
Rock weekend (fri&sat) cover band = 4 1/2 hrs = $100 - $125/member/night
Jazz = 3 hrs = $45/member/night. Have made $100+ on special occasions
Rock in the park = 1 hr = $100/member

In the 70s/80s made $350-$500/member playing T-40 depending on how many nights and the club.
I think the pay for club musicians has gone down since then.
 
#56
Unfortunately there is Music and then theres the Musib Business. The later is not fun, however you have to take it just as seriously as playing.

blue




bassteban said:
I'm doing a Christmas tree lighting at a Christian elementary school. Three piece, jazzy carols, 2 hours w/a break. What should I charge? The same group got $250 for a similar length set at their harvest festival.
Also, what does your paying gig pay?
Any examples are appreciated. :)
Click to expand...
 
#57
It depends on the area and venue. A lot of clubs here in the Boston area will generally pay you based on what walks through the door and their cover charge. Others you'll get a base you agree on and maybe some on top. Lately, our cover band has been making $500 - $700 when we gig out. We always tip the sound guy and such. Our rehearsal space rent is $400, so the first $400 we make always goes up on the wall so that none of us are out. Anything else is split evenly.

As to the poster who asked why cover bands make more, bar/club owners just want people to have a good time (dance, etc.), which involves buying alcohol. Some genres of music just, er, don't do that. WHen people want to go out and have a good time, most (not all) would rather hear hits and sing along drunkenly than be challenged. The same goes for tribute acts - I was in a Rush one for awhile. Talk about a hard sell to get people through the door. It is what it is. Don't analyze it too much. And if you think it's easy to do covers well, you've got another thing coming. There are plenty of cover bands out there, and not all are good.
 
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#58
$90-$100 per guy and we ALWAYS bring a sound guy who gets an equal cut. One place very close to home provides a sound guy that I know well so we will play there a little cheaper. I figure if a place (a club/bar) cant afford that much for quality entertainment for a night I probably dont want to play that dump anyway.

EDIT:
Lord have mercy! Talk about raising a thread from the dead!

BnB
 
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