good morning. Sorry for the long thread I'm about to do.
I'm a freelance writer and I'm doing a bit of research for an article. I'd be grateful if you folks could help out.
The article is going to explore how the rising cost of living/fuel/road tax/food/accomodation etc is influencing bands and their ability to ply their trade. I'm convincd that there are bands out there that simply can no longer afford to gig as much as they need to.
So, how much does it cost you on average to do a gig? Take into account, food, transport, accomodation etc
For example, a Manchester based band that I love but am not going to jag were telling me the other day that their past few local gigs have set them back around £60 and that they are really struggling to justify the costs of gigging outside of town. This obviously limits them in terms of generating a wider fan base.
They said that to get the five of them and their gear from their respective homes around Manchester, Salford and Bury, into the city centre using three cars costs them about £28 in petrol in total. One of them has to take drums, guitars and amps plus two people.
Parking, depending on where the venue is and availability of free parking (pretty much non existent within gear carrying distance to most Manc venues) can be anything upwards of £12 per vehicle. Even if they park outside the venue, load in and then move their cars to a car park, they still have to pay for parking.
They do stuff like take in their own soft drinks to cut costs at the bar, even though the promoter of the last gig they did threatened to stop them playing the gig if they didn't lose the shop bought Irn Bru.
When the soundcheck is at 6.00pm ish, they either skip dinner or take their own food to eat on the hoof, so they don't all go out for food.
Not including the costs of guitar strings, drum sticks, flyers, internet connection to promote the gig etc, this is a one off gigging total of around £60.
With most unsigned bands not earning a huge door take or fee, this cost is rarely recouped. Say they do between four and six local gigs a month, you can see how (not including rehearsal costs) this sort of things really adds up and would put them off doing gigs that would be considered 'non essential' or particularly worth while. Simply because they can't offord it when they factor in the rising cost of living.
What are your experiences?
How does your band save money when gigging?
Has your band turned down a gig because the cost of doing it would be too high compared to the potential benefit of playing.
Where is the fine line between funding your passion for music/gigging and throwing money away on a glorified night out where you can't drink and have to carry loads of gear.
how much does it cost your band to gig
good morning. Sorry for the long thread I'm about to do.
I'm a freelance writer and I'm doing a bit of research for an article. I'd be grateful if you folks could help out.
The article is going to explore how the rising cost of living/fuel/road tax/food/accomodation etc is influencing bands and their ability to ply their trade. I'm convincd that there are bands out there that simply can no longer afford to gig as much as they need to.
So, how much does it cost you on average to do a gig? Take into account, food, transport, accomodation etc
For example, a Manchester based band that I love but am not going to jag were telling me the other day that their past few local gigs have set them back around £60 and that they are really struggling to justify the costs of gigging outside of town. This obviously limits them in terms of generating a wider fan base.
They said that to get the five of them and their gear from their respective homes around Manchester, Salford and Bury, into the city centre using three cars costs them about £28 in petrol in total. One of them has to take drums, guitars and amps plus two people.
Parking, depending on where the venue is and availability of free parking (pretty much non existent within gear carrying distance to most Manc venues) can be anything upwards of £12 per vehicle. Even if they park outside the venue, load in and then move their cars to a car park, they still have to pay for parking.
They do stuff like take in their own soft drinks to cut costs at the bar, even though the promoter of the last gig they did threatened to stop them playing the gig if they didn't lose the shop bought Irn Bru.
When the soundcheck is at 6.00pm ish, they either skip dinner or take their own food to eat on the hoof, so they don't all go out for food.
Not including the costs of guitar strings, drum sticks, flyers, internet connection to promote the gig etc, this is a one off gigging total of around £60.
With most unsigned bands not earning a huge door take or fee, this cost is rarely recouped. Say they do between four and six local gigs a month, you can see how (not including rehearsal costs) this sort of things really adds up and would put them off doing gigs that would be considered 'non essential' or particularly worth while. Simply because they can't offord it when they factor in the rising cost of living.
What are your experiences?
How does your band save money when gigging?
Has your band turned down a gig because the cost of doing it would be too high compared to the potential benefit of playing.
Where is the fine line between funding your passion for music/gigging and throwing money away on a glorified night out where you can't drink and have to carry loads of gear.
Cheers for your input.