How much does your band charge?

[tonybassplayer]

[quote name='geoham' timestamp='1360259211' post='1967662']
I just wouldn't play Girls Aloud songs!
[/quote]

We used to play a rocky version of " sounds of the underground " and it went down a storm and was awesome to play it ( the way we did it )

[mike257]

My function band does weddings pretty much exclusively and our take home (after the agent has their cut) is generally between £750-£1000 for a 5-piece. That's usually for 2x60mins with laptop DJ in the gaps where we're not playing. Based on that, I wouldn't budge from your £700 quote unless it's for a [i]really[/i] good mate! We do the odd "friends and family" deal, but generally the band member whos friend/family it is will take the hit to give the bulk of the discount.

If you're setting out to be a function band and you're playing at that level, you're selling yourself short to go out for less, because that's a pretty standard rate. If your mate had booked through one of the big agencies he could add another £250 on top of that easily!

[flyfisher]

[quote name='geoham' timestamp='1360228970' post='1966921']

We quoted £700. We'll need to hire a PA - I've budgeted £200 for that. There are five of us, so that leaves £100 each - not taking petrol in to account (20 miles away). The guy nearly choked! Was expecting something significantly cheaper.

My initial feeling is that £700 is a bargain, and we shouldn't budge, but I want to get feedback from you guys!
[/quote]

This is all symptomatic of the general devaluation of music these days - not in the sense that people don't enjoy it any more but more that we're all increasingly used to not having to pay much for it.

Let's be honest, most people play music because they enjoy it but unless you make the break into 'stardom' it's a tough way to make a living.

The plumber comparison is all very well but it's a flawed analogy because there is no inherent rate for either job, it's just what people have come to expect and what they're prepared to pay.

I've played a wedding for free, because one of the band members was a friend of the bride. They were on a tight budget and couldn't afford to splash out on a band and if we hadn't played then they would have been quite happy not to have a band at all. It doesn't take much these days for someone on a tight budget to put together a playlist of favourite songs on their iPod and, bingo, that's the music sorted out.

That's the sort of thing that bands are up against these days.

[geoham]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1360406022' post='1969818']


This is all symptomatic of the general devaluation of music these days - not in the sense that people don't enjoy it any more but more that we're all increasingly used to not having to pay much for it.

Let's be honest, most people play music because they enjoy it but unless you make the break into 'stardom' it's a tough way to make a living.

The plumber comparison is all very well but it's a flawed analogy because there is no inherent rate for either job, it's just what people have come to expect and what they're prepared to pay.

I've played a wedding for free, because one of the band members was a friend of the bride. They were on a tight budget and couldn't afford to splash out on a band and if we hadn't played then they would have been quite happy not to have a band at all. It doesn't take much these days for someone on a tight budget to put together a playlist of favourite songs on their iPod and, bingo, that's the music sorted out.

That's the sort of thing that bands are up against these days.
[/quote]

The person asking us to play is someone on a sound engineering college course with me guitarist. You'd think he'd appreciate the industry, as presumably he wants to work in it.

For an actual friend, I'd gladly play for a heavily discounted price - or free for someone really close.

I can't see me quitting me job to make a living from this any time soon - I've done the sums and would need to do 100+ gigs a year, making £200 a time to survive, never mind equal what I earn doing an office job. In the mean time, if I can supplement my income doing something I enjoy, then great.

[deepbass5]

[size=3]Lots of points to take on Board here[/size][list]
[*][size=3]Price per man what will cover your time suggest £100 min prob = £10 hour[/size]
[*][size=3]Repertoire are you set up to give people what they want, not what you want to give them, this involves an extensive pad.[/size]
[*][size=3]Gear, insurance, PAT testing, clothes, advertising, web, agents, Tax, transport costs, rehearsal cost. maintenance[/size]
[*][size=3]How busy do you want to be? one /year at £1500 or 12 gigs at £500 or 52 gigs at £200 or 365 gigs for nothing[/size]
[*][size=3]How good are you what do the best bands in your area charge[/size]
[/list]
[size=3] [/size]
[size=3]This is like comparing a moped to a Jag[/size]

[flyfisher]

[quote name='geoham' timestamp='1360412543' post='1969938']
I can't see me quitting me job to make a living from this any time soon - I've done the sums and would need to do 100+ gigs a year, making £200 a time to survive, never mind equal what I earn doing an office job. In the mean time, if I can supplement my income doing something I enjoy, then great.
[/quote]

Yep, therein lies the reality for the vast majority of us. A bit of extra pocket money is always welcome, of course, but it's hardly ever a decisive factor in our hobbies and interests is it?

As for 'appreciating the industry' it's a fact of life that music IS less valued these days and it has all sorts of ramifications, from bands struggling to get £200 gigs at the weekend to HMV going bust. Even without illegal downloading, the days of buying a £15 CD every week are long gone (for me anyway) when people can use spotify and other similar and legal services for free.

There was a bit on the news recently about HMV going bust and someone (can't remember who) was saying that the seeds of their demise were sown over a decade ago when they refused to acknowledge the widely predicted impact of the internet. Indeed, he mentioned the parliamentary committee set up to investigate 'profiteering' from CD music sales because of the excessively high margins at the time. But times change and the dinosaurs died out by not adapting . . .

[cygnus x1]

We were discussing pub gigs at rehearsal last night , and how many pubs over the years have now got an extension on a fri & sat night when bands play , intead of finishing at 11 , its now midnight ,and in some cases 1 o'clock , but they still want you to start at 9 . it would be nice to say minimum £350 per gig at these places instead of the standard £200/250 before they acheived their extended hours , but you know that some of these venues have been strugglin financially themselves , so see it as an opportunity to make more over the bar at our expence

we dont want to see pubs closing down as there have been too many already, so

Do you knock these places on the head ? if you do this someone else would play there so you lose out

i understand its not about the money ,as we all enjoy playing , but on the other hand a fair days pay for a fair days work ( or evening as the case may be )

we all enjoy a bit of extra cash , but to me its got too cut throat now , and has taken some of the enjoyment out of playing

anyone else feel the same ?

[spacey]

It is never a hobby if the venue has a till.