It would be good if, as you reply, you say where you’re from. Quite clearly the
cost of a wedding in NYC or the SF Bay Area might be more than in Missoula, MT.
Still:
Musicians tend to undercharge. I’m no exception. I love what I do, and can be a
pushover on price. With that said: we tend to underrate our business. This is
probably because most of us don’t do it as a business, but as a vocation for
which we at times get paid.
If you’ve ever booked Wild Asparagus, you know that George books dances as a
business. You might think he’s trying to wring every last dollar out of you,
but, this is their primary source of income, and they’ve done a fantastic job
of building they’re reputation—their “brand”—and now ask for what they know
they deserve.
Jay Ungar once told me that he knows all the caterers in the Hudson Valley.
When he negotiates a price he tries to find out who the caterer is. If it’s a
$500 a plate business, he charges accordingly. If it’s a point-person
organizing the pot-luck, again, if he wants the gig, he suggest a much lower
fee.
Right after I moved to the Bay Area, I got a call about gig, a fund-raiser for
a school. Every school I’d ever done such an event for was scrounging for any
extra money they could make. I said, “we like to make $200 a person.” “OK,
that’s fine,” was the immediate response. That seemed strange. It wasn’t until
after the gig that I understood the Head Royce School in Oakland is a private
school for the CEO types. It was one of the more interesting gigs—though it was
also one where it was clear we were the servants, and should keep to our little
corner, play music, and, perhaps get a few people dancing… The interest was
just in watching the uber-rich of the 90s in Oakland do their thing.
So this note is a strong suggestion: don’t undercharge. You may feel (as I do)
that charging $1500 for three of us to play music is a lot, as I do. But often
it’s still one of the least expensive thing on the budget. Well, hall rent
might be only $500 to $1000, but the rest of many of these types of things can
run into the thousands. And, don’t be afraid to compare to other types of
service performers: Call a wedding band and ask what they charge—it’s usually a
lot more than what we charge. If you’re doing it solo with recordings, call a
wedding DJ and find out what they charge.
~erik Hoffman
oakland, ca
I charge $150 for a wedding and $50 more if alcohol is served.
JoLaine
On Mar 26, 2016 5:29 PM, "Dave Casserly via Callers"
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
I've only called weddings for good friends, and I do that for free. But I've
played a lot of weddings, and I generally would not take a wedding gig unless
it paid at least 2-3x what a normal dance would pay.
For a single caller, assuming you're NOT bringing sound or being in charge of
the band, you'll probably have some MC duties, at least. It's been that way at
pretty much all of the weddings where I've played for a dance. As Alan and
Jeff said, it doesn't matter how much time there will be actual dancing; you'll
end up being there for quite a while in any event with setup, etc. Keeping
your time to a minimum isn't going to be a priority; I've played weddings where
the band sets up and finishes sound check literally three hours before going on.
I recommend getting the couple on the phone immediately so you can gauge what
they're looking for. Generally, I think about it in terms of how long I need
to be there. If it's a local gig, I'd start with something like $150 for the
first hour I'd be there, and $50/hr after that, plus travel. But I'd ask for
more if I had any duties other than playing (or calling), such as setting up
sound, providing recorded music, etc. Typically, you won't be at a wedding for
less than three or four hours, at least, so you're looking at $250-500. I live
in DC, which is not quite as expensive as NY, so adjust accordingly.
I am generally willing to play or call for dances for community events and
other one night stands at a much lower rate. With weddings, though, the
couple's paying LOTS of money for stuff that isn't as valuable as the music,
and I'm unlikely to move much off the initial ask, unless it's a very close
friend, in which case I'd do it for free.
-Dave
On Sat, Mar 26, 2016 at 4:36 PM, Alan Winston via Callers
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
First off, you're not charging for the number of minutes of dancing. You're
charging for your experience, expertise, and skill, showing up on time and
being ready to do it, waiting around as necessary, traveling if needed, being
mellow if (when) things go over and your time is cut, etc.
What are you being asked to deliver for your fee? Are they booking their own
band and arranging their own sound?
For the wedding dance I just did in Berkeley - probably a comparable market to
NYC - they provided sound, I organized a band for them, each band member and I
were promised $300 for playing for the dance (and then a more for playing in
the ceremony and some incidental music). They actually paid me more than the
agreed-upon amount, so I don't think they thought I was gouging.,
For a friend's wedding I might work free.
If you want to be paid appropriately, state your price and don't waver. If you
want to get the gig regardless, ask them their budget and quote less than that.
When asked to arrange musicians I make it clear that I can't quote before I
know who's available but state a range ($1000-$1500) and I also ask their
budget and then adjust the number of musicians (two good ones is fine, three
better) so we all get paid enough within their budget.
-- Alan
