FURTHER DETAILS FOR MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Fees
The standard rate for each musician is $120 for the first hour plus $60 for each additional hour.
If the job is more than about 45 minutes’ drive from the musicians’ home base, there will be a driving fee added, at $30 per hour of driving time. (Example: if the job is an hour and a quarter away, that’s an extra half hour each way, totaling an hour of extra driving, so there’ll be a driving fee of $30.)
If any rehearsal, music-copying or arranging, or other special preparations are required prior to the engagement, they will be billed at a rate to be negotiated.
If there are any special demands or equipment required a special fee will be negotiated.
If the job runs beyond the agreed-upon time, overtime will be billed at the rate of $60 per hour per musician. I cannot guarantee that the musicians will be available for unscheduled overtime.
I will arrive at the job at least a half-hour before the starting time to prepare for playing, and it will typically take me about fifteen minutes to break down after. This will not be considered part of the playing time and will not be billed. If there are periods of time in the midst of the job during which I don’t play (for instance, if there are speeches to be given), this will be considered part of the playing time, since I’ll need to be present during that time just as if I were playing. For jobs lasting longer than about an hour and a half, the musicians will take a short break about once each hour.
Payment will be due at the time of the engagement. Many clients like to have a contract signed in advance of the job, and this can easily be arranged. On the other hand, a verbal agreement is often sufficient.
Requirements
For solo guitar, I need an unimpeded space of about four feet by five feet. For a duo or trio, required space will be correspondingly larger. There should be reasonable access to an electrical outlet, unless you’re quite confident that amplification won’t be needed. If possible, the space shouldn’t be too hard to transport equipment to, and convenient parking for offloading will be very much appreciated. If the musicians will be located outdoors and strong sun is likely, a little shade will help to keep us from melting.
Additional Information I’ll Need
Dress: We’ll need to know whether the musicians should dress formally, informally, or somewhere in between.
Directions to the venue, and a phone number there. I’ll also need the name of my contact person there, if it’s not the same person with whom I’ve made the original arrangements.
Any other special requirements or requests?
Further Considerations for the Client
Is amplification needed? It can be very nice to hear the acoustic guitar unamplified, and going without amplification makes the set-up easier and less cluttered. But it’s surprising just how quiet an acoustic guitar turns out to be in a room with a few people in it: just a bit of normal conversation is enough to bury the guitar. So in the great majority of cases, amplification will be beneficial. When in doubt, it’s better to set the amplifier up in advance even if it might not be used, since it’s awkward to stop and set it up if it turns out to be needed in the middle of the job. You can count on me to keep the volume at a suitable level and not to blast away in an obtrusive manner. My sound set-up is not big and electronic-looking.
Will you need a microphone for people giving speeches or toasts? You can use my sound system for this purpose if need be. That’ll save you both trouble and money compared to renting one. Let me know in advance if you might want to do this.
Where to put the musician? I play sitting down. I’m pretty flexible about where I’m located when I play, but there are a couple of things you can take into consideration. In addition to the space requirements mentioned above, you can consider traffic flow. Sometimes a spot that seems suitable for placing the musician would actually be better kept open for people passing from one area to another. Another consideration is: where will people want to be; where will they tend to congregate? You might not get the full value of a musician, for instance, if he or she is playing indoors when the weather makes people want to be indoors, or vice verse.
Thanks for considering having me provide the music for your event.
Bart Hopkin | emi@windworld.com | 415 663-9691
PO Box 421, Point Reyes Station CA 94956
