$$$

[Jasaoke]

I know this is a touchy subject, but let's talk money. What really IS a fair rate for a working band? How much do/can bands get. I understand that every band is different, and every agreement is different, but wouldn't it be advantageous for bands to hold each other to standards, both financially and musically? I think that it devalues what we do when bands play gigs for next to nothing just to get "exposure". It's like illegal immigrants working for less than minimum wage.
Is anyone out there willing to discuss what their band gets paid, or what their venue pays bands?

[Jasaoke]

Almost forgot: I'll get the ball rolling. Our current introductory rate is between $400-$600, depending on travel. (although the rest of the band is ready to increase those rates a bit) We're new, and don't have much of a fan base yet, but that seems quite reasonable for a five-man operation, especially considering at least 6 hours per gig. We hope to command much greater rates in the near future, I'm just curious as to how possible that may be.

[bassist_25]

Production costs play a large factor into take-home pay. Sometimes I've walked out of corner bars using a band-owned vocal pa with more pay than the times I've walked out of gigs in packed, larger rooms in which I've played through full, professional FOH with a truss of intelligent lights.

I do agree with not cutting your throat to get on a stage. It's not as bad here as places like LA, where bands will pay to play in the hopes of being noticed by an A&R person. Be careful with the illegal immigrants analogy though. Keith may have made an official thread, but that probably won't stop the political pissing matches from breaking out.

[Merge]

I'm not from your area, I'm from western Maryland, but your rate seems high for a band just starting out with not much of a fan base. Some venues won't be willing to give $500 to a band that's not a guaranteed draw. I don't agree that playing opening slots for exposure devalues what you're doing. Your first job out of high school isn't a job making $70,000 a year, and your first gigs in a new band won't be for $800 a night. As far as holding other bands to a higher standard musically and financially, I'm not sure how you would even go about doing that. If all the bands get together and say "we aren't playing for less then $600 a show", you might as well sell everything you own. You'll be replaced by DJ's rather quickly. This may not be what you want to hear, but playing in a band is just like any other job. You start at the bottom and you work your way up. No one starts at the top. I wish you and your bandmates the best of luck, it's not easy out there. Just keep at it and I'm sure you'll get where you want to be.

[PStl]

It's called the Dos Equis bar band theorum.
Only a few know the equation.
Stay thirsty my friend

[RFBuck]

I agree with Paul you shouldn't cut your own throat, but at the same time if you're new and have little or no fan base asking $800 for a first time gig may not be productive. There has to be a middle ground when it comes to that.
When I played for Rapid Fire, we always tried to work out a deal. We started low enough to make it worthwhile but not be too much with the agreement that should we improve the draw the next couple times back, we would discuss a pay increase later. That worked OK as long it isn't a strict "play for the door only" scenario.

[Jasaoke]

It's hard to determine what is competitive.
If you shingle roofs for 25 years and then go to work for a different company, no one expects you to take a pay cut or go back to sweeping floors; you have a marketable skill.
Suppose you have a 4-piece band and you make an agreement to play 3 hours for $200. That's $50 apiece. Factor in load-in/out time and you're only making $10/hour. Now, we can't hold venues and fans accountable for our rehearsal time, but if you put in 2 hours rehearsal for a gig, you're better off working at Sheetz. I know that this is a fun job, but it's still a job. Yes, we have the burden of ensuring that we deliver a great product. Our shingler won't last long on his new job if he fails to complete it.
I also think there's a lot to be said for finding the RIGHT gigs. Is it better to play 4 times a week for $100 a pop or once a week for $400? You can always get a few dollars playing to the chairs athe corner bar but is it really worth it?

[homerski]

Almost forgot: I'll get the ball rolling. Our current introductory rate is between $400-$600, depending on travel. (although the rest of the band is ready to increase those rates a bit) We're new, and don't have much of a fan base yet, but that seems quite reasonable for a five-man operation, especially considering at least 6 hours per gig. We hope to command much greater rates in the near future, I'm just curious as to how possible that may be.

I'm curious..

How long has your band been together? What genre? What radius from home have you played? How many gigs have you done so far? Have you received $400 - $600 on each of those gigs? If you have, then I think you're already getting more than most of the new(er) bands out there.

Your analysis of the number of members, hours expended in travel/setup/performance/teardown/travel has absolutely no basis in reality. The reality is that patrons pay you based their "perception" of your value, and that perception has nothing to do with your actual talent, or how long it took you get there, or how many people you need to feed...

Your value is based solely on how many bodies you can pull to their event. That's it!

And Yes, if you start another band, you have to do it all over again.

John Homerski Jr., Drums/Vocals/Evangelist - Flood City Brass
Veteran (professional) musician for 40 years and approximately 869,704 different bands (jk - although sometimes it does feel like it)

[KeithReynolds]

Your value is based solely on how many bodies you can pull to their event. That's it!
And Yes, if you start another band, you have to do it all over again.

You hit the nail right on the head, sir.

[Jasaoke]

I entirely disagree about value. The value is based on what some is willing to pay for it. Person "A" may only see a grilled cheese sandwich, while Person "B" sees a vision of the Virgin Mary. Person "A" has only $2 to spend on lunch, but person "B" has a million bucks to waste on funky sandwiches. What is the value of the sandwich?

[songsmith]

That would depend on how many people the grilled cheese could draw to the club. --->JMS

[Flaw]

Hmm I just enjoy playing, give me gas money if its out of town but other then that I am just happy to be playing

[UNEARTHA7XMatt]

Hmm I just enjoy playing, give me gas money if its out of town but other then that I am just happy to be playing

Best Answer Yet!!!!!!

[hicksjd9]

Hmm I just enjoy playing, give me gas money if its out of town but other then that I am just happy to be playing

This is why I quit playing. It stopped being fun and the hassle just wasn't worth it to me any more. It was fun when I was doing originals, but when they fell by the wayside, it just became a chore.

[songsmith]

Not every job I play is for free, but a lot of them are/were, even when I played full-time. Honestly, I like playing for free almost as much as paid gigs, because I no longer feel the pressure to deliver a good product, I can simply enjoy the ride. However, YMMV. I understand that some folks need that gig-money, and it's really helped me out over the years, too. I'd like to go back to playing full-time, but it's never been consistent enough locally, so I don't count on it to pay my bills. --->JMS