If you’re planning a wedding or a party and you have your heart set on live music, one of the most important considerations will be about costs and your budget.

So how much does it cost to hire a band?

There are several factors that have to be considered :

What kind of event?  Weddings tend to be more expensive because musicans are usually on site for much longer, there can often be delays, couples like to have much more involvement in the song list choices and the event planning is more complex.

How far do we need to travel? We travel all over France (and beyond) and this means some very long journeys.  These travel costs are met by the client and are included in our quotes.

Will we need accommodation? If you are more than a two hour drive or if you are expecting a very late finish we may need overnight accommodation.  If we are travelling a long distance to perform at an afternoon reception it’s possible that we may need two nights accommodation.  These costs are included in our quotes.

Actual Fees

In a recent article on www.lastminutemusicians.com it was suggested that the industry average for a singer is £175 / 200€ per performance (if all equipement was in situ).  The Musicians Union have guidance with their National Gig rate; they suggest £156 for a 4 hour function (we usually quote for six hours on site) and their hourly rate beyond 4 hours is £39 per hour.

In reality every event we quote for is different and there is no simple answer.

Do you need an early get-in?  Will we need to play in more than one location?  Will you need a PA Leave?  Do we need to bring specialist equipment?

Many folks think that we only perform for two hours and therefore expect us to charge for just two hours.  The reality is that for long distance gigs we are ‘booked’ for three days… which actually makes us fabulous value for money!