How much to charge for a gig

The three payment models

Almost every deal is one of these three formulas or a blend. What changes between them is not how much you earn on average, but who carries the risk of a small crowd.

Work out your minimum

Your floor is the figure below which the gig costs you money. It takes three steps: add up real costs (transport, backline hire, food and sound if you provide it), add the hours it takes you across rehearsal, load-in, travel and the show, and put a value on that hour. Try it with your own numbers:

Which model comes out better: an example in numbers

Let us compare the three models against the minimum above, $520. The figures are made up to illustrate the reasoning, not data from any venue: a $450 guarantee, a door deal where the band takes $5.60 per attendee ($8 tickets and 70% after costs) and a mixed deal of $200 guaranteed plus $4 per attendee above 40.

• With a small crowd the guarantee wins, but at $450 you are already below your minimum: you would play at a loss.
• The door deal only beats your minimum from about 93 people. If you are not sure you can bring them, it is a bet.
• The mix secures $200 and does not reach your minimum until 120 people: good if the room fills, weak if it does not.

The takeaway is not that one model is better, but that with your own figures you can see where each one pays off before you answer the venue.

What raises or lowers what you can ask for

• A provable draw: tickets sold at other venues, a real figure and not a feeling.
• The night and the slot: a Friday night is not a Tuesday at eight.
• Capacity and ticket price: the venue can only pay what fits its door.
• Format: an acoustic duo costs less to move than a full band with backline.
• What the venue includes: sound, backline, accommodation and food all count as money.
• Distance and costs: a date two hundred kilometres away changes your minimum.

How to talk money with a venue

Better after the first yes than in the first email: before that they do not yet know who you are. Once the venue shows interest, ask how they work before you name a figure.

1. Ask what capacity they have and what formula they usually offer bands like yours.
2. If they give you a figure, compare it with your minimum before answering. You do not have to say yes on the spot.
3. Propose your formula in one short sentence: "For this format we would be comfortable with a fee of X, or a minimum of Y plus a percentage above Z people."
4. If you cannot agree, ask for something measurable in return: a better date, real promotion, backline or accommodation.
5. Put what you agreed in writing, with date, time, amount and payment method.

A financial proposal to copy

A table with these items avoids misunderstandings and can be pasted as is into an email or a contract.

Mistakes that cost money

• Accepting without comparing with your minimum and finding out later you played at a loss.
• Agreeing to a door deal without knowing how many people you will bring.
• Not putting the amount and the payment date in writing.
• Forgetting the small costs that add up: parking, cables, food.
• Charging less "because it is a friendly venue" with nothing clear in return.

What we have not included: taxes and rights

The figures in this guide do not account for taxes, contributions or performance rights, which depend on your country, how you invoice and the venue. Talk to an accountant about how to declare what you earn; here we only offer general guidance.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• How to split money in a bandHow to share income and costs between band members: a band fund, equal split or split by work, and how to avoid arguments.
• Gig contract checklist: what to includeA checklist for a live performance agreement: parties, date, fee, payment, rider, cancellation and rights. General guidance.
• How to get gigs with your bandA method to book shows without relying on luck: work out how many venues to write to, choose well, follow up and measure. With templates.