Estimate a fair gig quote by event type, band size, hours, and travel — a starting number you can price up from.
A starting point, not a market quote — rates swing a lot by region, demand, and your draw. Treat the low end as a floor and charge more if you can fill the room.
A common starting point is a per-musician, per-hour rate that rises with the event: bar and club gigs sit lowest, private parties higher, and weddings and corporate events highest because expectations, prep, and reliability all go up. Multiply that rate by your number of musicians and hours of playing time, add travel, and you have a baseline quote. This calculator does that math — but your local market, demand, and how many people you draw matter just as much.
Many working cover bands land somewhere around $100–150 per musician for a typical bar night of two to three sets, though it ranges widely by city and draw. If you reliably pack the room, charge toward the top of your range or negotiate a cut of the door. Use the bar/club setting above as a floor, not a ceiling.
Weddings command the highest rates because they're high-stakes, all-day commitments with learning requests, formal wear, and zero margin for error. Full wedding bands often run into the thousands, well above a bar gig for the same hours. Set the calculator to 'Wedding' for a higher starting estimate, then adjust for your experience, size, and package.
Yes, for anything beyond your normal local radius. Add a flat travel fee to cover fuel, time, and wear — and for far or overnight gigs, factor in lodging separately. The travel field above adds straight to your quote.
Yes, and there's no signup. It's a starting-point estimate, not financial advice — always price for your own market. Once you agree on a fee, you can split it fairly across the band (after costs, tips, and taxes) with our free pay-split calculator, or manage the whole gig in Bandloop.