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Author Topic: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?  (Read 4689 times)

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Alan Morley

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What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« on: April 20, 2011, 10:21:02 AM »

What price for a pub gig?

A question for those of us on mel.net that do pub gigs..

What sort of money are pub landlords paying?

In my area Derbyshire/ Nottinghamshire border - it seems that 'normal' fee's the landlords will stretch to are £100 - £150 for a night's entertainment.

There are two factors that also surface -

1) Same money no matter how many in the band - take it or leave it...

2) How long you are expected to play.

The money side of it usually runs the same for a single artist/ disco right through to a six piece band - they will just pay for 'a turn'...

The 'How long do you play?' is always an odd one...

Taking into account travelling time, arriving at the gig around 7pm to set up the gear and do a sound check..
Normally it's an 8-30pm start and most gigs finish at midnight (you can play longer if you like...) I'm usually ready for a sit down by then and all the intruments, amp and PA still have to be cleared - then you have the drive home.....

So I'm usually out the house at say 6-30pm and get home at 1am - Six and a half hours plus petrol costs / guitar strings / batteries /lemonade. and make about £30 if I'm lucky when with the trio..

But we still do it.....

Gggrrrrr

Almo
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Chris Brimley

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2011, 11:03:33 AM »

Good topic, Almo.

Publicans frequently seem a little vague on these things, but I think both sides in what is often a contractual arrangement need to be clear on what they are doing.  There is a burgeoning scene of acoustic clubs at the moment (OK, probably guitar-based rather than accordions, but it's the same principle), and that scene seems to be based on the premise that publicans can get organisers with PAs to come in for nothing or maybe a few drinks for those that happen to know that's the arrangement, and compere regular evenings of entertainment with an inexhaustible supply of unpaid amateur musicians eager to display their talents, and of course buy drinks at the bar.  I feel this can be a rip-off, but it depends on the pub - and publicans vary greatly from the genuinely enthusiastic music supporters to the cynically commercial.

A session is more of a 'we're doing it mainly for ourselves' kind of event in return for the bar or room space, and I think that's generally a reasonable kind of bargain to strike.

If entertaining an audience, the difficulty is of course that professional or semi-pro musicians need some kind of payment if they are to survive, and this massive free scene is acting against that.  But sometimes musicians are their own worst enemies, by agreeing readily to do all sorts of things for nothing or perhaps for dodgy so-called 'charity' events.  When a potential gig comes along, musicians need to know how many are expected in the audience, whether the audience will be paying and will be in a separated room, and so on, before they agree a price.  If an organiser says they can always get someone else for nothing, I say, politely decline!
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Theo

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2011, 11:13:09 AM »

My experience of pub gigs is very limited, but noisy rooms where the audience is standing at the bar, drunks making a lunge for the mic, request to sing Danny Boy/Fields of Athenry or the latest pop stuff all make me quite happy not to do another for any amount of money.   

As a very wise musician friend of mine said when turning down a highly paid gig he didn't want said "but if i did the gig I would only have more money"
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Alan Morley

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #3 on: April 20, 2011, 11:13:30 AM »

Good topic, Almo.

A session is more of a 'we're doing it mainly for ourselves' kind of event in return for the bar or room space, and I think that's generally a reasonable kind of bargain to strike.

(clipped.....a lot :) )

Even some of the 'doing it mainly for ourselves' sessions are sometimes not all they seem, as a lead musician/ session organiser sometimes has 'an arrangement' with the publican to put the event on...as in the case of the guitar jam session I mentioned in another post somewhere...
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Lester

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #4 on: April 20, 2011, 11:15:17 AM »

Different type of gig but - my ceilidh band get ~£70 per man. That is for an evening gig, which can be of varying length but usually 5 hours inc set up/knock down so £14 per hour.
Guess we do it because we enjoy it  ;D

Alan Morley

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #5 on: April 20, 2011, 11:24:57 AM »

Different type of gig but - my ceilidh band get ~£70 per man. That is for an evening gig, which can be of varying length but usually 5 hours inc set up/knock down so £14 per hour.
Guess we do it because we enjoy it  ;D

Ceilidh band gigs are a bit different to pub gigs as they are normally for a special event, wedding, birthday etc - and you only play half the night, if the caller takes his time explaining the dances  :)
I enjoy them at £70 each too..and often with a free go at the buffet....

Alan
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oggiesnr

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #6 on: April 20, 2011, 12:33:39 PM »

Round here (Hull) £100-£150 is the norm as well.  Gigs tend to finish at 11.00pm in most cases (noise nuisance) so two or sometimes three 40 minute sets is about the limit.

Steve
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Chris Brimley

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #7 on: April 20, 2011, 03:54:10 PM »

Quote
Even some of the 'doing it mainly for ourselves' sessions are sometimes not all they seem, as a lead musician/ session organiser sometimes has 'an arrangement' with the publican to put the event on...as in the case of the guitar jam session I mentioned in another post somewhere...

True, Almo - but I think this should depend on the circumstances.  Some touristy pubs may well profit from providing 'live spontaneous music' in the bar amongst their clientele, and in those circumstances the musicians should be able to get something for their services.  Equally I've been in pubs where the regulars beat a hasty retreat as soon as the first musician appears at the door, and I'm not sure whether those publicans would feel very happy being expected to pay for them. 

It's a nice touch when the pub provides session musicians with some food, I always think.  At least it's an acknowledgment of the pub's gratitude for the extra trade.

Where there's PA to provide, and/or it's more of an advertised entertainment event, that's when the players ought to be able to negotiate a price, which is going to depend on the market in the circumstances, and on the musicians themselves.   
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Noodle

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2011, 03:46:37 AM »

The band I play in consists of 9 or 10 folk, so money is irrelevant. In fact I don't think we've actually asked for any money for playing a gig yet. We play as long as we feel we can go on, or until everyone goes home. Still, we've only been around for about 6-8 months so we're in no position to demand money anyway
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Pat.

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2011, 06:46:50 AM »

When I played in pubs almost always Irish pubs ,the deal was that my beer was free,plus the taxi  too and from ,also any one who came with me got free beer too as the patrons were constantly putting them on the table,this way no mony changed hands and the music was played in the right spirit,ie for the joy of it, however the hangovers that accompanied such merriment wre one of the reasons I do not 0ften do it nowadays apart from the fact that a lot of the pubs are no longer with us.
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TomB-R

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #10 on: April 28, 2011, 02:11:30 PM »

Going rate for a pub band in the south midlands, £100-£150 as mentioned above. Usually playing sets with breaks from about 9-11.30pm.

When you start thinking of that in terms of extra pints that need to be sold to cover it, you wonder.......
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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #11 on: April 28, 2011, 06:59:01 PM »

A man calls the leader of a 6-piece band inquiring about the asking fee for playing at his son's wedding between 6:00pm and midnight on Saturday night:

Band leader: "That will be £600, sir".
The man: "What? this is an awful lot of money for music from a small band!".
Band leader: "Sir, if you think this is too much, then call your local plumbers' union and ask them the going rate to hire 6 men for 6 hours on a Saturday night, and we will play for half of that!"

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Owen Woods

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #12 on: April 28, 2011, 07:25:04 PM »

We'd do it for £400 ;D
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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2011, 10:14:07 PM »

Quote
A man calls the leader of a 6-piece band inquiring about the asking fee for playing at his son's wedding between 6:00pm and midnight on Saturday night:

Band leader: "That will be £600, sir".
The man: "What? this is an awful lot of money for music from a small band!".
Band leader: "Sir, if you think this is too much, then call your local plumbers' union and ask them the going rate to hire 6 men for 6 hours on a Saturday night, and we will play for half of that!"
That's a good one!  I'll use it soon enough!

It remembers me the thing that I say when people thinks that it's too expensive, and that I could play for free since I love what I do.  ''Does your plumber loves his job?  Does he comes to your house for free?''  Or: ''Do you like your job?  Would you do it for free, then?''

I ask 200 a man, I'm fine with 150 and never go under 100, unless it's charity or special event.
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Alan Morley

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #14 on: April 29, 2011, 08:30:43 AM »

A man calls the leader of a 6-piece band inquiring about the asking fee for playing at his son's wedding between 6:00pm and midnight on Saturday night:

It remembers me the thing that I say when people thinks that it's too expensive, and that I could play for free since I love what I do.  ''Does your plumber loves his job?  Does he comes to your house for free?''  Or: ''Do you like your job?  Would you do it for free, then?''

I ask 200 a man, I'm fine with 150 and never go under 100, unless it's charity or special event.

I used to own a kitchen studio - there were often people calling in saying that another retailer was offering 'FREE INSTALLATION'.....like the joiners and plumbers don't want paying....
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IanD

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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #15 on: April 29, 2011, 12:12:33 PM »

Quote
A man calls the leader of a 6-piece band inquiring about the asking fee for playing at his son's wedding between 6:00pm and midnight on Saturday night:

Band leader: "That will be £600, sir".
The man: "What? this is an awful lot of money for music from a small band!".
Band leader: "Sir, if you think this is too much, then call your local plumbers' union and ask them the going rate to hire 6 men for 6 hours on a Saturday night, and we will play for half of that!"
That's a good one!  I'll use it soon enough!

It remembers me the thing that I say when people thinks that it's too expensive, and that I could play for free since I love what I do.  ''Does your plumber loves his job?  Does he comes to your house for free?''  Or: ''Do you like your job?  Would you do it for free, then?''

I ask 200 a man, I'm fine with 150 and never go under 100, unless it's charity or special event.

You must be in a small band (or an exceptionally famous and well-paid one!) to achieve that -- as a 5-piece our standard fee is £500+expenses because this is what the ceilidh market will pay, but this would probably be the same if we were a 3-piece (or a 10-piece -- now you know why The Committee Band never made any money!)

Ian
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Re: What do your local pubs pay for entertainment?
« Reply #16 on: April 29, 2011, 05:43:03 PM »

When we play in a pub or restaurant we always try to get food and/or drinks along with the fees.

I remember one place, the owner offered us 1 pint each per set, but for the whole evening there was a guy who liked our music so much that he kept sending pitchers of beer to the band! So we never enjoyed the "free" drinks...
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