Hi, I play the piano, and have been going round various bars, resturaunts, pubs, etc offering to play jazz/improvised piano and giving a demo CD out as well. Quite a few places have asked how much I charge, and because I'm new to playing live on my own, don't know what to say - can anyone tell me how much a band or musician expects to get paid for about 2 hours of evening entertainment? I supply my own electric piano....
Oh if anyone's interested in me playing somewhere let me know and I'll drop a CD off! TIA

Say £450! if they look at you in horror just laugh and say you were only joking! it's only £100 an hour. If they gasp just laugh again and say you really had em going, it's only £50 for the session. If they ask you to leave nudge em and tell them you'll be really kind and only charge £20. If they go to get the manager, just sigh and sayok, ok it's killing me but £5 it is. When the security guards turn up start handing out your CD's and tell them it's for charity.

One has to work surely!?

there's a piano bar just up London Road if you didn't already know about it. Just up the top end before it joins onto Abbeydale road. Sorry the name of it escapes me, but it begins with a "B" I'm sure

Squiggs - the bar is Buwkowski or somat like that

Solo artists like you would normally get anything from £20 - £200

But I suspect around the £50 mark, only top pub solo artists would get £200.

Why not get yourself registered with a few entertainment agencies like http://www.pellerartistes.com/index1024.html

The going rate in Sheffield is about £80 for an evenings work wth some beers / wine thrown in.

hi mr teatime, if ur interested sometime would you fancy playing together, i play sax as you may know but would be great to get together play some standards etc, play sax and clarinet n also sing.
pm if interested, we could play at the next forum meet!
mimi
x

Well if anyone's interested I'm playing on Sunday at the Frog and Parrot on Division Street, from 5pm onwards (not sure how long I'll be playing for.... between 1 and 2 hours I think).

Ok I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask this but can anyone confirm that £50 to £200 is the 'going rate' for a musician? Even it's a solo musician rather than a band? If so I think I might have been ripped off on the amount the pub are paying me (though I'm going back again this sunday), but I dont feel confident enough to challenge it at the moment.

I think £50 is about right, but you could check with the musicians union for official rates

it is basically up to you, i have a set rate for teaching and different rates for different things, id say depends where and for how long but £50-£80 depending on the event and thats for the whole night ,not p/h