The purpose of this article is to assuage everyone’s fears — you have NOT over-payed for music. If you just hired a band to play your event, your money has been well spent. If you just went to a concert, the ticket was worth the money. You had an experience and hopefully it was enjoyable. If you want something to remember the experience, go ahead a buy a t shirt, album, or CD from the band so you can continue to enjoy it later.
First, the villains of the music industry are not the musicians. It would be difficult to find very many musicians that are overpaid for their services. According to this Scripps article the average cost of a concert ticket in 1996 was $28.50 and it is $108 today. If you are nursing your wounds from a recent purchase of a Live Nation concert, don’t blame the artist because much of that money is feeding the Live Nation corporate beast. Those pesky extra handling fees associated with ticket costs are not going to the artists, but rather to pay for marketing, production, and venues. If you are upset by paying hundreds of dollars to see live music, then consider finding local venues and artists. These musicians and experiences might very well be just as valuable!
Why have the costs for live music risen? Don’t blame the musicians, but now that almost everyone is streaming music online to hear music, musicians have had to raise fees to make up for the losses. The next time you make your monthly payment to Spotify, consider that if you really like a musician, you will need to play their music about 20,000 times on Spotify before they will notice a direct payment. Where does the money go? USA Today wrote this article, but it does not really ask the question about where the money goes.
If you are hiring a band for your event, it can be confusing about what to pay. It might even be confusing being an artist wondering how much to ask someone to pay for music. This webpage gives an indication of what it should cost to hire musicians for an event. In short, it is approximately $100-$150 per hour per musician. The stipulations would be that students or less established musicians would make less while established, known musicians might command more. Also, if $100 an hour per player is reasonable playing for a musician performing original music, then it should likely be more if the musician is asked to play cover songs or wedding band music because it likely requires an extra time commitment learning the additional repertoire. So, if you just paid a wedding band several thousand dollars, that is the going rate. The band appreciated getting that cash tip of $50-$100 a player as well.
This Atlantic article about the rise in ticket prices asks a question that I found very surprising: Is music undervalued? I am certain that almost every day professional musicians ask this question. This article is mostly framed around the success of Taylor Swift and briefly mentioned artists that do not perform “blockbuster concerts,” which is by the way probably 99.9999999% of musicians. The “undervaluing” of music comes in many ways, whether it is how we fund the arts in schools, how little streaming pays artists, or even how much people talk through concerts without listening. I challenge everyone to stand up in front of a room full of people and to try to sing lyrics while a room full of people is talking!
Here are EIGHT reasons why musicians are getting paid well for their services. This should give concert presenters a piece of mind when agreeing to pay a fair rate for musicians:
To Insure Commitment to the Artists
When a venue agrees to pay a group, this insures that musicians will, too, commit to the engagement. In simple terms, if a gig doesn’t pay well, a working musician will drop the gig, take a better paying gig, and send a substitute player to the lower paying gig.
Travel and Expenses
Everyone knows that the cost of travel has risen with inflation and higher fuel costs. For a musician performing nationally, it is entirely possible to spend hundreds of dollars on flights, airport parking, hotels, meals, and rental cars. This could easy turn a $1,000 gig for a musician into a net payment of $400 or less.
Rehearsals and Preparation
Musicians do not just jump onto the stage and perform. Behind the scenes, musicians practice and rehearse the same way that athletes hit the gym and the weight room. Olympic athletes practice as much as six hours a day for a performance that only happens once every few years.
Time and Sacrifice
One thing that many people do not consider is the losses that musicians face in life when performing. We miss time with family and loved ones, holidays, friends’ weddings, leisure, vacations, and any other things that happen on nights and weekends.
Long Term Investment
Many musicians began studying their craft when they were in elementary school collecting experience and wisdom through years and years of practice. The long term investment for artists surpasses many people in many other careers.
Hidden Expenses
The hidden expenses for musicians include gear like musical instruments or microphones, sax reeds, drum sticks, guitar or bass strings, etc. The repair of a musical instrument could be in the thousands of dollars. Even musicians that get endorsements from instrument companies pay signficant costs for their gear.
Marketing and Production
Marketing and production costs could be in the thousands of dollars for someone presenting a concert. These fees could pay for marketing but also things like piano rentals and “back lining” a stage. The purpose of back lining is to allow for large instruments like drum sets or Hammond B3 organs to be provided at the venue. A Hammond B3 weights approximately 450 pounds so it is obviously not a carry on bag!
Quality
Pay for quality. Give the talented, professional musician what they are worth. World class artists will deliver a memorable experience. Buy their merchandise as a reminder of the event!