Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[(BJ) Benjamin Fisher]

I'm moving to Phoenix in June/July as some may know. I have read (and searched, Tim  ) a few similar topics.

I'm going over some things in preparation for the move, and would like to get an idea on what I can/should be making. Currently I do mostly rock bar/club gigs, up to 250 people. 2 18" subs, 2 15" mains, 4 monitors, 2 monitor mixes. What are bands makin in the Phoenix area? What should I expect to make. I dont want to be the highest price, but I dont want to be the lowest either, as this is my sole income and want to stay competitive and not cut myself short. However losing business and/or not making enough money for bills isnt what I want either.

Eventually I will get around to upgrading to two more subs, two dual 15" mains, and a total of 4 mixes. Maybe a small light rig to simply light things up (12 pars).

I'm going to start promoting my business to get a bug in bands ears, and hope to work consistently with a few bands and venues. Right now I can be up and running within an hour, and about 45min to strike. Most shows I normally do are 4hrs of band time (9-1 or 10-2). I've got several years in turning knobs, but have been in "business" for almost 2 years. Again, this is my sole income.  Moving up from bars/clubs is something I'm not opposed to once feasable. I always have happy bands and venues, and I am very easy to work with, along with being good at communicating. I am a one person operation. I also play break music if desired. I dont currently rent, and I mix everything myself. I have about $9k invested in equipment, and $2k in my trailer.


As for pricing a gig, should I give them breakdowns (hourly, transportation, etc), should I give them options concerning what equipment I bring and what they pay for?

So I guess what I am getting at is the desire for a MINIMUM price, and going up when necessary. Having a price for the gear "rental" and my time mixing and setting up would be nice, in (rare) cases I just walk in and mix. Hopefully I have provided you with enough of the right information to help me out.

[(BJ) Benjamin Fisher]

And the following are things that I believe I need to start taking into consideration for making a quote. Right now I'm only making between $125-$175!!! Oh wait, $200 for NYE

Hourly rate for mixing: $10/hr
Gear rental: $160 (2% of $8k)
Setup/Strike: $20 (takes 2hrs)
Transportation/Gas: (.40c/mile roundtrip)
Truck payment: ???
Gear Insurance: ???
Tax : 7% or whatever it is in AZ

Which makes me think my MINIMUM needs to be at like $250.
My bills each month will be around $1200/month.

[(BJ) Benjamin Fisher]

[Daniel Nickleski]

Not to scare you, but hope you know some people in Phoenix. It is hard enough to get work in a place you where you know people...

As for price, what do you need to make to pay the bills? I couldn't see someone living off of $200 a gig. Thats maybe what $400-$600 a week max (club work will keep you busy maybe 3 days a week). Pay off taxes and bills and maybe you are left with $40 a night for you.... You say you are doing this for a living so I doubt $120 a week will pay your bills.

Price is ALL over the board for audio. You have guys willing to undercut any show. I see shows start bids at $1,400 and end up at $500. I guess in the end base your price off your costs and the quality you put out. Sure I could send a rig out for $200, but I like to think my quality is worth WAY more than that...

[(BJ) Benjamin Fisher]

Daniel Nickleski wrote on Mon, 01 February 2010 18:30

Not to scare you, but hope you know some people in Phoenix. It is hard enough to get work in a place you where you know people... As for price, what do you need to make to pay the bills? I couldn't see someone living off of $200 a gig. Thats maybe what $400-$600 a week max (club work will keep you busy maybe 3 days a week). Pay off taxes and bills and maybe you are left with $40 a night for you.... You say you are doing this for a living so I doubt $120 a week will pay your bills. Price is ALL over the board for audio. You have guys willing to undercut any show. I see shows start bids at $1,400 and end up at $500. I guess in the end base your price off your costs and the quality you put out. Sure I could send a rig out for $200, but I like to think my quality is worth WAY more than that...

I edited my second post, bills will be about $1200/month. I think my minimum needs to be set at $250.

I'm going to have to give in at some point to get my name out and prove myself. And I'm sure there are going to be times where I HAVE to take that shitty low paying gig to get by.

I want everyones advice, but I hope Ryan Jenkins chimes in, as I'm pretty sure he is from Phoenix, or pretty close.

[Jeff Wheeler]

My experience is that customers on our level want a simple price and they don't really care what it goes towards, they just want to figure out how to talk you down.  So if you go, "mixing $10/hr" they will probably expect you to do house PA jobs for that in the future.

As far as telling them what equipment you have, I have found that bar-bands really have no clue.  They sometimes know what mics they want for vocals, and once in a while a drummer will recognize the drum mics you offer; but I really don't think they see anything on my "cut sheet" except "JBL" and "4 monitor mixes."  I am shameless and list the peak power ratings for boxes, because competitors with Yamaha club-series rigs also do it.  I have found that "bi-amp" is a buzz-word among musicians, and that is my motivation to upgrade some things later this year.  If it's bi-amped, it must be better?  Too Tall would disagree, but it's a lot easier to market to customers' preconceptions than it is to educate them.

[(BJ) Benjamin Fisher]

Jeff Wheeler wrote on Mon, 01 February 2010 18:41

My experience is that customers on our level want a simple price and they don't really care what it goes towards, they just want to figure out how to talk you down.  So if you go, "mixing $10/hr" they will probably expect you to do house PA jobs for that in the future. As far as telling them what equipment you have, I have found that bar-bands really have no clue.  They sometimes know what mics they want for vocals, and once in a while a drummer will recognize the drum mics you offer; but I really don't think they see anything on my "cut sheet" except "JBL" and "4 monitor mixes."  I am shameless and list the peak power ratings for boxes, because competitors with Yamaha club-series rigs also do it.  I have found that "bi-amp" is a buzz-word among musicians, and that is my motivation to upgrade some things later this year.  If it's bi-amped, it must be better?  Too Tall would disagree, but it's a lot easier to market to customers' preconceptions than it is to educate them.

So you are saying, DONT give them a price breakdown. I agree.

Yeah I believe you are right, they dont have any clue, they just want it to sound atleast decent and dont care what brand/model something is.

[RYAN LOUDMUSIC JENKINS]

As I have mentioned before, give me a call and I will give you a little guidance about the area.

Let me tell you a little about Phoenix.

1.  Gas prices are almost as high as southern california.
2.  Rent on an apartment or home is not too bad.  Plan on $850-$1450 per month for rent unless you are going to live in a getto apartment complex or just want a studio.
3.  Car insurance here is tyically higher than many other areas due to large number of surface street accidents and large number of auto thefts.
4.  Sales tax in Phoenix is 8.3% but there area about 20 different cities that make up the Metropolitan area and they can all be different.  You may end up paying tax on the rent of your home depending on city also.
5.  Bands get paid VERY LITTLE if any for most gigs.  You will have a very difficult time getting more than $150 a night for a 250 occupancy bar.
6.  Bands rarely hire a P.A. system here.  It's all about the venues ansd they are hurting right now just like everywhere else.
7.  Your energy costs will be very high here so you need to count on $400+ a month elecricity bills during the summer just to keep from getting a heat stroke.

Hope that helps a little but call me anyways.

[(BJ) Benjamin Fisher]

RYAN LOUDMUSIC JENKINS wrote on Mon, 01 February 2010 20:10

As I have mentioned before, give me a call and I will give you a little guidance about the area. Let me tell you a little about Phoenix. 1.  Gas prices are almost as high as southern california. 2.  Rent on an apartment or home is not too bad.  Plan on $850-$1450 per month for rent unless you are going to live in a getto apartment complex or just want a studio. 3.  Car insurance here is tyically higher than many other areas due to large number of surface street accidents and large number of auto thefts. 4.  Sales tax in Phoenix is 8.3% but there area about 20 different cities that make up the Metropolitan area and they can all be different.  You may end up paying tax on the rent of your home depending on city also. 5.  Bands get paid VERY LITTLE if any for most gigs.  You will have a very difficult time getting more than $150 a night for a 250 occupancy bar. 6.  Bands rarely hire a P.A. system here.  It's all about the venues ansd they are hurting right now just like everywhere else. 7.  Your energy costs will be very high here so you need to count on $400+ a month elecricity bills during the summer just to keep from getting a heat stroke. Hope that helps a little but call me anyways.

Thanks Ryan, I will be giving you a call this week. For sure.

[Dave Rickard]

benjamin fisher wrote on Mon, 01 February 2010 19:16

Thanks Ryan, I will be giving you a call this week. For sure.

I get the impression that you are fairly young.  Is your family moving also, or are you moving alone?

That will affect your cost of living.