Jazz+ Posted May 17, 2005 Share Posted May 17, 2005 With gas prices up, is it .50 a mile now for car travel to gigs? Harry Likas was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book." Find 700 of Harry’s piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and jazz piano tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle ggurl Posted May 17, 2005 Share Posted May 17, 2005 Well, I think it's whatever you want it to be ... I don't think there is any set rule. Maybe there's one for a union gig, but gigging musicians I know around here all seem to deal with it as an extra set fee, which they decide based on how much the gig pays to begin with, and how far a distance they are travelling. Then they just add on that extra cost to client as "travel expense" ... and the IRS sees that as income, which then you take your deductible expenses from. I hope this is useful ... Original Latin Jazz CD Baby "I am not certain how original my contribution to music is as I am obviously an amateur." Patti Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Mouse Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Right now, most corporations are using $0.40 per mile, plus tolls. Live 6, Battery 3, Project 5, Atmosphere, Albino 2, Minimoog V, Oddity, Nord 2X, Proteus 2K ***I can't play for sh*t, but I can sequence like a muthaf*ck*r*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundEngine.com Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 The IRS sets a standard mileage rate for each year, which is largely what corporations follow. Even if you don't get reimbursed for the mileage from the gig, you can deduct it in some cases. Here's a link to the IRS info for 2005 (40.5 cents per mile): http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=131232,00.html Regards, --SCP SoundEngine.com: Vintage Synths, Accordions, Organs, and Ambient Sound FX http://www.soundengine.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle ggurl Posted May 19, 2005 Share Posted May 19, 2005 Jazz+, you had edited your message so my original reply now doesn't make much sense ... you had initially asked IIRC, what musicians do, but NOT what the IRS does. Edit: OK, so it's 40.5/mile for this year. Thanks, SoundEngine. Original Latin Jazz CD Baby "I am not certain how original my contribution to music is as I am obviously an amateur." Patti Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pierce Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 Check with your tax accountant, but sometimes if you don't get reimbursed for travel, you can deduct it from your taxes. --Dave Make my funk the P-funk. I wants to get funked up. My Funk/Jam originals project: http://www.thefunkery.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz+ Posted May 20, 2005 Author Share Posted May 20, 2005 I include (in my performance fee) travel to anywhere within 15 miles of where I live. The 2005 Federal IRS automobile per diem allowance is currently 40.5 cents/mile, so I simply charge this same rate for anything BEYOND 15 miles. If the gig location is 50 miles away, then I simply charge $28.35 (35 miles x 2 = 70 miles) as travel expense. My clients never have a problem with this arrangement, even commending me for my fairness & honesty, especially after they realize I'm charging NO MORE than the IRS standard auto mileage allowance. Harry Likas was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book." Find 700 of Harry’s piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and jazz piano tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 Don't forget to add $50/hr for your travel time! Just remember not to add that if some club is sending you to play Acapolco for the week, all expenses included. Unless you can get away with it, that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 I agree with learjeff - definitely need to count the travel time in with the billable hours PLUS the mileage and make sure that you are not accepting gigs 50 miles away for the same amount as gigs 5 miles away. If you do, then you are short-changing yourself. Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz+ Posted May 21, 2005 Author Share Posted May 21, 2005 Adding on an extra $50 per hour travel time risks putting the bid higher than everybody else in this competitive region. Most are charging a standard fee of $150 per musician for the first hour of performance (includes setup, sound equipment and getting there but not the mileage fee of .405) and $75 for each additional hour of performance. With wedding ceremonies the fee raises to a $200 minimum per musician for one hour. Harry Likas was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book." Find 700 of Harry’s piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and jazz piano tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted May 21, 2005 Share Posted May 21, 2005 Originally posted by Jazz+: Adding on an extra $50 per hour travel time risks putting the bid higher than everybody else in this competitive region. Most are charging a standard fee of $150 per musician for the first hour of performance (includes setup, sound equipment and getting there but not the mileage fee of .405) and $75 for each additional hour of performance. With wedding ceremonies the fee raises to a $200 minimum per musician for one hour. You may not need to *actually* charge $50/hr, but you do need to consider upping the fee for out of town gigs. Bringing mileage calculations into it gets you part of the way there, but you may be better off with a standard "we charge x for local and xx for out of town," then just deal with the mileage at tax time. Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted May 21, 2005 Share Posted May 21, 2005 Yeah, I was joking about the $50/hr. That's what a tech company might charge a client for "Time&Materials" contracts for an employee making about $50K/yr, but it's probably over the going rate for a typical gigging musician -- at least, until you get into fairly lofty circles. It's just another factor to balance regarding supply & demand, and in the music biz, the supply tends to be pretty high compared to the demand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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