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Pricing your act

What Type of Event?
Are you playing for an active listening audience or a passive audience? Will you be the center of everyone’s attention or a fly on the wall providing “elevator music”. Also, is this a benefit concert or an event where the venue is bringing in an income. If the venue is making money, you should be too. It’s only fair. More on that.

How Long are You Playing?
90 minute? 45 minute? Or 2 hours? Rightfully, if you are being asked to perform your fee should vary depending on the length of your set. But also consider the fact that you’ve had to put mileage on your car and setup your equipment for the show. If you’re asked to drive an hour commute only to play 3 songs, then maybe that equals driving 15 minutes to play a 45 minute set. Think about it and decide what’s fair.

What Type of Exposure
There are some events that I’d actually pay to play simply because I know the exposure will be huge. Of course there is an age-old argument on whether a musician should ever play without being compensated. If an event is offering you a gig but not offering payment, it doesn’t hurt to ask. You might be surprised when they say yes. But if they don’t, and its a good opportunity, still think about taking it.

How Many Musicians are accompanying you?
This factor most often affects my price point. As a singer/songwriter, I play solo, duo, trio, and band shows. Splitting the fee between 5 people is drastically different than taking it all. Seriously think about how your fee will vary depending on your accompanying musicians. Obviously if you’re in a band, and you guys always play together, you probably don’t need to think too hard about this.

Who is the Event Sponsor?
Lets say you’re being asked to do a show on Friday with a major corporation. On Saturday you’re asked to do an event with a local non-profit. Both have the same set times and specifications. Maybe your would be a bit lower for the non-profit, assuming that the event will likely be raising funds for some cause? Or maybe your fee for the corporation will be higher because they operate on a bigger budget.

Judge your shows in context.
When an organization or individual asks you what your booking fee is. Don’t immediately offer them a magic number. Do some research: how long do they want you to play? Is this a band show or something more low-key and acoustic? How far away is this place? etc.

My approach to payment is continually changing on a case-by-case basis…depending on whether an event is a benefit concert, a friend is asking me to do the gig, or a number of other factors. As it relates to venues and their no-pay policy, I’ve found that most places that require negotiating are the non-traditional spaces that don’t generally charge cover or see themselves more of a food service than an entertainment service. Here are a few tips. Your suggestions are also welcome.

1. ASK FOR A PERCENTAGE OF SALES
When a venue says they can not compensate you, consider asking them to contribute a percentage of sales to you. A coffee shop near Pittsburgh used to do this and it worked great. They did not want to charge a cover for shows but held events in their store every weekend and wanted to respect the artists who played. So instead of charging patrons, they gave a percentage of each sale (coffee/sweets/sandwiches/everything), to the night’s entertainment. It encouraged musicians to promote the show knowing that the turnout would directly affect their income for the night

2. ASK THE VENUE HOW IMPORTANT LIVE ENTERTAINMENT IS
“Do you feel like the live entertainment adds value to what your establishment is doing?” It might be direct, but it will help a booker to take a second look at you the musician. If they feel live entertainment encourages an increase in patrons, or encourages patrons to stick around longer, then it is only fair that they pay artists who are contributing to their spaces success. If they don’t feel it adds value, then why book live music?

3. UNDERSTAND A VENUE’S GOALS
I’ve come across spaces that exist, not to make money, but to offer something of value to their community. I’ve often felt that community events give life to a community and make music more meaningful. And so gigs like these might be something to consider doing pro bono. Just a thought (an opinion).

4. HELP A VENUE UNDERSTAND YOUR GOALS
Be candid and straightforward. If making music supplements your income, tell them that. Explaining this changes how they view you and how they view what they are asking you to do.

ARTIST DEVELOPMENT

Be on the lookout for a NEW monthly feature...

Here are some previews on what you can expect...

How many musicians/songwriters have thought “I wonder how much more time I could devote to writing/production if I didn’t have to think about securing funding or the legal side of the business?” Think about it. Beyond booking gigs, arranging radio airplay, developing merchandise, promotion, recording, securing P.A equipment, the average musician will focus a large amount of their time on getting signed to labels, so they can secure the amount of funding they need, to go out on tour, or create a music video, or record a full length CD versus a promotional EP.

funding sources available: (without being signed to a label): Without consulting an Entertainment Lawyer, Band Manager or Agent, the average musician does not know about how to secure funding sources, on an independent level. A producer will not tell a musician these critical details either – they expect the musician to know about these relevant things. Copyright: Unfortunately, the average musician does not know much about the legal aspects of the music industry, and I have found that even more musicians do not even know how to get their music copywritten in the United States! Just think – if an artist had an international distribution deal, they could really lose out on their “fair share” of percentages, regarding copyright royalties, if they don’t own their Copyright, in advance. International Distribution: Does the average musician know there are different “statutes” (rules) on Copyright and Publishing in each different country of the world? My guess is probably not. Which again, would put the musician in the position of “ oh, I don’t get publishing royalties in Denmark or Germany because I did not own my copyright – the publisher does?!”

Merchandise: Every smart independent band has some. With an existing inventory of band merchandise, it is possible to secure (solicit) merchandise sponsorship, if an international tour is already booked, and confirmed. Aside from income generated from live performances, merchandise is what “recoupment” is all about. Typically, merchandise involves a logo, or a brand. Into that picture comes trademark issues – another related legal topic.

Most musicians are incredibly talented, and by rights, should be able to focus on the most important thing – writing good original music. I mean, when it comes down to the business end of things – the bottom line is this: how else does a band get noticed by the general public?! From their songs….I feel that Artist Development has “disappeared” in light of the massive product branding that has occurred in the music industry, and that Artist Development is a critical topic, that needs to be re-addressed, as a critical focus in the music industry.

Written by the owner of a Canadian Independent Record Label, who has worked with entertainment law for over 16 years, and has been a musician for over forty years.

Ms. Linda Marie Sekulic
President Pop Records Inc
Listed in Music BC Business Directory

watching a TV show like American Idol

by Dave Grohl, FOO FIGHTERS

When I think about kids watching a TV show like American Idol or The Voice, then they think, ‘Oh, OK, that’s how you become a musician, you stand in line for e...ight fucking hours with 800 people at a convention center and… then you sing your heart out for someone and then they tell you it’s not fuckin’ good enough.’ Can you imagine?” he implores. “It’s destroying the next generation of musicians!

Musicians should go to a yard sale and buy and old fucking drum set and get in their garage and just suck. And get their friends to come in and they’ll suck, too. And then they’ll fucking start playing and they’ll have the best time they’ve ever had in their lives and then all of a sudden they’ll become Nirvana. Because that’s exactly what happened with Nirvana. Just a bunch of guys that had some shitty old instruments and they got together and started playing some noisy-ass shit, and they became the biggest band in the world. That can happen again! You don’t need a fucking computer or the internet or The Voice or American Idol.”

Singers and Musicians
by David Ackert, LA Times

"Singers and Musicians are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime. Every day, they face the financial challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who think they should get real jobs, and their own fear that they'll never work again. Every day, they have to ig...nore the possibility that the vision they have dedicated their lives to is a pipe dream. With every note, they stretch themselves, emotionally and physically, risking criticism and judgment. With every passing year, many of them watch as the other people their age achieve the predictable milestones of normal life - the car, the family, the house, the nest egg.

musicians and singers are willing to give their entire lives

Why? Because musicians and singers are willing to give their entire lives to a moment - to that melody, that lyric, that chord, or that interpretation that will stir the audience's soul. Singers and Musicians are beings who have tasted life's nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another's heart. In that instant, they were as close to magic, God, and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes.”