Let’s talk Fee negotiation for musicians. Picture this: you’ve contacted the concert presenter by email. You’ve introduced yourself and your music with a compelling pitch for a program — and it a great match for the venue and series. You waited a week.
Then you sent a follow up email and called. The presenter had a few questions. And she’s interested—YAY!
But one of the questions is “What’s your fee?”
UGH.
This is the part that most musicians dread: talking about money. I know, it’s uncomfortable. But there’s good news, I promise. If you do a little homework in advance, and practice with a mentor or coach, and get your mindset focused on the positive, then this can be A LOT EASIER.
Tips for better negotiating
It helps to remember your ultimate goal is to make terrific music for an engaged audience. And the presenter’s goal is to provide terrific performances that engage her / his audiences. So you share the same goals ultimately.
Negotiating should be problem solving to find a good solution where both parties get what the important goals met. The mindset you want to operate from is “let’s see how we can work this out.”
Watch the mind traps
If instead of problem solving you think of a fee negotiation as a confrontation and feel that the presenter is trying to “win” by cheating you, it will only hurting your chances of building your reputation and your career. My guess is that you’d like to be booked not just this once but repeatedly. So think of a negotiation as part of a relationship you are cultivating for the long-term.
When a presenter or gig client offers an amount for your performance, it’s not that they are saying, “This is what I think you are worth as an artist or as a human being.” What they’re more likely saying is, “This is what I’m hoping will work for you because it’s what fits my budget.”
Could they pay more? Maybe. Can you get them to pay more? Possibly.
It depends on how you negotiate.
Keep in mind that the budget the presenter is working with is not her or his own money. This is a business transaction. So keep focused on the problem solving and leave your emotional issues around money (we all have these) parked at the curb.
But be honest with yourself about how important the money is (or isn’t) in terms of validating your self worth. Tying one’s self-esteem to the fees paid for performances is a losing battle.
Best Alternatives
Former Artist Manager Barbara Raney suggests, “If you can’t get the fee you want, ask the presenter if they can make it up in in-kind services, such as meals, or transportation.” Presenters may be able to offer discount lodging or accommodations at a home of a board member or contributor. In the end, you’ll need to weigh the benefits of doing the performance (the exposure and experience) against the costs, to determine your acceptable fee.
And presenters often have a board of trustees or a programming committee to satisfy. So a presenter may need to get approval before making a firm offer for a booking. This can take several weeks, especially with colleges and university presenters. Musicians need to be patient through the process.
Anatomy of a negotiation
If the booking emails and or phone conversation is going well, the presenter may bring up the question of your fee, either suggesting a fee or asking what your fee is.
Do your homework
If you know people who have performed on this series, ask them what kind of fee range this series offers. If you’ve looked at the roster of artists form past seasons and don’t know any of them, you may need to go on your best guess.
Many smaller community series have limited budgets. Libraries and community centers may pay $500-$1,000 with little or nothing extra for transportation or lodging. But these series can be the best kind to get started with, to build a fan base and gain local or regional media attention. Presenters of larger concert series may pay emerging solo artists $1,000-$3,000 and ensembles a total of $2,000-$5,000 per performance.
Know your bottom line
To determine whether or not a fee is acceptable, calculate the total expenses you anticipate for this performance (your accompanist fees, travel, any lodging costs.) Once you know the costs involved, you’re in a better position to accept or decline the performance date offer. Figure out the lowest fee that would still make this gig possible for you and don’t agree to anything lower than it.
Are there times when performing on a series for little or no fee may be worth it? Maybe. If you’re looking to gain more performance experience and if the series is well promoted, attracts a large following, and/or the concerts are regularly reviewed—these may be reasons for you to consider accepting. Or if the opportunity allows you to sell your recordings at the performance, or the acoustics are amazing and you have the opportunity to record the concert and dress rehearsal—it may be worthwhile to do the performance. So it all depends. Think beyond the fee and see what else might make this a good deal.
Who’s on first?
In negotiating fees, the saying is he who names a number first loses. This is because the person doesn’t know what the other party was either prepared to pay or to accept (and she or he may therefore have lost money in the deal).
So it’s always best if you can get the presenter to name a possible fee or indicate their budget range first. You can say, “Can you give me a sense of what your typical fee range is?”
But if the presenter declines and asks what your fee is, be prepared to say something like:
“My (or our) usual fee is _____” and then PAUSE ! . . . [Don’t fill the silence!]
Wait a beat or two for the presenter to react. She or he may say, “That’s fine” or
“Oh, we can’t pay that much” or “That’s a little steep for our budget.”
After they react, then you can say (if you are willing to negotiate) “. . . I’m willing to work with you on this” or “I can be somewhat flexible.”
And say, “What is the budget range you had in mind for this?”
The idea to convey is that you are reasonable, that you want to work as a team with the presenter to help make the series successful, and that you’re easy to work with. Think long term. Remember, it is not about booking one particular gig. It’s about building a professional relationship with a presenter who can potentially book you again and recommend you to others.
One thing I can absolutely promise is that the more booking pitches you send and the more follow up calls you do, the better your odds will be of getting booked. And the more negotiating of fees you do, the better you’ll get at getting better fees.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained: so go for it!
Food for thought: Think about your last negotiation: whether it was for where to go to dinner or where to spend the holidays or your most recent raise. What would you like to have done differently? Noticing what you want to change is the first step to making it happen!
Find more negotiation help HERE.
And for more tips see Stanford Business School faculty member Margaret Neale has a terrific video on negotiation (24:35).
Here’s looking at you,
Dream Big, Plan Smart. Live Well!
