Free tool
How much should you charge for a gig?
New artists undercharge because nobody tells them what to count. This calculator prices the whole job — stage time, load-in, gear, travel and the type of event — and gives you a range to quote.
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$403
Negotiating range $363 – $504 · $403 per performer
- Stage time + load-in and teardown: $300
- Sound / gear provision: $75
- Travel beyond 15 miles: $28
- Event-type adjustment: ×1
A guide, not a quote from the market. Local rates vary — treat the low end as your floor and never quote below it.
Three pricing rules for artists just starting out
Price the job, not the set. A three-hour bar gig is really five hours of your day once you count loading, driving, sound check and teardown. Build that into the fee instead of resenting it later.
Have one number and one floor. Say your price plainly and know the lowest fee you'll accept. Artists who quote a range with no floor end up at the bottom of it every time.
Discount for value, never for pressure. A lower fee is fine in exchange for a monthly residency, a guaranteed door split, or a weekend slot. It is not fine in exchange for "exposure."
What venues will actually pay
Restaurants and wine bars typically budget per night rather than per musician, so a solo or duo wins those rooms. Weddings, corporate events and private parties pay multiples of a bar gig because the stakes are higher and you are the entertainment, not the background — which is why your first goal should be a handful of reliable bar residencies and your second goal should be private events.
Know what to charge, then find rooms that pay it
BookTheStage scores every venue in your city against your act and your price, finds the booking contact, and drafts the pitch. Free to start.