How much to charge for a first gig

[HarmonEyes]

Hi everyone,

My friend and I both sing/play folk-style guitar and have been practicing together for a while now but haven't performed in public. I'm the first to admit that our practicing has not been consistent because of our time schedules (I'm a full-time student, she's a nurse) so occasionally there are guitar playing mistakes that happen. But we do sing great harmonies and our overall sound is good; we truly enjoy singing and playing together.

We've been talking about getting our feet wet by starting to perform at a local open mic. But then my singing partner came in contact with someone who is the director of recreation at a retirement home. We mulled it over and decided hey; why not? We thought this would be a great opportunity to just get out there and play.

We then sent off an email asking for details and the woman was very enthusiastic, asking when we were available and how much we charged. We both blanched--seeing as we're beginners we hadn't even considered that we'd get paid for it--we just assumed we would do it for free.

So what do we do in a situation like this? The woman doesn't know that we've never performed together before; do we tell her this? And how much should we charge?


Thanks:)


PS: we do have our own mics/mic stands, music stand and amp. We also have enough songs for one 40 minute set.

[Deleted]

First rule on your first gig, don't be the one to put a price, perform first then see how the crowd reacts to get an overall feel of how well you performed. After your performance let your sponsor be the one to offer the PF.

[Dub]

Retirement homes are businesses. They have some kind of entertainment budget built into their cost structure. Get at least $100 apiece, more if you think they'll pay it. Like any business, they'll take advantage if they can.

Oh, and lose the music stand. Memorizing an hour's worth of material isn't that tough. And an hour is probably plenty.

[Resolve]

Sept 25, 2014 8:17:01 GMT -5 Dub said:

Retirement homes are businesses. They have some kind of entertainment budget built into their cost structure. Get at least $100 apiece, more if you think they'll pay it. Like any business, they'll take advantage if they can.

Oh, and lose the music stand. Memorizing an hour's worth of material isn't that tough. And an hour is probably plenty.

Lar and I have done a number of performances in senior communities. Budgets vary widely. We've generally asked what they typically pay for a duo performance. The directors do generally have a price in mind and we've found they will be willing to tell you that information.

Lar and I have never been paid "$100 a piece". Maybe they pay "big" for some once per year event (like their "prom" perhaps) but the range in Wisconsin-Milwaukee is more like $60 to $150 for an hour performance (at least for a duo or 3 piece) in their monthly entertainment schedule.

We've always been expected to do a full hour performance. No more and no less. So you may need to work up more material. We usually get through about 15 or 16 songs in that hour (with a little stage banter).

Learn "You Are My Sunshine". It's ALWAYS requested and it's the most widely loved song I've ever performed without exception in that demographic.

We always use music stands. It's never been an issue. No one seems to really care about that (except for musicians who do not use them ).

Good luck!

[Resolve]

NOTE:

I wondered why this thread was in the library and then realized that the OP was back from January!