That’s interesting Bermuda. Why do you think that is? I have definitely experienced that when I was doing a gig that a drummer such as Dennis Chambers or Dave Weckl have done, where quite honestly the audience is 25% larger because they are playing drums
For the kind of gigs they typically do, yes, they're a significant part of the draw. that's why they are hired, and management will usually pay better for their presence. Whether they have a consistent fee that they throw out to everyone is probably not known except for those who hire them. If you or I stepped in on those gigs, we wouldn't make the same money (certainly not for the way *I* play fusion!)
I believe if you are bringing a certain skill set to the gig that you should be paid accordingly,
It's a given that musicians with the required skill set should be hired in the first place. But some gigs only pay so much. Should Vinnie expect to make as much at the Baked Potato as he did with Sting in front of 18,000 people? He's probably being more "Vinnie" at the small gig. But the gig (usually) drives the pay, not the players, unless someone is bankrolling the appearance.
You can’t be afraid to ask for what you’re worth
It's good to have a sense of your value to an artist, but real "worth" is established by the person paying, much in the same way that an Ebay seller doesn't determine an item's worth... the buyer does. But it is important to NOT devalue yourself, because it becomes difficult to overcome that level of pay. In those cases, I think it's fair to say "I can't go out for less than xxx" and to be prepared to walk. I play out for a variety of pay, but I do have a limit. Sometimes I say no, they say okay thanks anyway, and I feel good for not selling myself short. I truly don't mind staying at home.
$500 weekly is not a sustainable professional income unfortunately. That’s a fee for 3 hours on a Saturday night here in LA.
For some gigs, that would be fabulous money! For others, it would be an insult. It depends on the gig. Every gig is different.
And again Musicians are usually afraid to negotiate, and this is why it’s subjective.
Unfortunately, there's not a standard rate based on experience, technical ability, musical sensibility, or the amount of money a gig generates. It's all subjective. Vinnie gets a ton of money on one gig, and $150 on another, he doesn't get a fixed amount just because he's Vinnie.
I don't mean to suggest that negotiation is impossible, but the player has to weigh each situation carefully before tying to be assertive when it comes to money. If it's Vinnie or J.R. or Gadd, then the artist/manager already knows the level of player they're courting, and some negotiation wouldn't be unusual. But that dynamic is reserved for those kind of elite players, not the other 99.9%
Bermuda