1 Hour Rate for Corporate Party ???

[Jazz+]

What's your current rate for a one hour solo piano gig for corporate Christmas party at an upscale hotel. They provide the piano and it's a 30 minute drive to get there on a Friday night in December?

 

How do you figure it?

 

I usually charge $150 for the first hour and $100 each additioanl hour. Extra $50 if I have to bring my rig.

But $150 for a one hour corporate party seems low to me, $180 sounds more reasonable.

[J. Dan]

I know what I do is quite a bit different than the type of gig you're doing, but we generally go flat rate for a "standard" time (usually 4 hours). If it's less than that, we quote the same rate, although that becomes a negotiating point if they think we're too high. If it's longer than that, we tack on an adder.

 

Another way to think about it isn't just the time you spend, but the lost opportunity to play someplace else. It may just be an hour, but once you book it, you can't play a 3 hour gig during that same time slot, so you should get paid what you could make someplace else, within reason. Now if it's getting close and you won't likely get something else, then I guess take what you can. But I won't take any gig no matter what the time for less than $400 a man.

 

Given your normal rate, I'd probably ask at least $200. In fact, if you read my thread on negotiating, I'd probably go in at $250 and if you have to back down to $200, they'll feel like they got a deal and you'll get more than you were originally going to ask.

[Jazz+]

In this city they usually in a hurry and call around to several other players, so there is usually no second chance to negotiate a lower fee. There are a couple of guys that advertise that will do it for $100... Usually it's some assistant calling trying to get the lowest price to please her boss, she will show several quotes to her boss. I think it's safer to give them a final quote in the first conversation or else they will snag a lower one. Weddings seem much more negotiable.

[Ian Benhamou]

I wouldn't do it for less than $150.

[ITGITC]

I wouldn't do it for less than $150.

 

Me too.

[Jazz+]

Me three.

[drawback]

Me "two fifty".

 

You may need to stay a little longer due to unforseeables (a speech, dinner's a mite late, etc) or heaven forbid, the boss wants to sing Please Come Home For Christmas (could be Ricky Gervais for all you know).

 

If you can get another gig close by afterwards, bonus - your escape plan is ironclad.

 

[zephonic]

I'd say $600 if you have to schlep stuff. If a good piano is provided, you can go as low as $300.

 

 

[Dave Horne]

I charge a minimum of three hours ... but since jobs this year are substantially fewer than last year, I would rather work for something than price myself out of a job.

 

I have always charged less than other piano players not because I want more work, just because I charge what I think is a fair price.

[J. Dan]

In this city they usually in a hurry and call around to several other players, so there is usually no second chance to negotiate a lower fee. There are a couple of guys that advertise that will do it for $100... Usually it's some assistant calling trying to get the lowest price to please her boss, she will show several quotes to her boss. I think it's safer to give them a final quote in the first conversation or else they will snag a lower one. Weddings seem much more negotiable.

 

Are you better than the guys that will do it for $100? You need to compete on value, not price. Just getting the cheapest you can find does not necessarily serve their needs. Somebody could play chop sticks for an hour for $100 - I think they'd rather pay $200 to get somebody more suitable for their needs.

 

If you differentiate yourself up front, and do them a favor (and yourself) by advising them of the things to look for in your competitors (i.e., the right questions to ask, etc.), then not only do you differentiate yourself, but you enhance your chances for a call back, plus have an opportunity to have them evaluate you and your competitors on criteria that are based on your strenths and their weaknesses. The secretary who's making the calls to get prices probably doesn't know a whole lot about hiring entertainment. If she has the potential to screw up and get somebody crappy and/or unprofessional because she just went with the lower price, then she'll appreciate you looking out for her and helping her make a decision that results in her being praised by her management. Then guess who gets preference next time they need somebody?

[Dave Pierce]

Dan Duran,

 

Can you please move from St. Louis to the Bay Area and become a bandleader here? ASAP? Oh wait, you already play keys, so I still couldn't be in your band. DAMN!

 

--Dave

 

[Bobadohshe]

I'd say $600 if you have to schlep stuff. If a good piano is provided, you can go as low as $300.

 

 

$600 for one hour of solo piano? I know you live out here now, and I don't want to say that that'll never fly in this town, because the second I do you'll actually land such a gig. But good luck dude.

 

Corporate can mean a lot of things in a lot of situations, and it also depends on what your 'in' with the company is. If this is a situation where you don't have much of a relationship with the customer, I probably wouldn't quote em more than $200. If the load in is absurd you might be able to tack on more, but usually you don't know if the load in is absurd or not until you get there. If you high ball em they'll just call somebody else.

[Bobadohshe]

 

Are you better than the guys that will do it for $100? You need to compete on value, not price. Just getting the cheapest you can find does not necessarily serve their needs. Somebody could play chop sticks for an hour for $100 - I think they'd rather pay $200 to get somebody more suitable for their needs.

 

If you differentiate yourself up front, and do them a favor (and yourself) by advising them of the things to look for in your competitors (i.e., the right questions to ask, etc.), then not only do you differentiate yourself, but you enhance your chances for a call back, plus have an opportunity to have them evaluate you and your competitors on criteria that are based on your strenths and their weaknesses. The secretary who's making the calls to get prices probably doesn't know a whole lot about hiring entertainment. If she has the potential to screw up and get somebody crappy and/or unprofessional because she just went with the lower price, then she'll appreciate you looking out for her and helping her make a decision that results in her being praised by her management. Then guess who gets preference next time they need somebody?

 

They're probably not going to give a $h!%. Unless I'm assuming wrong (which I may be), it sounds to me like we are talking about corporate wallpaper solo piano, not an act that will provide a rockin' good time. They don't want to hear about my experience, the services I can provide and the diversity of my repertoire. They just want you to say, 'no problem, I'll be there, I do this all the time' and give them as little hassle as possible.

[J. Dan]

They don't want to hear about my experience, the services I can provide and the diversity of my repertoire. They just want you to say, 'no problem, I'll be there, I do this all the time' and give them as little hassle as possible.

 

Really? I work for one of these corporations and do lots of business with others of them. First of all, I can tell you that the difference between $200 and $300 isn't even noticable. I'll take customers to lunch or out for drinks and blow a few hundred every week and nobody ever batts an eye. (and I'm one of HUNDREDS of sales guys in the US) Now that's not to say they'll tolerate spending money for no reason. You HAVE to have a legitimate reason for the extra expense, and that reason will be dependent on the client - which requires knowing a thing or two about who you are dealing with.

 

So first and foremost, you have to UNDERSTAND what is important to the person who is making the decisions. A few "sales" terms:

 

Gatekeeper: A person who can limit your access to decision makers but makes no decisions themselves

Sponsor: Somebody on your side who cannot make the final decision

Power Sponsor: Somebody on your side who has decision making power - they hold the purse strings

 

First identify/develop each of these people/relationships. Next determine the "pain chain"... i.e. what is each person's "pain", or what drives them - what is their goal or how they are measured - and how does it relate to the business or the peoople above and below them.

 

Now back to the OP's example. Even if all they want is "Generic Background Music", there is risk in hiring somebody who is not qualified. What if they play too loud, or something inappropriate, or take long breaks... they may want a cocktail hour where people can socialize and interact, what if the piano player wants to be noticed and put on a show? Or What if they SUCK? Instead of talking business, the talk is "man this guy really blows". So your conversation could be something like "yes, I know there are some low priced options out there, but I have a lot of experience providing EXACTLY the type of performance you require. In fact, here are some references I would encourage you to contact. Those other guys may be great, or they may not. I don't know, but in my opinion, you are taking a risk hiring somebody who is desparate enough to charge those rates, which are below industry standard. There is probalby a reason why they are that low. But I can guarantee you will get exactly what you are looking for if you hire me."

 

People will pay a premium for security. They want to feel comfortable in their decision. And in the corporate world, $100 difference is sometimes the size of the tip on ONE dinner tab.... It's nothing. You just have to justify it.

[Jazz+]

Good post 80's-LZ

[KeyMoe]

Depends on the market.....$200.

[Analogaddict]

Dan Duran - if only more musicians had your knowledge about selling stuff... Musicians usually SUCK at this kind of stuff. If I do corporate events, the hours played isn't the main thing, it's that I - regardless of hours played - devote an entire working day to that gig, and therefore need to charge for a full day.

 

I did a gig with my band last friday at a corporate event. We were scheduled to play 8 pm to 10 pm and then an artist and his band would play 10-11 pm. The artist cancelled in the last minute, another artist was called in, but he didn't have a band so we ended up playing with him, he chose songs from our list. Also, the gig was delayed almost 2 hours and with the additional set we were done at 1 am instead of 10 pm - but it didn't matter to me since they payed the equivalent of US$ 580 in the first place...

[raddtunes]

I charge a minimum of three hours ...

 

I have a price/quote formula for all private/corporate/convention dates in Las Vegas that is very simple. I think party planners even give me the edge because of the simplicity - and therefore credibility of this. It's similar to what Dave is saying here. I don't care to share the dollar amount, but the quote for me, a trio, or and eight piece band goes like this:

 

My fee is (dollar amount) per musician for any service up to 3 hours.

 

For audience sizes beyond 300 persons, the client will need to secure additional PA from a local provider.

 

It's that simple, and I don't waiver from it.

 

 

[zephonic]

I'd say $600 if you have to schlep stuff. If a good piano is provided, you can go as low as $300.

 

 

$600 for one hour of solo piano? I know you live out here now, and I don't want to say that that'll never fly in this town, because the second I do you'll actually land such a gig. But good luck dude.

 

Corporate can mean a lot of things in a lot of situations, and it also depends on what your 'in' with the company is. If this is a situation where you don't have much of a relationship with the customer, I probably wouldn't quote em more than $200. If the load in is absurd you might be able to tack on more, but usually you don't know if the load in is absurd or not until you get there. If you high ball em they'll just call somebody else.

 

Hi Bob, I wasn't thinking. I don't know the market here that well yet, but when I used to play in Holland it was 350 Euro for the first three hours.

A friend of mine charges 650 Euro for the first three hours and works regularly, but she sings as well.

 

I'm sure that things are different here. Right now, I'd play for $50 if it came my way. I see great musicians playing for peanuts, so who am I to ask for more.

But make no mistake, if the corporations book you through an agency, they will habitually pay more than the numbers quoted above. For them it's all in the course of doing business. Believe me.

 

[Dave Horne]

This is getting off of the original topic but I knew a player who had fantastic technique, could play very flashy and loud (on an acoustic piano) but did not realize the purpose of his hour of cocktail playing was to provide background music so others could talk over him.

 

He always had to the center of attention. I always found him amusing but not in a positive way. He also charged more than I.

[ProfD]

I see great musicians playing for peanuts, so who am I to ask for more.

Z, never sell yourself short along this line of thinking. Getting paid well has nothing to do with musicianship.

 

In fact, great musicians are playing for peanuts because their business isn't equally efficient. Dan (80s-LZ) drops gems in this regard.

 

Jazz+ may be getting close to having to pay KC a consulting fee.