Musician's - What Are You Worth?

In the small and unregulated arena of the South African entertainment industry, the one question that comes up again and again is;

“What should I be earning?

“How much is normal to charge for my services?”

It seems we are all very cagey about what we earn, for what and how. There is no one guide for how much to charge as an artist and performer in South Africa. Every industry has its own benchmarks and ideas and this is something that every artist needs to pay attention to as you grow and develop your career.

I setup a Facebook group some time back called; Musicians - What are we Worth. The feedback was amazing and there were many interesting posts from some real industry heavyweights.

The bottom line though was that, you’re worth what you’re prepared to accept.

Musicians seem to struggle the most to get paid sensible amounts for their work as performers. Obviously record deals and licensing are negotiations and have clear outcomes attached. But for live shows, it does become complicated. The short answer is that there is no union prescribed minimum wage that a performing musician can earn.

The fees you will make as a performer are generally related to your reputation and visibility in the public eye. In other words a promoter will not agree to a R10,000 fee for an unknown artist, but an established artist can easily demand upwards of R100,000 or more per performance.

This translates into an attitude from booking agents, promoters and venue owners that says if they don’t know you, they aren’t going to pay you well. Which if you think about it, is fair enough. They probably know their market and you’re trying to reach it. This is one of the key reasons why marketing of shows is so important: so that you can get numbers and grow your reputation so that you can command decent fees.

You can accept a poor deal of fees the first time in the name of paying your dues, but if you pull a great crowd and execute an amazing show, you’re not being ripped off if you accept a poor fee again, you are just being irresponsible.

One of the key problems in the music business is that artists are so desperate to play that they DO accept bad deals, over and over again, just to be able to play. If you do this and still complain then it is only you who should accept the outcome. Besides which, in the absence of a union, artists need to stand together and not accept bad payment when they are delivering the goods.

Rule number one is to always know the deal before you play the show. It is no good moaning after the event if you get ripped off or offered a low fee. Make sure you understand everything that is supposed to happen before hand and get it in writing. Then you have a leg to stand on.

If you agree to a fee, even if it’s below expectations, don’t moan about it afterwards. Look at the bigger picture, some gigs pay more than others so try and get as many decent ones as you can to make the months and years profitable.

Internationally, headline acts don’t have a set fee. They accept offers based on the venues capacities, routings, ticket prices, prestige and many other factors. It’s a constant negotiation from the small clubs to the big stadiums.

The same rule applies for session work of any kind. If you have no reputation, you are going to earn the lowest pay. The better known you are the more you can charge. This is of course assuming you are well known AND can deliver the job required. This rule holds whether you are playing sessions, in a live band, on a recording or laying down parts for an advert. The key to remember with all payment of fees is that it is a negotiation. If you are not happy with the fee offered, say so and make a counter offer. Often people know they are underpaying, but if you accept it, then they get away with it. Speak up and ask for what you think you are worth.

Most venues have very tight budgets, or no budgets. Many entertainers think that because some venues deal with a vast amount of money, they should pay the artists a much higher fee. The reality is that casino entertainment budgets, as an example, come from marketing and not gaming, the latter where the bigger income is generated. As such, the budgets are small, erratic and are often the first to be cut. Like all industries, the curve goes up and down and is not always on the long term upward scale.

There is always someone who’s prepared to come in cheaper and they may even have a better offering.

The South African entertainment industry is a relatively small and unregulated place. This means that the kind of standard practices and rates of pay that protect artists elsewhere in the world are most often not in force in most areas of the industry. The best approach is to assume that there is not a standard rate of pay. This being the case, you then need to pay a lot of attention to making sure that you ask the right questions up front and to being very well informed as to what people around you are being paid for what.

You also need to understand that your rate of pay is most often directly related to the public perception of you as an artist. In other words, how popular are you? Do you really have pulling power? You cannot complain about not getting paid top fees for a show if seats remain empty in the house. So you need to make sure your marketing of yourself as a personality is out there and gathering momentum so that you can start to ask for the best going rates in town.

Don’t undersell yourself. You might be desperate to pay the rent but if you open up these doors you’ll continue to attract the same offers in future. Believe in your ability and promote yourself all the time. Get a professional press pack with high resolution pictures, good quality video and audio files, create a website or social media channel, write a relevant biography on your musical ability and capabilities. Keep on promoting yourself and remain visible and relevant.

Remain positive and be clear about what you’re trying to achieve.

You also need to pay a lot of attention to making sure you manage your reputation within your niche in the industry. Be on time, be polite, be professional and courteous. These are simple things that many artists forget because they get too tangled up in their own image.

Remember that the people you work with in all areas as an artist all contribute to making you look good out there in the public. Further, they are often the people who really decide if you get the next job or not. Afford them all the professional courtesy you expect to receive and you will develop a reputation as a hard working person that is pleasant to do business with.

Don’t do it and you will soon find out that even if your talent is immense your industry reputation will become a liability to your career.