I'm not sure exactly what other bands charge (different locations have different demands), but the band I'm in is an origional band and we get anywhere from $80 - $300 (on the rare occasion) for a single gig (45min set). Typically its around $100-150. We're a 4peice and the band takes 1/2 and we split the rest.

We also play covers, and that's normally about $100 an hour. Sometimes it changes based on the circumstances.

I know bands that get paid more and less... good luck with your business venture  

ok, thanx guys. I thought 300$ would be a whole lot but I guess I have underestimated this. So if we charge 100-150$, that should be ok.

Greetz, Snuf

In my local small town, most clubs usually pay a band around $400 for a 4 hour show, with 15 minute breaks each hour. Depending on the popularity of the band (mostly cover bands are what I'm familiar with) the fee may vary $50-100 one way or the other.

Bart makes a good point. To clarify, I was  talking about what the band makes. When my band is paid, we reserve 1/3 to 1/2 for the band to keep. We use this money for promotions, flyers, CD demos, etc.... the rest is then split between the members of the band.  

I'm in a 3-piece cover band and I cringe at going out doing 4 sets for less than $400. If I don't have to bring PA I can swallow $300 for 4 sets. We did 90 minutes for $300 not too long ago and PA was provided. Like all of you I have a lot of money invested in my kit. Between the bass player and myself we've got at least $15,000 in PA alone! (AND he JUST bought 2 new Mackie S1800's to add to that total!)Plus a pretty cool light show. We have a lot of time invested in the show we do. Rehearsal twice a week for 2 hours a pop. Then figure in load in and load out, a pair of sticks and the wear and tear on your gear. To me, if I'm not taking home AT LEAST $100 a man, I'm getting screwed! I know cover bands that get $3000 to $5000 a show and you HAVE to provide PA for them. The big problem is "Joe Shmoe" with his band WILL play for $100 bucks for his entire band!   That kills it for everybody. I tell these club owner when they gripe to me about $400 a show that they're getting the same price I charged 10 years ago! Most often that shuts them up. Heck! I'd just stay home and practice for any less than that. By the time you pay your gasoline, something to eat and replace the sticks you're going to wear out, you'd come out better staying home!   Another thing that kills me to is club owners will pay a traveling dj 100 to 150 and hour, but a band they want to pay 50 a man! LMAO! What a bunch of crap! I guess my whole point here is doing what Mr. A and Bart recommend. Ask other bands what they get and be careful not to go in and undercut them just to get the gig! You'll get "well I've never heard your band before". Hand them a tape, a CD or send them an mp3! But don't let them screw you! And they will! Every chance they get. There's probably 2 club owners I've met that I like and trust! All the others are liars and cheats! Ask for what the other bands get! Don't sell yourself short and make it hard for anyone to make money! It's tough out there bro! Make friends with the other bands and stick together on price! Don't screw each other! The club owners will have a feeding frenzy if you do!  

forget a lump sum figure.  I've found that it locks you in.  you charge club A $200 and put 18 of your friends in the room and you come away screwing the club and they won't have you back.  You charge club A $200 and 249 people show up?  You got took.

try to work a deal with the club that is beneficial to either party based on the actual success of the show and you'll be their favorite band ever.

tell the club you'd like to work a "door deal", taking a percentage of what the door takes in over and above a number that will cover the clubs cost.  If this sounds confusing, don't complain, just learn how it works because this is normally how it works for original bands that tour.  Here's an example:

if you expect a turnout of, say 100 people, and the club normally charges $5 at the door, this means you're expecting the door take to be $500.  It'd be nice to take it all, but the club is letting you use their PA and (hopefully) has spent some $ on promotion, so you need to give them an opportunity to recoup their money.  [So depending on how much the club says they're going to throw in on your show, adjust your percentage of how much of the door take you're getting]   If the club is going to probably spend $100 on flyers and such,  a reasonable percentage split would be...

"we'll take 80% of the door over $100", which means that if 20 people show up, you're getting nothing.  regardless of # of people attending, after the club takes in $100 at the door the split starts and whatever $ that comes in from then on  you take 80% of it.  This allows the club to make a little bread, and if you totally blow it out, you can make some good $.

Obviously this is just an example, and the deals will be different depending on how well you do, etc.

best of luck. try and get dinner in the meal, not just pizza.  go for a "buy out" of $10 per band/crew member to go get dinner on the clubs dime, rather than them just giving you crappy food there...

enjoy.

Kevin

The majority of the clubs I've played in (Boston mostly) have had door % deals. I think they run things closer to 40% or 50% of the door over 25 "people." Most clubs are around $8 to get in, but it's not much money unless you bring in everyone you know. Sometimes I could get them to do a split between a door % and a base fee. Like, $100 plus a smaller % of the door.

I agree louderdb. I posted this threath because I think we're being ripped of and I wanted to know what we should ask. On the other hand, wouldn't the people that come to see you're show be there anyway if it was a regular night. So what i'm saying is unless you're a famous band it isn't automatiq that more people come because there plays some band. So I think this is something that I should overthink show by show and place by place. Thanx for all you're replies, it helped a lot.........

Greetz, Snuf

I'm gonna throw in with Louderdb, and of course, with some of the other good, knowledgeable folks here.

Where I'm currently at in Northwest Indiana / Chicagoland, IMO bands sell theirselves WAY too cheap. We have local bands around here that'll play the evening (say 3 - 4 hours) for $150. They're a 3 pc., so that's $50 per man. IMO, that's ridiculous. And also IMO, it hurts every other local band in the region.

One thing I'd like to address, to which DrumGun referred, was "door fees". The club owners always seem to want a percentage of the door to "cover expenses" and "make a few bucks", 'cause these poor souls are gonna go out of business 'cause they have bands there.

To me, this is such a bucketful of baloney. In honesty, why should the club owner keep $1 of the door? I mean, if for instance, 250 people come through the door (let's say with a $5 cover) and spend let's just say an average of $20 / person on drinks, the owner is already raking in $5000. Doesn't THAT "cover expenses"??

NOW, he / she wants 20% or 50% of the $1250 taken in at the door? So the band is gonna get what $500, and the club owner takes in at least $5750, and they think that's fair? I mean, WHO are the people coming in to see? The club owner?

I'm all for the club owner making what they can, making a fair or even more than fair profit. But isn't the band ALSO entitled to make a fair profit? So, ya figure with $500 (for say a 4 pc. band), they'll take $100 off the top for expenses, and each walk away with $100 for the night (presuming there's just one band that night)?

That's sad enough that I don't really think it's even worthwhile to play local clubs any more. I mean, our lead singer and I also do live sound and lighting, and DJ work. We have a gig booked in a couple weeks as DJ for $700 for 3 hours. That's what we were offered, not "negotiated"!

Figure the same $100 off the top, and each of us are making $100 per hour, instead of the maybe $25 an hour that the local clubs want to pay for live bands. That's just nuts.

So we really just decline most local gigs, for this reason. I mean, YEARS ago as a duet a friend and I were making $150 a night EACH for a 4 hour gig. And that was maybe 25 years ago.

Seems like as a general group, we're going backwards with the money thing. Very disappointing.

That is does. Problem is, a new band if formed daily. They will take what they can get for a gig, because they don't know better.  People new to the business will not know what the going rate is, and normally it will take time before they learn by being exposed more & more to the scene.

experience is the best teacher