Why do musician's rates vary?
Here are what we think to be the reasons that musicians charge varying rates. Each musician has a sliding scale that they work with. At the bottom, is a minimum fee that they've set as their baseline. (This is not to say that they won't make exceptions.) MUSICTemps contracts professional musicians who are employed performing in orchestras, recording and live stage performers. When not employed in these areas, some musicians supplement their income by booking weddings and other casual and formal engagements. When booking these types of events, musicians usually quote a fee that is comparable to their performance rates.Sometimes musicians are hesitant to book casual and formal engagements that are too many months away. When musicians are being asked to give long range quotes (an engagement over two months away), it is appropriate for them to ask for a fee that is comparable to their performance rate and sometimes slightly more. This is because long range booking may often block out other dates for the musician. Most musicians won't consider flexing this rate, unless the booking is very soon.
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Last modified:05/8/05
