Concert Fees

LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE AND COMMITMENT

$ Per Gig

1. I sing a solo or two at church & have been told I have a good voice

$0

2. I sing some cover tunes & do Karaoke for fun on weekends

$0

3. I’m putting together a 20 minute set to perform at coffee houses & for some open mikes in town

$0 – tips

4. My set is about 30 minutes long.  I stop after every song & tell the audience what each song means to me.  I sometimes feel awkward in the middle of my set- like I’ve lost the attention of my audience.

Free Will Offering or Tips

5.  I attend my home church regularly and have a prayer team & accountability team; I’ve written my mission statement and testimony and I have a 30-minute concert set—some cover tunes some originals and last year I did about 30 free concerts plus some paying gigs.  I’m doing about 3 or 4 gigs a month at coffee houses, churches & clubs.  I also volunteer for various ministries with my music. 

$150-$250 per gig or Free Will

6. All of the above plus I have a 30-45 minute concert set with a professional band (live or on accompaniment tracks) I’ve taken some training to improve my vocal range/instrumental ability and gone to some workshops on developing as an artist & learning how to book my own solid gigs and just got my own website.  Doing 4-8 gigs per month.

$250 - $500 per gig

7. All of the above plus my website is professional, My first CD is completed, I have a database system (see Day 10 “Getting Referrals”) for tracking my clients & I’ve hired a professional to put together my stage presence for my set including music, testimony and performance, my vocal/instrumental training is on-going.  I have a personal coach or booking coach to keep me focused.  I’ve video taped (& watched) my last several concerts.  6-9 gigs per month

$500 - $750

8.  All of the above plus I’m traveling in and out-of-state and getting requested for special events, retreats, music festivals and corporate events 8-10 (96-120)

$750 - $1,000 plus some travel

9. All of the above plus I’m spending about 25 hours a week on administration for my music and am opening for some well known bands and playing for some mid-size corporate clients, keynote speaker/performer at events & have a fan club.  8-12 gigs per month (96-144yr)

$1,500 - $2,000 plus some travel

10. All of the above plus I’m playing at fairs and am opening for headliners—I also have bands opening for me.  My schedule is so full that I’m spending over 25 hours a week in administration, so I’ve hired a part-time person to help with my office and administration work.

$2,000 - $3,000

home / seminars / workshop on cd / consulting / calendar / about us / store/ e-mail us 

(c) 2002 Booking Workshop. All rights reserved PO Box 55806 Seattle, WA 98155 206-686-1955, x 1

Earning a Living From Your Talent

Q:        How much do you charge for a concert? What is your fee to do special music? What is the price for you to perform at our event?

 A:        If you’ve been doing music for any length of time, you’ve probably been asked one or more of these questions at some point in your musical endeavors.  For most of us it’s a time of awkwardness, stumbling over a pause and an “um” and a “well, what ever you think is best” type of response, yet if you’re committed to your craft & you’ve taken the time to develop your skills as an artist, whether you are a speaker, a musician (singer or instrument), actor or comedian, when you take the time to develop your talent & the gifts you’ve been given, you have made a decision to step out from being an “average or mediocre” artist and are now pursuing “mastery.”  Mastery is mastering one’s craft to a level of excellence; above and beyond the expectation of your audience.  To challenge yourself even further growing and excelling in your craft.  People master their crafts by studying, learning from those who have gone before them; by imitating or practicing what they’ve learned and applying the skills over and over again until it is second nature; and finally by applying what they’ve learned.  In the area of the arts this can be accomplished at a recital or singing special music during a church service or doing a set at a coffee house or by performing a complete concert at an event.

 Wherever you are in the level of mastery there is a perceived “talent value” that you have.  (Go to http://www.bookingworkshop.com/EventDetails.html  to check the talent value chart determine your perceived talent value).  A talent value is simply a value or a dollar amount that the music industry expects to pay for the level of talent you possess

Once you have established your talent value be flexible in your expectations of receiving what you’re worth J, especially if asking for a fee is something new for you.  You may discover that your talent value is more than what you’ve been asking and you might feel a little uncomfortable asking for such an amount.  This is where the flexibility comes in, for example, let’s say you’re a musician and your talent value is $500 but you’ve never asked for more than $200 for a concert or event.  To determine how flexible you need to be, answer the following questions & solutions: 

Q:        Which would best describe your level of music as of today: 1. Hobbyist   2. Part-time   3. Half time musician/Half time “real job”  4. Full-time musician

A:        If you are a hobbyist and do this for fun on the side or do this part-time perhaps as a way to give back to your community or to serve in your church, then it’s completely appropriate not to expect any type of financial remuneration.  However, if you’re goal is to be doing this on a half time or full time basis, then it is not only acceptable to have a fee, but you have a responsibility to be a good steward or good manager of the gifts & talents God has given you and included in that stewardship is earning a wage to provide for yourself and if you have a family, to provide for them as well.  The Bible tells us “the workman is worthy of his wage” and not to “muzzle the oxen while it is trampling out the grain.”  If God cares that animals are fed while they’re working, how much more does He care that you and your family eat while you’re working.  Bottom line:  It’s okay to do what you love for “work” and get paid for it. 

Q:        How much money do you need to earn from your music to support yourself and/or your family on a monthly basis?

A:        If you’re talent value is $500 per event and you need to earn $3,000 per month then you need to do six events per month.  (6 events x $500 = $3,000).  Again, here’s where you’ll want to be flexible.  If $200 seems to be your average honorarium, then you can expect to average between $200 and $500 per event, this will be between 10 and 15 events per month until you feel more comfortable & confident in asking for you fee. (Next article will discuss how to ask for your fee)

Q:        Do you have any product you sell at your events such as CD’s or T-Shirts, books?

A:        Remember, when people come to an event and they are moved, they want to take home something to remember the moment.  It’s human nature.  When you have merchandise available for your audience, to listen to or look at and to take home with them, it allows your audience to re-live the moment long after you and your event has left town.

Another way to increase revenues in your concert is to become a World Vision artist.  If you’re not already including child sponsorship in your concerts, now is the time to start doing so.  Contact World Vision at 1-800-803-7775 for more information & to see if you qualify for their Artist Associate Program.  Your ministry will touch the lives of children in parts of the world that you may never visit—yet through your ministry lives will be changed with the Gospel of Christ through you and your audience.

For more information on booking or to order the Booking Workshop on CD go to http://www.bookingworkshop.com/cd.html and until next time, “Live Your God-Given Dreams!”

Dawn Jones

Toll Free: 1-877-686-1955

www.dawnjones.net

www.bookingworkshop.com

Top of Page