How Much to Charge for 3 Hour Gig?

[Paddy1951]

At your stated rate divided by 3 divided by 3, each of you will make $25.00/hour.

I think that is a fair rate. I get kind of tired of the notion that musicians should work dirt cheap. You are confident. I am assuming you perform well.

If I walk into a local pub and ask for a pint I pay $6.00-8.00. I don't get to negotiate the price. Three fingers of Red Breast is $10.00.

There is no accounting for the taste of the bar patrons. I have seen mediocre bands very well received. I have seen excellent bands kind of ignored.

A pub owner is responsible for establishing his/her business. Live music is icing on the cake.

There are variables. Location. A pub or tavern/bar near a college campus is a far different draw than a place aimed at established, in the workforce, patrons.

A neighborhood bar will likely be an old established place frequented by more working class patrons.

Music or not is the owners call. Your rate should start at the lowest acceptable rate (to you) and go up from there depending on the type of place, where located, the kind of prices charged, what it costs your group to do the gig.

Don't under value yourselves. Don't let others under value you either.

I once played a wedding gig for the daughter of a very well established, well heeled lawyer. We were contracted for a certain amount of time at at certain rate. As the time approached for us to quit playing, the father/lawyer asked us to play for an hour longer. We said we would but would add the additional hour to the total fee. The lawyer got a bit irritated about this. I asked him what his billing rate was and would he do some legal work for me without compensation.

Your rate is fair no matter where you reside, in my opinion. Musicians invest a lot in themselves. That should be recognized.

[Skip Ellis]

I don't think I've ever gone to a venue because a particular band or person was playing there - I've gone because I wanted something to eat or drink. In many cases, the music has been a distraction and more of a reason for leaving. I don't enjoy listening to music (live or recorded) very much because I can't get away from dissecting and analyzing. I'll listen to a tune that I'm trying to learn but that's about it.

[6L6]

For my solo acoustic gigs I charge $100/hr with a $200 minimum. If the gig is out of my local area, I charge extra for gas and travel time.

[wdean]

For those of you who play retirement homes for $50/hr that is really good to compared to what is the scene in our area is for this type of gig. All the retirement homes don't pay at all. Seems there are enough "acts" solo, duo or trio willing to play for whatever their reason for zero pay. I know a manager of one of these homes and she said the cost of this type of entertainment comes right off their bottom line. Shoving a video into a machine of some old band (rock, country, etc) is very cheap...and they can re-use it! She said honestly the patron's don't really care what they are seeing or hearing. So if they get someone who is willing to come in for free it is just a change in routine for their clients. When I heard this I thought getting old and living in one of these places is a tough reality. i guess we can't forget this is a business just like any other. Maximise profit.

[Goat Mick]

Originally Posted by wdean

For those of you who play retirement homes for $50/hr that is really good to compared to what is the scene in our area is for this type of gig. All the retirement homes don't pay at all. Seems there are enough "acts" solo, duo or trio willing to play for whatever their reason for zero pay. I know a manager of one of these homes and she said the cost of this type of entertainment comes right off their bottom line. Shoving a video into a machine of some old band (rock, country, etc) is very cheap...and they can re-use it! She said honestly the patron's don't really care what they are seeing or hearing. So if they get someone who is willing to come in for free it is just a change in routine for their clients. When I heard this I thought getting old and living in one of these places is a tough reality. i guess we can't forget this is a business just like any other. Maximise profit.

That's funny because the directors of the places I play tell me completely the opposite. They say that it greatly improves the morale of the residents and they will talk about the performance for weeks and will ask when that person is coming back. I played one recently that one one of my buddies is on staff. There was a lady there that was basically dragged to the performance by her roommate. My buddy told me she rarely left her room and wouldn't interact with anyone or participate in activities. But when I started playing an old Hank Williams song she got the biggest smile and got up and danced for nearly the entire performance. Always asking me to play something fast. When I went back there last week, she was one of the first ones in the room and you could see the excitement on her face. All of the facilities I deal with definitely see the benefit of having live music and are willing to pay for it. When I'm contacted by a new facility I always ask them what their entertainment budget can afford and I'm usually very well paid for the time and effort given.

[PHJim]

For local gigs, I still do $100/person. Weddings are usually double or triple that for some reason that I can't explain. Gigs with travel involved are also more and if overnight, accommodations should be supplied by the venue.
If it's a really cool gig or a benefit that I support, I'll play for less or sometimes free.
Unfortunately, this price has not changed for a couple of decades.
Sometimes corporate gigs pay ridiculously high, but they're not always fun to play.

[RustyAxe]

Originally Posted by Red_Label

Hmmm... yeah, that's a good point. I was thinking more in regards to some of the homes where things seem a bit run-down and in in need of something joyous in there. I can play for money any time I want, but my thought was to "give back" in some way using the talents/desires I've been blessed-with. So that's exactly why I haven't done any local retirement homes yet... because I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing, in the right place, at the right time.

A local venue that hosts an open mic every week instituted a monthly “give back” series, in which many semi-pros donate two hours on a Sat. night. All voluntary donations go to a preselected charitable cause. It has raised into four figures often.

I've also considered offering to entertain in the hospital cancer wards and hospice type situations... but I'm not sure if I can take that stuff emotionally. I get pretty choked-up when I see people and animals suffering. I want to help, but I feel pretty vulnerable and afraid of the emotional toll it'll take on me. I am a charitable, giving person... but I just dunno if I can handle being exposed to that stuff. I do IT support for our local animal shelter and am always happy to help them. But I HATE actually going there, because it just guts me seeing all of those animals locked in cages because of the irresponsibility of people. So I dread going out there, because I know it'll put me in a funk for a few days.

In 2004 I was stricken with cancer and needed chemo. The infusion room often held 6-8 patients, all getting a dose of their particular poison. One appointment followed a recording session, and reluctant to leave my D-18GE in the hot car I took it in with me. After getting hooked up I laid back. The obviously quite sick woman in the next chair asked “can you play that thing?”. With the nurses’ permission, and that of the other patients, I gave a 90 minute concert in the chemo infusion room. I played requests, some people sang along weakly, others just closed their eyes and relaxed. I was told by a nurse as I left that one elderly gent requested that they schedule his appointments for times “the troubador” would be there! She also asked me to bring my guitar whenever I felt like it. I was moved, and humbled that such a simple thing could mean so much.

[Big Band Guitar]

I was asked to do a 3 hour solo gig at a trade show.

I really did not want the gig so I quoted $600.

I got the gig because I was low bidder.

Turned out the trade show was canceled. Oh well.

[RustyAxe]

Originally Posted by Big Band Guitar

I was asked to do a 3 hour solo gig at a trade show. I really did not want the gig so I quoted $600. I got the gig because Inwas the low bidder.

Looks like you need to raise your “oh hell no” price.

[Paddy1951]

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

A local venue that hosts an open mic every week instituted a monthly “give back” series, in which many semi-pros donate two hours on a Sat. night. All voluntary donations go to a preselected charitable cause. It has raised into four figures often.





In 2004 I was stricken with cancer and needed chemo. The infusion room often held 6-8 patients, all getting a dose of their particular poison. One appointment followed a recording session, and reluctant to leave my D-18GE in the hot car I took it in with me. After getting hooked up I laid back. The obviously quite sick woman in the next chair asked “can you play that thing?”. With the nurses’ permission, and that of the other patients, I gave a 90 minute concert in the chemo infusion room. I played requests, some people sang along weakly, others just closed their eyes and relaxed. I was told by a nurse as I left that one elderly gent requested that they schedule his appointments for times “the troubador” would be there! She also asked me to bring my guitar whenever I felt like it. I was moved, and humbled that such a simple thing could mean so much.

This is such a good story. It shows how music connects with people in ways nothing else can.
You can't place a value on the impromptu concert, how, for at least a little while, you eased the burden of the effects of a horrible disease.

Good for you!

[Al Acuff]

Originally Posted by Paddy1951

This is such a good story. It shows how music connects with people in ways nothing else can.
You can't place a value on the impromptu concert, how, for at least a little while, you eased the burden of the effects of a horrible disease.

Good for you!

Music heals! I’m a lymphoma survivor. I’m speaking from experience. The CCC where I suffered 8 months of infusions had a visiting artist program. They paid the musicians to come visit and play acoustically. I became friends with a classical guitar player that came around. I learned that he declined the money. He found the work rewarding enough

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

In 2004 I was stricken with cancer and needed chemo. The infusion room often held 6-8 patients, all getting a dose of their particular poison. One appointment followed a recording session, and reluctant to leave my D-18GE in the hot car I took it in with me. After getting hooked up I laid back. The obviously quite sick woman in the next chair asked “can you play that thing?”. With the nurses’ permission, and that of the other patients, I gave a 90 minute concert in the chemo infusion room. I played requests, some people sang along weakly, others just closed their eyes and relaxed. I was told by a nurse as I left that one elderly gent requested that they schedule his appointments for times “the troubador” would be there! She also asked me to bring my guitar whenever I felt like it. I was moved, and humbled that such a simple thing could mean so much.

That's an awesome story man. Those are the exact types of fulfilling musical/emotional connections I desire to make after a lifetime of being the soundtrack to get drunk and laid by. I will remember your story and look for more opportunities that wouldn't make me too uncomfortable, but that might ease someone else's burden.

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by Al Acuff

Music heals! I’m a lymphoma survivor. I’m speaking from experience. The CCC where I suffered 8 months of infusions had a visiting artist program. They paid the musicians to come visit and play acoustically. I became friends with a classical guitar player that came around. I learned that he declined the money. He found the work rewarding enough

As a solo performer, I've had certain repeat fund-raiser gigs where I always refused payment and asked them to donate my humble paycheck back to the cause. I think they were usually a bit surprised, because I just don't get the impression that most paid gigging musicians around here are very generous to them. To be fair, most of them are probably using the gig proceeds to pay bills and put food on the table (as I used to). Whereas my gig proceeds these days are just for play money to throw at new instruments and justify my GAS a little bit to my wife.

[Don Lampson]

Originally Posted by Goat Whiskey Picks

That's funny because the directors of the places I play tell me completely the opposite. They say that it greatly improves the morale of the residents and they will talk about the performance for weeks and will ask when that person is coming back. I played one recently that one one of my buddies is on staff. There was a lady there that was basically dragged to the performance by her roommate. My buddy told me she rarely left her room and wouldn't interact with anyone or participate in activities. But when I started playing an old Hank Williams song she got the biggest smile and got up and danced for nearly the entire performance. Always asking me to play something fast. When I went back there last week, she was one of the first ones in the room and you could see the excitement on her face. All of the facilities I deal with definitely see the benefit of having live music and are willing to pay for it. When I'm contacted by a new facility I always ask them what their entertainment budget can afford and I'm usually very well paid for the time and effort given.

That was my experience as well. I was appreciated, well paid, and witnessed loving people. I had trouble getting paid by one outfit. I took me a month, but the folks who worked there were great. For hospice, Medicare will provide the service of a musician twice per month to ease the patrons dying. I just couldn't take the sadness of it all....

Don

[Red_Label]

Originally Posted by Don Lampson

That was my experience as well. I was appreciated, well paid, and witnessed loving people. I had trouble getting paid by one outfit. I took me a month, but the folks who worked there were great. For hospice, Medicare will provide the service of a musician twice per month to ease the patrons dying. I just couldn't take the sadness of it all....

Don

Dang... that would be like playing on Death Row or for an animal shelter on euthanasia day. BRUTAL!!!