Re: Price check in Aisle 5
A few years back, I made the step up from the Bars Gigs and into Wedding/Corpy party/events band. I am the BE for two of the top bands in DC; I charge the agency a flat base rate for the band and that covers anything from a thumb drive to my full system (anything over 600people and sound is brought in). My Base rate is more than double my old bar pay and it’s about the same as semi popular bar bands.
I'm not making the $1500 at each event like Silas does, but I also don't need to 'compete for gigs'. The agency does all the scheduling and works out the event details; I only get involved ahead of time if there is a technical question about the band. I do charge extra when I need to supply a small PA for cocktail or ceremony, and anything over 3 hour drive includes a hotel room.
I have been hired a couple times for a One-off by a Professional Wedding Bands ($5k plus) a couple times and the band would “question” on me on my $1,000 rate.
Back when I was competing for bar band jobs I was charging $300 for a top over single sub within a 45 mins from my house (everything is spread out in my area). I could get $350 when I brought out 2 subs per side and $400 for an outdoor event (they have sand). (subs are JBL SRx718s).
If I do a small/local festival (no rider involvements, 4 monitor wedges and 5 wired mics on stage), I would price it out: $400 for the first band and/or gig hour and then $100 for each additional band and/or gig hour.
