How much are you getting paid?

edenfield99

OK, I don't really want to know your finances inside out I just want to know what the going rate for bands playing gigs is at the moment. Obviously this will vary due to the band/venue etc. But let's have a couple of examples...

1. Acoustic duo (guitar/singer) playing bluesy/folky material looking to play pubs, clubs and bars.

2. Same acoustic duo looking to do weddings (pre- /post- service, as quiet background music)
, events etc.

3. 5 piece jump blues/r & b band playing pubs and clubs

4. The same 5 piece doing weddings (the evening do this time), events etc.

5. Solo acoustic guitarist playing background music in restaurants, functions etc.

Just some rough ideas would be good. 

Thanks

monquixote

I only have experience of 3 & 4 but it varies a lot.

3 would be 150 to 600

4 would be 500 to about 3000

capo4th

I play with myself and reward accordingly

edenfield99

capo4th said:

I play with myself and reward accordingly

If I got paid for that I'd have been very rich a long time ago....

Panama_Jack666

monquixote said:

I only have experience of 3 & 4 but it varies a lot.

3 would be 150 to 600

4 would be 500 to about 3000

I'd say this is quite similar for me (based in Yorkshire). I think the most my 5 piece got is about 2 grand. 

Been going out for the lower end of the scale recently to fill the calendar up!

not_the_dj

£200 - £300 for pub gigs (Warwickshire/West Mids). Some places offer £150 but we have a mimium fee of £50 a member so we turn those ones down.

Only done a few weddings, and always for people we know so there's a bit of "mates rates" going on, but £150 a member minimum for those, so £600 plus. We're not really a function band and we know we're under selling ourselves for those, but we don't really go for those gigs or market ourselves as a proper wedding band.

(we're a four piece band btw)

Catthan

4. 1100 - 1300

thomasross20

Next to bugger all.

Roland

Pubs in the East Midlands will pay £250 to £300 for a covers band. A good reference is EventUK who pay:
1. Solo artist. £150
2. Duo. £225
3. Band. £300

We do this for fun, rather than to make a living, but I still wouldn't go out for less than £250 for a five piece. That's £40 each and £50 into the kitty. £40 just about covers my costs for the evening: strings, petrol, and food and drink.

4. Wedding prices depend on the venue. Anything from £800 for a pub back room to £2,000 for a marquee. We could get more, but then we'd have to work harder at selling.

EricTheWeary

5 sometimes 6 peice band. Almost anywhere between £0 and £750. Pub gigs usually around the £250 mark. 

I quite actively dislike playing things like birthdays and weddings. I don't think we are the right band for it,  our set isn't quite cheesy enough to please everyone,  it's not what I joined a band for and you have to be too nice to people. Although as,  at the moment,  I will be unemployed in 5 weeks time suddenly £100 cash in hand for the birdie song is looking attractive... 

Danny1969

I'm in 5 bands, all doing covers. Lowest paid band gets around £250 to £300 for a pub gig, £600 for a club \ wedding. My top earning band gets around £600 for a pub gig and up to £2400 for a corporate \ wedding do. In my area bands are kinda paid what they are worth in terms of how many people will they attract  rather than a set fee for all bands

mudslide73

250-300 for pubs - Staffs and West Mids. Similar to @not_the_dj we don't do many weddings etc. and only do them if they've previously seen us play. We've done them for 700-1200 but nothing so far this year thankfully. 

Bidley

Duo - £200-£250 for a full night in pubs. Petrol money for half-hour festival slot.

Jimbro66

Interesting thread. Firstly, the rates quoted by @roland are barely higher than those paid in the south-east in the 1980s, like-for-like. i.e. they've not kept pace with inflation.

Also, it's clear that if making money is your driving force, or necessity, you'll do better as a solo act or duo. If I go to a venue that advertises live music and find it's one or two guys with pre-recorded backings I feel disappointed (and will quite likely leave) but the venue owner probably doesn't give a toss about that as long as drinking punters come in. And they don't care either.

So, a great six-piece band with thousands of pounds worth of gear getting less than fifty quid a head? (Does that meet minimum wage?). Thank goodness it's not just about the money....

Danny1969

A trio can be a good earner, typical pub gig split 3 ways can give you £80 each for 5 hours work ..... that's not so bad I don't think. 

I did 17 gigs in July and money wise made more than I would have done working 20 days for minimum wage, plus it was a lot of fun and never felt like work which means a lot. I have friends stacking shelves at Tesco's or driving courier vans for less money than me, jobs they hate so I'm grateful for the gigs. 

PolarityMan

we get 150-170 for pub gigs and we're getting 250 the last weekend in aug for a festival performance. On the low side definitely but getting pid at all to play our 10 min long prog metal epics to people along with covers of basically 90s alternative metal is a reasonable achievement i think. We're  have a pretty niche audience i would say.

Bidley

Jimbro66 said:

If I go to a venue that advertises live music and find it's one or two guys with pre-recorded backings I feel disappointed

I don't think I've ever seen such an act.

RocknRollDave

Bidley said:

Jimbro66 said:

If I go to a venue that advertises live music and find it's one or two guys with pre-recorded backings I feel disappointed

I don't think I've ever seen such an act.

I have played two such gigs. Soul-destroying.The kind of gig that makes me wonder if blowing old men for money would be more dignified.

Bidley

RocknRollDave said:

Bidley said:

Jimbro66 said:

If I go to a venue that advertises live music and find it's one or two guys with pre-recorded backings I feel disappointed

I don't think I've ever seen such an act.

I have played two such gigs. Soul-destroying.The kind of gig that makes me wonder if blowing old men for money would be more dignified.

Tell a lie, I played on the same bill as a guy who played with backing tracks. It sounded alright but he was incredibly up himself. Plus he looked a bit of a plum, standing up there by himself when you could hear a full band.

John_P

I once did a run of gigs in a duo with a "keyboard player".   He loaded up backing tracks on it and sometimes played some keys parts,  to my shame if it was a song I hadn't played before I'd turn the guitar down and let the backing track do it.    
Nice little earner at the time but definitely soul destroying and just for the cash.   

Roland

Jimbro66 said:

Interesting thread. Firstly, the rates quoted by @roland are barely higher than those paid in the south-east in the 1980s, like-for-like. i.e. they've not kept pace with inflation.

That what's I thought until I did the arithmetic. I was paying £15 to £20 for a pub band in 1969. Cumulative inflation is x16, which puts a pub band in the £240 to £320 range today. The figures are very different once you get into the professional circuit.

Jimbro66 said:

So, a great six-piece band with thousands of pounds worth of gear getting less than fifty quid a head? (Does that meet minimum wage?). Thank goodness it's not just about the money....

Most of us do it for fun. If you're running a small business, as @Danny1969 is, then it's essential to keep costs down and the volumes up.