Badly Under-Compensated Overworked Artist

Are You an Underpaid but Overworked Artist?

Are you an under-compensated overworked artist? If you are in the circle of musicians that live off performing in gigs and events, then you probably have heard the following concerns.

  • Low paying clients.
  • Clients who think you should be paid free to perform.
  • People not paying musicians properly for their service.
  • Event organizers or coordinators do not appropriately treat you.

These are only a few of the issues that musicians and artists have to face now and then.

Here are the following things you should consider when hiring a musician or an artist.

More importantly, music lessons are expensive!

Money Spent On Their Education

Education is a very important factor to consider when hiring a musician. Music education can be formal or informal. What do we mean by that?

Formal music education is studying in conservatories or attending seminars, workshops, and music lessons. Informally educated musicians are those who learn mostly by actually making music and performing.

Regardless, both fields are essential to consider when hiring them. Musicians spent money and time learning their craft.

Rehearsal Time and Space preparing for the event

Clients and event organizers should consider rehearsal space rentals and time spent by musicians. They need to practice, and they practice a lot! They want to give your event a pretty darn good show.

Therefore, they need to practice, and they do it a lot. Not all of them have rehearsal space. Some of them are paying for the space to do their rehearsals.

Imagine spending more money on rehearsal space than the amount you receive from performing – absolutely ridiculous.

Food During Rehearsals

I don’t know about you, but I spent money on food. Practicing with an empty stomach is not a good practice at all. Especially if you are working with a group of musicians or maybe an orchestra. They need to feed or else there is less energy in the rehearsals.

It may not always be that you have to feed an entire team during practice, but now and then you do need to feed them. Musicians go the extra mile when you feed them well, remember that!

Artists need to be valued and compensated – properly.

Transportation Expenses

Musicians travel – that’s it. They pay for it. First, to meet clients. That could be more than twice. Second, rehearsal transportation is a real thing, and it costs money! The more rehearsals they do, the better the performance, the more consideration need to pay for transportation.

Outfit – Pay for their looks.

Most often, you would want to hire musicians who look presentable. For significant events, they need to dress appropriately. For some, it means the need to rent a gown or something grand for the event. Outfit requires money, event organizers or clients should take into consideration the fact that their fee should cover such expenses.

The gravity of the performance.

Some clients would want you to perform an absurd thirty to a hundred songs for a fraction of the cost. I am just exaggerating, but the point is, sometimes we are an underpaid and overworked artist. Misunderstanding is sometimes due to the lack of clarity of the transaction.

If the required performance is quite taxing for the performer, then the least a client or organizer can do to compensate should be to raise the talent fee.

Under-compensated overworked artist no more.

Quality is synonymous with a good paycheck. Talents and outstanding artists, when compensated properly, thrives. When clients and organizers get excellent performances, they get good business. When everybody is well taken care of, the community grows.

Let us all take into consideration the benefits of helping each other. This article is not to condemn but to educate. To avoid seeing an underpaid but overworked artist.

So, the next time you get to be asked to perform for a price. Educate and negotiate.

  • Correct… Hopefully we have the same thinking to other group of musicians.. Di yong ok lang kahit underpaid basta may gig haha…