How much should i charge for my services as a drummer?

L

Likestodrum334

Junior Member
Hey All, i played a gig with my 3-piece cover/original band Preachers Pulpit a few weeks ago at this restaurant/bar where there were a few different bands playing through the evening. At the end of the night one of the guitar players from a different band came up to me and asked if i would be willing to play drums for his singer/guitarist at an upcoming show. So here is the situation: This girl is a solo artist who has released one EP already and she also does a few covers, she has this guy who seems to be her dedicated guitarist (he is the one who approached me), but i guess something happened with the rest of her band? She had a drummer from another band sitting in as drummer that evening and it was clear he did not know her songs very well.

Anyhow so her and her guitar player saw my bands set and they were very impressed with my drumming and they would like to hire me to play a show that she has for Dec 8th. So how do i decide what to charge for my services in a situation like this? I am trying to make drumming into a career here so i need to learn how to do this properly because hopefully i will get lots of offers like this in the future.

Do i charge by the length of her set at this show? the set length is only 45 mins because other bands are also playing this Dec 8th show. Or should i charge by the number of songs she wants me to learn? she wants me to learn 3 originals and 3 covers i believe. Im sure they probably will want to rehearse at some point do i charge for rehearsals too?

I am just starting my professional drumming career and i have only been at it for less than a year now so i would greatly appreciate some advice from you experienced drummers who have been making a living of your playing for years now,

Thank you so much for any advice.
 
Hi Likestodrum334, you are going to receive a lot of different opinions on this question. There are also variables to be considered, travel, using your kit?, do you feel comfortable playing with them, the songs and as you stated length of time of the gig. What I usaully do is find out first how much the the gig pays and go from their. Remember, you can decline it in a polite way or haggle for a better price. Most times try getting at least what you would get normally for the minimum when you play with your band. It all depends on the situation at the time. Good luck.
 
Sorry, couldn't resist :)
 

Attachments

  • One-Million-Dollars-639omk.jpg
    One-Million-Dollars-639omk.jpg
    34.3 KB · Views: 922
Look at the future. If you want to 'get in' with her/guitarist for future work, I would not be too greedy and certainly not charge for rehearsals.
For a 45 minute set, ya one Ulysses S. Grant sounds about right.
 
Hmmm $50 does actually sound like a pretty fair price for whats being asked of me. I think that might be what i ask. I dont know how much they are getting paid for the show yet but i doubt it is a whole lot. I dont know if there is a house kit or not so i have to figure out if i will be bringing my own kit or not. I would say i will probably feel pretty comfortable playing with them being that it is not anything to difficult, she plays kinda like pop/rock so its mostly pretty basic grooves id think.
 
Always charge as much as you can. Underselling yourself to earn someone's gratitude is foolish. You want them to take you seriously? Then you must take yourself seriously. It's a local act doing a 45 minute set of originals, so there won't be a ton of money to be shared anyway. Just ask for your cut. If you can charge more for your services than the band makes for the show, by all means do it.
 
Most likely if all those bands play 45 min sets, they are original bands . Meaning that 90% of the time they play for free or a couple of beers for each musician. If that's the case, it will be $0
 
The SunDog said:
Always charge as much as you can. Underselling yourself to earn someone's gratitude is foolish. You want them to take you seriously? Then you must take yourself seriously.
Click to expand...

In theory, yes. But it completely depends at what stage of the game you're at.

Don't undersell yourself simply to get a foot in the door, but also be reasonable and consider the gig at hand. It's very easy to overprice yourself, and not get many calls. When you're further along up the food chain, you can start naming your price. But even then, it will always depend on the gig at hand (read: the band's ability to pay.) There's no right or wrong amount, as long you're happy with it.

For the gig described, I think $50-75 is appropriate, including a rehearsal. If it leads to future work with them, the gigs - and the pay - will hopefully get better.

I play with different bands that make very different amounts of money, and who pay me different amounts. I do them knowing that in the long run, it evens out. I don't complain that I get a small percentage of the Weird Al ticket sales, nor do I offer to give back to the bands that make nothing, and still pay me. My time and experience have value, but I have to be reasonable when applying a dollar figure to that.

It's a fine line, but a good rule of thumb is, if someone doesn't complain about your price, you're not asking enough. :) Over time, you'll learn where that line is, and as you become more in demand and your value increases, so will your fees.

Bermuda
 
force3005 said:
What I usually do is find out first how much the the gig pays and go from there...
Click to expand...

What Bermuda said, along with this advice. Granted, the venue is probably not paying much. But, if she is the headliner and the ensemble will be paid $600, you'd look like quite the chump taking $50. Find out what the gig pays and go from there.
 
FreDrummer said:
But, if she is the headliner and the ensemble will be paid $600, you'd look like quite the chump taking $50. Find out what the gig pays and go from there.
Click to expand...

Yes and no. If not a member of the band, is the player entitled to a percentage of the pay based on the number of people? That's completely up to the leader. Even if there's a fixed band line-up, the pay may not always be the same for each.

As for trying to tell the leader what they should pay based on what the gig pays, that's not a good idea. Is it the leader that books the gigs, and whose name attracts a crowd? Shouldn't they get more for that? That instantly erodes the concept of asking for an equal cut based on the number of players.

Every situation is different. There are no rules that apply, with exception of union gigs, and there are precious few of those left. The reality is, they don't pay very well anyway, but there are small benefits down the line.

Bermuda
 
How far do you have to travel to the gig? Do you have to bring (and load in, load out) your own drum kit? First estimate the costs, then add your billing rate.
 
No Way Jose said:
How far do you have to travel to the gig? Do you have to bring (and load in, load out) your own drum kit? First estimate the costs, then add your billing rate.
Click to expand...

That falls somewhat under the cost of doing business. For instance, it's a given that I bring drums to a gig - I'm the drummer! I may ask/take less if I don't have to haul gear, but I certainly don't add to the cost just because I do.

But I agree that distance can severely reduce the income at the end of the night. That doesn't mean every mile needs to be an extra charge. In a metro area like Los Angeles, it's not unusual to drive 50 miles or more for a gig, and therefore unfair to try and build that into a fee. Then it becomes a personal decision as to whether it's worth it. A $50 gig with maybe $12 in gas is probably not very appealing, and if the pay is that low, you're probably not going to get a bump. But if it pays $75, you can clear $60+ and it makes a little more sense. Is a $60 gig worth it? Well, if there's food and maybe a bar tab, then yes. And while $60 in your pocket doesn't sound great, you could just stay home and make zero. My line is drawn a bit higher, but I do one recurring gig for $20 and am happy to do so. It's close to home, drums are there, I just bring sticks, there's no pressure, and it's fun. Plus it's a social thing as well.

Bermuda
 
bermuda said:
but I do one recurring gig for $20 and am happy to do so. It's close to home, drums are there, I just bring sticks, there's no pressure, and it's fun.
Bermuda
Click to expand...

My Gosh, all that and when you said "and it's fun", I think you should be paying them the $20. LOL

.
 
You need to learn that your response to someone who asks you can do a gig is this......

I may be interested if it fits my schedule. How much does it pay?
 
bermuda said:
Yes and no. If not a member of the band, is the player entitled to a percentage of the pay based on the number of people? That's completely up to the leader. Even if there's a fixed band line-up, the pay may not always be the same for each.
Bermuda
Click to expand...

Absolutely, and I was thinking the same thing as I was typing the response (although I failed to expound on it). Given the lineup -- singer/songwriter, her established guitarist, and you, the sit-in drummer -- there would be no WAY I would expect an even split. It's her gig! If it were paying the (wishful?) $600 number, I would almost expect it to break down something along the lines of $300/200/100. Even then, depending on the situation, that doesn't mean you decline if it's something less than $100.
 
Likestodrum:

Based on what you have told us, this is what I would do:

I would tell them "I'd love to play drums for you at your gig. After the gig you can pay me whatever you think I'm worth.
If you like the way I play and I join your band, we can talk about how much money we can expect to earn in the future".

Becoming a well known and well paid drummer is all about the friends and connections you make.
It sounds like at this point in your journey you need to be more concerned about the connections and less concerned about the amount of money.


.
 
bigd said:
You need to learn that your response to someone who asks you can do a gig is this......

I may be interested if it fits my schedule. How much does it pay?
Click to expand...

That's important, because more often than not, a gig is offered at a given fee, take it or leave it. It's rare that a player is asked what they charge. Most gigs should be taken, unless you go out of pocket to do so. If you have to drive 60 miles, bring your drums, work for free but you get dinner... I'd say that's a good one to avoid.

I rarely turn down a gig if I'm available, but it's happened a few times. I'm not one of those "I don't walk out the door for less than $150" guys, but a few gigs have been so unattractive on any level, that I could only say no. I never want to do a gig that I resent either during or after, and I did actually quit a well-paying gig for that reason.

So, money is not always my deciding factor in whether a gig should be accepted or declined. each gig/band/venue has different criteria for me.

Bermuda
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top