What does your band charge?

Nerine

Simple question.

What does your band go out for and what sort of thing do you do?

thomasross20

I was just going to ask this after your comment on the 85dB thread! 

We're a 6-piece (+ "sound person"....) and it's pub-gig affairs, ~3 hour slots. Usually get between £180-300. 

bluechargeboy

Pubs in North Wales seem to be about £150 - £200 typically. We will play for £0 or expenses if it's a "cool" gig that advances our coolness, or a charidee affair. We have had so very many gig bookings from people who see us at low-paying cool gigs that it makes it worth it.

We are a three-piece so it is much easier to make it work financially for us, by which I mean that we are not making a loss, not that we can make a living at it.....!

thomasross20

Yeah for me it's all about the fun and experience so far. 

By the way @ICBM I e-mailed Gaz at WhistleBinkies but got no reply - maybe have to speak to the guy in person. 

BGG

Up in the North East we get £350 - £400 for pub gigs, did a great corporate gig the other week for two grand !

And it's usually two x 45 min slots.

EricTheWeary

Five ( sometimes six) of us get £250 to £500. We gig fairly intermittently so I am always surprised we get anything at all really!

bigjon

Pub gigs £150 as a 3-piece, £200 as a 4-piece. £400 as a 4-piece for parties, function gigs etc.

vasselmeyer

Around Manchester for our small 4-piece covers outfit it's generally around £200 for a pub gig and up to £400 for a minor function. We don't play big functions.

We'll do the occasional charity gig for contacts and further bookings.

Danny1969

I'm in a few bands and the pay differs between them.
The best earner Superheros gets £600 for a pub gig and up to £2400 for weddings or corporate work .

That's 4 core guys, one session player, a sound engineer and a lighting engineer so a lot of mouths to feed

PolarityMan

Best we ever got was £200 but were an originals band at heart. We throw in just enough covers to gt the odd paying gig. And they're all in genre covers.

John_P

£300+ for pubs, and 500+ for functions but that depends on it being very local and minimal hassle.  If you add in having to set up during the day, waiting around or any distance and the price goes up.  

I could get a bit ranty about poor quality bands going out cheap and encouraging landlords to pay less but the ones with a clue realise it's worth paying a bit more for a good band. 

thomasross20

So basically it's a labour of love

Danny1969

There's money in playing and you can live off it, at least I do supplemented with a bit this and that. I have friends who do very well, making a couple of thousand each a month playing weddings and award shows. 

I gotta say I really enjoy it. I love the music we play, I love the hours (there's no early starts in music) and generally the whole life in general. I'm never gonna be rich but who cares, there's more to life than money

PolarityMan

John_P said:

I could get a bit ranty about poor quality bands going out cheap and encouraging landlords to pay less but the ones with a clue realise it's worth paying a bit more for a good band. 

Well we only go out cheap cos we are in complete control of the setlist. If you want mustang sally and that bullshit we're not you're band, we'll play like tool, opeth and slipknot covers in amongst 10 min long originals. It's a harder graft but fuck it if I was in music to make money I wouldnt enjoy it.

not_the_dj

£200 - £250 for a 4 piece in pubs. I'm happy with £50 a night really. For Xmas Eve and New Years Eve were getting 3 times that.

citizen68

£280 - 400 for pubs in NI - 4 piece doing classic rock & pop stuff

Roland

Pub gigs bring £250 to £300, of which £50 goes into band expenses, and the rest is split five ways. Weddings bring more, the amount really depends on the location. Two pub gigs a month, which is our target, just about cover my costs: strings and other consumables, mileage, equipment repairs

monquixote

Anything from about £200 to £1000 depending on what type of a gig it is, how long we are expected to play and how much a hassle it is (some weddings want you set up by 11am, but you don't play until the evening)

Maynehead

5 piece rock covers band doing pub gigs in Wiltshire and we charge £200 for 3 hours.

Deijavoo

Expenses and not getting cut off mid set.

Originals.

Dopesick

Some petrol money would be nice. Maybe a scotch egg and a couple of beers

If it's local we'll play for free.

We are a shouty sludge/hardcore band and we don't do covers.