Pricing of a sound rig rental

Mick Berg

Sophomore
Oct 14, 2012
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Would anyone be willing to tell me what they would charge for a one day rental of a couple of sound systems. My boss has asked me to find out what the going rates are. Rate would be purely for the equipment rental, no delivery, and no operator.

First system: Two 12" speakers on sticks, either powered or unpowered, console such as a LS9-16 or X32, two wireless mics and a podium mic, 100ft snake and all infrastructure.

Second system, Four 12" speakers and two subs, four 12" wedges on two FOH mixes, LS9-32 or X32, typical set of 16 music mics and DI's, (nothing fancy, SM81's the fanciest) 100 ft snake and all infrastructure.

Don't break the pricing down, just totals.

I'd be very grateful for this info.

Thanks,
Mick Berg.
 
Re: Pricing of a sound rig rental

Either one of those would fall into my "minimum price" policy. I don't do over the counter rentals so they are getting delivered, setup and operated by one of my guys. While I won't tell you on a public forum my minimum price, I can tell you that as long as it isn't a ridiculously long show or multiple days then a 1099 wouldn't be generated with just one show.
 
Re: Pricing of a sound rig rental

Mick,

I have seen rates as low as 1% and as high as 10% of the total equipment replacement cost per day rental, sometimes in the same area.
Assuming about $8000 cost for the first system, that could go from $80 to $800.

At around $16,000 for the second, $160 to $1600, though packages band deals would never go to the upper end except in corporate world, and then would not be a dry rental.
 
Re: Pricing of a sound rig rental

Thanks for your replies gentlemen. I understand your hesitation in quoting prices publicly.
But it's all helpful!:)~:)~:smile:

Thanks,
Mick Berg.
 
Re: Pricing of a sound rig rental

Both of those systems look like a full turnkey rig... I’ll be there for the entire event acting as the 'on site system tech' with your mix guy.

My Pricing varies per room and event, but I typically price it out by the hours; it has seemed to work so far for me.

But for some fun math, at a minimal I charge $30-35 per hour (drive, set-up, show & tear down). However, some events which require more PA or dress clothes, I am charging about $60-75 per hour and if I need an additional stage hands its about $15-25 per hour.
 
Re: Pricing of a sound rig rental

My published rental rates are 10% of the replacement cost of the gear. That's the price I'd charge to someone that just walks in off of the street and wants to rent the equipment. Additional days are half the published rate, with a week rental equaling 3 days rental, or 20% of the gear cost.

Now, that's just published rate. Anyone with established rental history can get some pretty significant discounts on gear rentals. Cross renting to another known provider, and my rates can be as low as 3%.

When I quote a show with labor, I generally price the gear at a 5% rate. For larger shows, it's actually cheaper to hire me for the show instead of dry rental. This is because I know what that gear is going to be going through, and I don't have to test it out upon return.
 
Re: Pricing of a sound rig rental

Thanks for all replies gents.

The project is finished and I don't need any more replies. Your info has been very useful.

Thanks again,
Mick Berg.