whaterya worth?

tubatooter1940 · Post by **tubatooter1940** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 1:19 pm

During my 20 years as a country-rock rhythm guitarist,vocalist,trumpeter,I made roughly what my wife earned as a union printer at a big city newspaper.Every year our pay was within a grand of each one's total.Mardi gras gigs pay double the rate for an evening of music and New Year's Eve gigs can be treble the usual rate.
My pay rate has jumped up since I joined John Reno and the Creekers due to the fact that John is a much better negotiator than I am.We now get dinner and a drink with each gig and sometimes they pay rent for our P.A.system and supply some beefy guys to move our equipment for us.
Music festivals and county fairs -pay 3-5 times the usual rate and they may add a hotel (or use of a boat in the harbor) for a place to stay.We gave a C.D. to a burger vendor in the street and he gave us unlimited burgers free and played our C.D. in rotation on his big stereo for the week's duration of a music festival.C.D.s are a great source of revenue if you can play that material live on the gig.People will run up and ask if that last tune is on a C.D..If it is ,you just sold one.
tubatooter1940
www.johnreno.com/

Dean E · Post by **Dean E** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 4:51 pm

It was a cold and windy December day in Peoria, Illinois, when I, a high school freshman, made five dollars riding atop a circus wagon at a Christmas parade with my sousaphone and four assorted union musicians. No written music or rehearsals--just faking seasonal pieces in the cold. It took three months to get my five dollars from the union rep.

Fast forward 38 years (not playing for 36 years). I got $20 for doing German oompah and US patriotic numbers shortly before an Independence Day fireworks show.

$25 in 38 years of playing. How long before I can justify a shiny Willson CC?

tubaaron · Post by **tubaaron** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 7:42 pm

Once my quintet got paid $240 each for a gig we didn't have to play! It was some shipping ceremony of some sort..We had several rehearsals, did a sound check, and guess what? The captain of the ship (who was a China man) didn't like brass music! Frankly speaking all of us would have preferred to play anyway, but we definitely wouldn't mind more gigs like that!

tubatooter1940 · Post by **tubatooter1940** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 9:32 pm

schlepporello wrote:
LV wrote:
Dean E wrote:...38 years of playing. How long before I can justify a shiny Willson CC?
Dean! It's not the dough, but rather the dues! You've paid yours! Buy the horn!!!! You've earned it!!!!
To H.... with earning or justifying the horn. If you're playing frequently and are well enough off to afford it without crippling your household, GIT IT!

Thats right,guys,us boys gotta have our toys.

Dylan King · Post by **Dylan King** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 10:22 pm

$15,000 for writing and recording 7.5 seconds of music.

Leland · Post by **Leland** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 10:38 pm

After our first rock gig in college, which I think lasted over a New Year's weekend, we paid maybe 12 bucks apiece because we couldn't get enough people to come out and buy drinks themselves.

Now that it's coming back to my mind, I think I remember that covering the cost of our new (used!) gear had something to do with it, too.

Tom Holtz · Post by **Tom Holtz** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 10:46 pm

MellowSmokeMan wrote:$15,000 for writing and recording 7.5 seconds of music.

*ding ding ding ding* We have a winner!!!

bigboom · Post by **bigboom** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 11:58 am

I'm might be missing something MellowSmokeMan, but what was that for, a company jingle or something?

Dylan King · Post by **Dylan King** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 12:58 pm

bigboom wrote:I'm might be missing something MellowSmokeMan, but what was that for, a company jingle or something?

Logo music for a fortune 500 company. The payment was for the demo only. So far the music hasn't even been used. If and when they do use the music, I will receive another payment in the six figures.

Keep your fingers crossed.

-MSM

Leland · Post by **Leland** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 1:59 pm

I wonder how much the Intel "chime" is making for somebody...

Dylan King · Post by **Dylan King** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 2:16 pm

Leland wrote:I wonder how much the Intel "chime" is making for somebody...

Jingles and commercials are always buy-out deals. They pay one lump sum, and the company owns 100% of the music for all time. You should see the contracts. They use words like "eternity" and "universe." It's wild. My contract for the previously discussed 7.5 seconds was 34 pages long. They could never pay out royalties on something like the Intel jingle. Or maybe better put, they WOULD never pay out royalties on something like that.

SirCharls · Post by **SirCharls** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 2:20 pm

$350 - no playing.

In Florida, I had just finished a run of "Annie" for the Orlando Children's Theater (or something like that) and they referred me to some outfit on the coast that was going to be doing...I can't remember what musical...

I called them up, they sent me a contract, I signed it, and sent it back. Then they called and said they had hired TWO tuba players by mistake and didn't need my services. I (being the gentleman that I am...NOT!) said, Hey, I already blocked out the time, and signed a contract...

silence on the phone for a few seconds...

and then the manager said he would pay me half for my troubles. I wish I had gotten the whole 700, but alas...

That just goes to show you how true that first rule of closing a deal is...

After you pitch your deal, "the next one who speaks, loses"

Charles D. Ortega
www.apollochamberbrass.com
www.olympusmusicsociety.com

MaryAnn · Post by **MaryAnn** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 2:37 pm

First, I want MSM's job. Period! (I can write and have written quite decent music (have some tuba duets, BTW) but don't seem motivated to market myself. Oh well, huh?)

I'm pretty near the bottom I guess: quintet made $500 for a 40-minute wedding gig. I wasn't on tuba but horn, but he got his $100 too.
MA

hurricane_harry · Post by **hurricane_harry** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 9:22 pm

a teacher threw a nickle into my case when i was playing for fun after school. aside form that i've been paid in free meals.