How much does one win at sessions? I mean is there a genral fee Or does one get paid what the Porducer/artists feels like paying? And what about regualr gigs concerts. Overall what is the money situation for a session drummer?
Thanks to all
martin
It all depends on the type of session; demo, custom album, label project, jingle, radio, tv, etc.
Another factor is how you are viewed in the music community where you work. You can ask for whatever you want, but producers will place you value based on what you can bring to the table. If charge more than what the top player in town charges, you probably won't get many sessions. You have to look at what you feel your time is worth, what your talent is worth, and what the industry can bare. Many people seem to dislike the labels, but they do exist. A, B, C and D level players often get paid different rates.
The budget for the project or what the producer has to spend is another factor. I know a number of A players that work for less than their normal fee if they really believe in the project or if the project is something less likely to do much ... like a demo. You just can't get top dollar to play demo sessions. That's why the C & D players get those.
The Musicians Union is another factor. Some states and/or organizations require the use of union musicians. Even Right To Work states can be affected by the Musicians Union; positive and negative. I'm in the union (don't know why because they don't do a thing for me) and I usually make more than scale wages on the gigs I do. I live in Texas which is a Right To Work state.
I've made as little as $1 for a session (yes, they cut me a check for that amount) and as much as $300 per hour on sessions. Again this all depends on what the session is for, if you are signing over you royalties by just being paid up front, etc.
I know of a Top Nashville Studio Drummer, who has a base hourly rate of $150.00.
Don't know if that helps you or not. I would try and find out what the going rate is, find out what the "big boys" are getting, and then decide where you are in the ranking. Typically you have to be known around the community before get top dollar ... no matter how good you are. The only exception would be if you already have a good reputation in the studios from another city or something.
Hope this helps. That's about all I know on the subject. Perhaps someone else can fill in any missing info.
I think Bart's answer is suffice. I have no idea what studio wages start at, but there are union minimums if you are doing a union date. In fact they also include cartage rates. As for how high the pay can be, well I've heard that Vinnie makes something like 6g a day. I don't know how true or false that can be.
As for live gigs. Well, I'm just getting started in this arena. This month I've played 2 gigs, and have one more next week. 2 of the three are $50 dates, the other is like $10-20(startup bands don't make much dough). Next month I have a couple that both pay in the $40-$60 range. Those are the average rates for the standard drummer. The guys with better reputations, etc obviously make much more than that.
Hope this helps.
Hey Bart, out of curiousity, did you actually cash the $1 cheque?
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Rob
QuoteHey Bart, out of curiousity, did you actually cash the $1 cheque?
Yes ... as sad as it was ... I did cash it ... laughing the entire time. They had to pay me something for copyright purposes and release me of any rights. I did the session for a producer friend of mine ... who to this day was never paid for his services.
You know, when people ask you to do something for little or no money ... all in the name of being "a nice guy" ... (there you go Felix) ... run for the hills. I have yet for anyone to follow through with the promises. This producer said that he would be calling me for some other sessions if I would help him out ... he's never called. All I did was play some timbale licks on a couple of tunes ... but that's not the point.
Anytime some starts giving you the story about how they are on the verge of being signed, or someone is thinking of signing them, or will have better paying gigs in the future ... blah, blah, blah .... it's all a load of BS. Don't believe it for a minute. They are out there trying to get what they can get for free. Anyone have any success stories when it comes to this type of stuff?
The words "musician" and "integrity" seem to be oxymorons ... unfortunately.
Pay for live gigs as a cover band can vary widely, depending on the venue, the band, the music you play, and the area you play in.
My cover band is a pretty well-established rock/pop/funk thing in the San Francisco Bay area. Group pay for a night falls anywhere between $500-1,200 for the night. Our angle has been to keep our band a 4-piece (but to make the most of it -- strong vocal harmonies, a full sound, and an energetic stage presence). With fewer members, your take-home pay is much better.
The negative to taking this angle is that we don't get many corporate gigs, or the huge hall gigs. The reason is that we don't have a keyboardist, a horn section, female backing vocals, etc, which is often necessary for big corporate shows. A band like that can pull in two to three times as much cash or more, but obviously it's spread out among many more band members.
The magic number for jazz gigs seems to be $75. Unless you're playing in the Village or some ritzy British pub, it seems like everyone goes for that much. I've done them for $50.
I charge $75 an hour for studio work, and I still get people trying to negotiate and lower number. I'm thinking of lowering just to get more work, but it will definately go up when the bill comes in for new mics.
A friend of mine is in a corporate cover band that also has a second component that is sponsored by a beer company. In the first band he gets $400 a night, the second $250, regardless of venue. And, man, they've played some no-customer-havin' dives!
In my area I'd say the "Magic Number" for jazz gigs is about $75 - $100 for Jazz Clubs. Other Jazz venues are substantially higher, starting around $150 - $175.
I was in a band in Tulsa, Oklahoma and we were making close to 500 bucks a night on regular gigs. I've been gone a long time now, but the band continued to improve and makes about 800 bucks a night now.
I am in Denver now and musician friends of mine are amazed that bands could make that kind of money. I guess it depends on the market, but I wouldn't have expected Tulsa to pay better than Denver...
I was also in a jazz band in Puebla, Mexico for a year making 200 pesos a night which is about 20 bucks, which seemed like a lot in Mexico. Especially considering we were the house band, never had to tear down :)
Back in the days when I was playing (should I say this and incriminate my reputation? Aw, what the hell) country, I would come home with as much as $300.00 in my pocket. That was what each member of this 8 piece band (including soundman) walked away with. That's right kids, $2400.00 for a four hour country cover gig (and yes, that is two thousand four hundred, not two hundred forty). Country sucks to play, because it's just not any fun, but you can make a living playing it, that's for @$%# sure! Mind you all, this was about 5 or 6 years ago, when country was at it's real prime, with Garth being so huge and all. Anyway, those days are passed now, I'm making squat playing music I really love to play....ROCK!! LOL....and I've no idea why I'm so happy, God knows my wife ain't!! ::)
Just to help give an idea:
Last night I did an audition for a local guy that does original "austin music", (meaning combines blues, country, rock, etc), the audition went quite well, but that is not the point of this post. This particular guy gigs 2-3 times a week, and does anywhere from 1-4 sets at each gig. His pay system is as follows:
Minimums:
1 set= $50
2 sets= $75
3-4 sets= $100
If the club guarentees more, or if a lot of dough is made in tips, then the band is paid accordingly.
Now, that's not really much money, but if it's the frequency is important here. There are not many rehearsals either. So a month would guarantee at least $400, or as much as $1200. By gigging that much, there is also the networking and exposure factor. I'm really hoping to get this gig.
:o Sounds like a nice gig! Good luck!!
Man, I wish I could make that much money off of drumming! lol, you guys are VERY lucky to be able to make that much money doing something you love!
Misenko.