Performance Compensation

Here is a topic I rarely if ever see in music related forums.

How much should you get paid as a performing artist? Whether it be a solo gig, coffee house gig, original artist, original band, cover band, tribute band, it doesn't matter. I have been doing this so long now I am at a point that part of me wants to give up playing out. I am tired of getting scraps from a promoter/venue. I would like to at least break even for the effort of learning my instrument, creating a stage persona, loading up to get to venue on time, playing, and loading up for ride home at zero dark thirty.

I see cover and tribute bands making anywhere from $200 on upwards of $1000 a gig depending on live scenario.

Original bands/artists locally make whatever they are given usually, which are scraps when I see how much alcohol sales are made during any given night.

This is one aspect of the business end that I am fairly ignorant about, when to start asking a set fee and when to make increases in compensation requests.

Anyone want to honestly discuss this topic? I know there are a few guys on this board that play for a living and would like to bend their ear a bit.

There is one - and only one - metric to determine how much you can/will get paid.

How much value/money are you generating for the client?

That's it. If you make them more money, you can get more money. For example: You draw 250ppl to a small gig. 5$ cover, $5000 end-of night bar total. That's $6250 minus sound, lights, energy, labor, promotion, inventory, etc. You can expect 10-20% of what is left over. You can offer to play for the door and promote yourself. Everything is negotiable if you generate tangible value.

+1

However, mostly you will be dealing with people who are either ignorant of business practices, dishonest, arrogant, or any combination of the 3.

I have been finding that business cases pretty much fall on deaf ears. The people booking bands will claim that they already pack the place, they never pay more than X dollars, even for "national bands", they never share a piece of the bar, they have lots of bands booked (when the calendar is clearly EMPTY).

Even if they are willing to listen, most people booking bands are not involved in the actual business of running the venue, so they have no idea what the costs are, nor do they care.

I think if you have been around long enough to have a following that can be proven with a mailing list and lists of attendees (or at least a headcount) for multiple shows, maybe ticket sale info, whatever, then you can more easily make a compelling case.

It's a tough business. Probably the venue hardly makes any money, and many lose money. Bars fall under the "restaurant" category. Worst business ever. "How do you wind up with a million dollars in the restaurant business? Start with 2 million..."

The place I see bands CLEANING UP is private events, especially corporate parties.

elvis said:

The place I see bands CLEANING UP is private events, especially corporate parties.

Click to expand...

Yep yep. I'm an audio tech (90% corporate). Classic Rock, Country Pop, 80's dance - these do very well. Mix 'em all the time.

I haven't played out in years. Many years, but back then if I walked out with $50 I considered it a great night. Most times, I walked out with nothing or near that. At a certain point I just took it for the fact that I was doing it b/c I loved it, if the $$ was there great, if not no big deal.

swbo101 said:

.......... if I walked out with $50 I considered it a great night. Most times, I walked out with nothing or near that. At a certain point I just took it for the fact that I was doing it b/c I loved it, if the $$ was there great, if not no big deal.

Click to expand...

+1

Anytime we make decent money it is at a show that we organize for the bar/club & run the door ourselves.

But it's mostly for the passion to play. Most bar owners will try to take advantage of the independent artist/group.

Dom

If a band is providing live entertainment for a bar / restaurant / etc, I don't believe that the onus falls on the musicians to supply the patrons. They are offering a service so they should be paid suitably to 'not' suck and scare away the regulars.

swbo101 said:

I haven't played out in years. Many years, but back then if I walked out with $50 I considered it a great night. Most times, I walked out with nothing or near that. At a certain point I just took it for the fact that I was doing it b/c I loved it, if the $$ was there great, if not no big deal.

Click to expand...

My business strategy as a musician is simple.

Buy $20,000 in gear.
Practice for years.
Do my own roadie work.
Piss off wife and neighbors with lots of noise

The payoff is getting to play on stage and trying not to mess too bad or too often.

And the $50


:lol:

And don't quit my day job!

MUSICIAN
Someone who loads $5000 worth of gear into a $500 vehicle to make $50.

I think it depends on the area and the venues available. I've been fortunate to get a minimum of $100, unless it was for some charity gig that we did. Sometimes at private parties we make more than that and the crowds are better. As far as I'm concerned, it's all gravy.

At the end of the day, I'm thankful I can get on stage and just play.

nor said:

MUSICIAN
Someone who loads $5000 worth of gear into a $500 vehicle to make $50.

Click to expand...

When you put it that way, it sounds so...........unglamorous.

I haven't played out in quite a while, although I love jamming and recording as much as ever. I think of it as self therapy with guests. Listening back to a great track and letting people hear it and dig it is its own reward to me......I'd be happy with a career as a producer or songwriter if not for my day job.

I can easily imagine what it must be like to have massive success in the music biz at an early age....it's a recipe for disaster in your life, and in no way would prepare you to have a real job later should you need one!

MkIII Renegade said:

I can easily imagine what it must be like to have massive success in the music biz at an early age....it's a recipe for disaster in your life

Click to expand...

Rings true. The big money usually leads to the downfall of the immature stars who can't handle that kind of liberation from responsibility.

I'm trying to work with a band of 7 that rehearses and plays once a month, overheard them saying it's minimum fee of $500 just to have us walk onto the stage, but I would feel lucky to take home $50 or $100 bucks any given night. Love the tunes, love playing that geetar, $$$$$ is frosting on the cake.

I've done solo stuff a tvery small venues for $25-50 bucks. The easiest money I ever made was playing for 1 hour at a shoe store that had a grand piano near the entrance. Play piano for an hour, whatever I wanted to play, walk out with cash in hand, and lots of cute ladies buying lots of shoes. Did that every Saturday for a year.

I've gotten back into playing out over the last 5 years. There have been many gigs I did for free - just the opportunity to play. I have played many gigs where I got ripped off. In the past 2 years in one band, we average around $300 per gig (for a 4-piece). I used to think that was too little. But, my gas, strings, tubes, picks, etc are all covered with that amount. Ultimately, the biggest payoff is the fact that I still get to stand on a stage with 3 friends and play stuff we and the audiences love. Granted, I don't love every single song or note, but I am doing the only thing I know that is better than sex. If I get paid for it, it's better than being a porn star.

Just my .02, I have been in a 95% cover band for the past 6 years. 4 piece - as a rule we try to get $400 a night. for special events (Halloween, New Years Eve) we shoot for minimum of double that. I really think it depends on where you live and how much competition there is in your market. Most of the bands in our area are real heavy, so they do not get booked. We are a Party Rock band so we do.