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Am I being silly?


vmaxblues
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So, we are being asked to a 40th Birthday Party, all good so far, he is an acquaintance of two of the band, and he has asked for a price for the evening, I suggested £400 as a mates rate, silence, he has come back with...

'I was thinking £200, as when I spoke to your guitarist the other night he said you charge around £200 for pubs'

This makes my blood boil for all the obvious reasons and it looks like the others in the band don't really recognise my opinion that this is taking the p**s.

They are keen to do it and see it as a paid rehearsal! I have said if we are doing it at pub rates it must be treated as such, i.e turn up at 7.00, set up, do two sets of 45 mins, pack up go home. No extra sets, no lights, backing music etc and definately no setting up at 12.00pm.

Am I being silly?

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It all depends on what extras you would need to be doing outside of a pub gig like arrival time, performing times etc

We get £200-£250 for pub gigs but we always take lighting, play music in between sets and play for 2 x 60 mins. £400 does seem a bit high to me unless you are providing and actual disco too rather than just backing music.
Tell him you will do it for £200 but he needs to get a dj to fill in between your sets

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It's difficult when it's a friend of the band (even if not a friend of all the band members) - Your theory of pub price = pub performance kind of holds water, but the guys in the band who are his mates might want to give a little more...I'd say a compromise somewhere between the 2 should please everyone.

What's the alternative? Would you rather do you the guys party where you should be guaranteed a receptive 'up for it' crowd, or a different standard pub gig for £200ish, or sit in the house?

FWIW - in my band we have a rule where each of us can have one gig every year for families and friends etc, where we only charge fuel etc - seems to be working so far.

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When I was in a covers band and we did a few events for mates we did the same show as what we would have done for a pub gig, so charged the same fee, and attended for the same time. Any differences to that would have been charged accordingly. Fisrt off I`d say the band needs to agree on its view, then once that view is reached, the mate needs to be told of the outcome.

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I wouldn't have thought there was much you can do once the guy has been told how much you go out for in pubs - in his mind there isn't going to be much difference. Fault lies with the guitarist, so make him do it for free and then split the £200 one less way.

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Tell your buddy ...( and this is if you are a 4 piece, ) that from when you leave home, till when you get home after the gig will be about 5 to 6 hours,( and this is for a 7 o' clock set up.) that you and the rest of the band feel you are worth more than the minimum wage. A lot of these sort of events spend more on an Iceland buffet, and 'happy birthday' banners than they want to pay 4 or 5 blokes for sweating there nutz off to entertain them. Next will be a request to put music through the PA to save him spending on a DJ...

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[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1453298090' post='2958208']
I wouldn't have thought there was much you can do once the guy has been told how much you go out for in pubs - in his mind there isn't going to be much difference. Fault lies with the guitarist, so make him do it for free and then split the £200 one less way.
[/quote]

The guitarist should be offering to waive his cut anyway.

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So the birthday chap has found out your band charge £200 for pubs and wants the same deal? If he only wants to pay your 'pub' price you could give him a pub set. Turn up at 8pm set up, do 2 sets and leave :)

Maybe ask him what he's expecting. If he's wanting more than a pub set then explain the price goes up (and maybe suggest he asks how much a DJ would cost all night)

Personally, I don't get involved in that mates rate stuff. I was asked to do a party for someone's mate once and they didn't want to pay anything. I was told there'd be food and drink in it for you. The thought of a buffet and cola all night made my stomach turn. I said I was busy.

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Not easy to answer when it's a friend of the band. There will be always different points of veiw. I like LewisK1975's post above that in his band they have a rule where each of them can have one gig every year for families and friends, where they only charge fuel etc. I am going to suggest it in our band. Thanks for inspiration!

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I'm with the OP. There are two different rates when in a gigging band, in my opinion.

Pub rates, whereby the pub have to make money back by having you perform. Also, they will continue to give you dates, therefore as an ongoing relationship, the prices are lower. The sets are always 2x45 mins, and always from 9-10pm with a 30min break. Here my band usually get £250-£300.

Private functions- These are one-off gigs. No opportunity for further gigs. Usually, the expectations are higher, the sets longer, music provided before, during break, and after. Time of performance can vary wildly, and location can be further than we are used to travelling. For these, we charge around £600. Slightly more for weddings, as these are always, always a pain in the backside and we are literally 'doing it for the money'.

£400 as mates rates seems about right, and is what we've charged in the past, depending on how good a mate they are of course!

I can understand why the customer feels hard done by, but he cannot expect the same price as a pub that may give you 5 gigs in a year.

If he doesn't like it, he can always try and book someone else for cheaper? That's usually what we say anytime we get a moan.

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I've done 'mates' favours before - it's always been severely underpaid, I got severely underfed and watered, and frequently slagged off for wanting to go home at some ungodly hour 'because there's still people dancing' ...two, at one memorable gig, and they were pis*ed....no more.....I'm busy.

:)

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None of my lot would suggest going lower than £400 for mates rates unless they waived their fee. An 'event' show is not a pub gig for the good reasons mentioned already.

I worry tho as it sounds like you're the lone voice of reason, so this could come up a lot.

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[quote name='vmaxblues' timestamp='1453293738' post='2958122']
So, we are being asked to a 40th Birthday Party, all good so far, he is an acquaintance of two of the band, and he has asked for a price for the evening, I suggested £400 as a mates rate, silence, he has come back with...

'I was thinking £200, as when I spoke to your guitarist the other night he said you charge around £200 for pubs'

This makes my blood boil for all the obvious reasons and it looks like the others in the band don't really recognise my opinion that this is taking the p**s.

They are keen to do it and see it as a paid rehearsal! I have said if we are doing it at pub rates it must be treated as such, i.e turn up at 7.00, set up, do two sets of 45 mins, pack up go home. No extra sets, no lights, backing music etc and definately no setting up at 12.00pm.

Am I being silly?
[/quote]

No, perfectly reasonable.... but if you are regarded as a pub band because the vast majority of your gigs are in pubs..you can see the customer's 'logic'...
We discussed mate's rates as a band and the best that might be achieved is if the mate in the band waived his fee.

If...to keep the peace, you agree to cobble together a special rate, you should determine what mates rates actually are and why you charge what you do to future clients........... but then also, you may run the risk if another mate of a mate asks and
he also knows what you charged..?

We used to say that saturdays rates were x... and that is a reason we wouldn't take a pub date in the summer ...
And yes, a party is more about hrs...if he wants a pub deal, then you play a pub deal.
Personally, I still wouldn't go there, but you've been stitched up (it seems) by people who don't know what is on the song sheet..???

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[quote name='JoeEvans' timestamp='1453315382' post='2958400']
Ok - £300, £100 each for the two who don't know the birthday boy, and £50 each for the two who want to do it for cheap.
[/quote]

You should have set the rate prior to it being an issue that is THE mistake... but I'd say £400 for a party type event was very cheap for mate's rates.
The above solution is ok..and will teach them to price someone else's time...

The best way out of this is to be 'busy' but it may be too late for it now... and you are going to have an issue over this.

Delicate..delicate.

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