December 29, 2008
How much should I make in a cover band?
matt l asked:
I’ve had offers to join some established,gigging cover bands, but I don’t have a lot of knowledge about how much I should be taking home,etc. I got screwed over before in my last band due to my being naive about playing live music. They said “We put all of the money into the band.” and I later found out they were all bringing home about $100 per gig. How do I ask or establish how much I need?
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Comments on How much should I make in a cover band? »
As a lead singer/trumpet player I have been actively gigging over the last 3 years or so and $100 a night is the average.
What I’m encouraging our band to do is to each contribute 10% per gig to go into a band account that would be used for PA repairs or new equipment such as lights or fog machines, demo CD’s, pictures, business cards and what not.
There have been times that we’ve done gigs for less or even free as part of a fund raising or awareness thing and that’s good for promotions so make sure that whoever is arranging the gigs and is dividing out the pay is being up front with you. If they’re shorting you then find a new band. Everyone should be paid equally.