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Paid to Perform: How Easy is it?

Step-by-step on how to get paid for gigs.

By Holly MorwennaPublished 7 years ago 6 min read
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Model/Performer: Holly Morwenna Photography: Richie Bolgiani 

Are you that person who sits in their bedroom on a screen, learning their favourite song on guitar while shyfully mumbling the lyrics? Or maybe, you record your own original music in your room, write a ton of lyrics but never have any opportunities to show the world, other than a cheeky 10 second post to social media? A musician is someone who plays an instrument; But a performer, is someone who performs their talent. In this article, I will show you how you can be fairly paid for your hobby, and make it your sideline job.

I began singing at a young age with the mindset of 'I want to be a Singer'. I knew that whatever happened in my life I would always enjoy and wish to be creating and performing music. I am now 19, write my own songs, perform weekly, play guitar and piano and study a degree in Commercial Music.

I will here list some important steps to setting out into the gigging scene, and then move onto how you can be earning up to £200 per hour, JUST TO PERFORM!

1. GETTING OUT THERE

So this sounds easy, right? But where do you begin? Getting yourself out there and known in your area is so important if you want to be getting regular and preferably paid gigs. Set up a Facebook page, twitter page etc all dedicated to your music, so you can post relevant posts about upcoming shows and post snippets and photos of your progress in becoming an artist! Get a photo shoot or some pictures of you posing with your instrument for social media too! Another good tip is get some business cards with your contact details and social media links so people can search you easily at gigs. These are great to hand out when you have a confusing name to spell!

2. OPEN MIC NIGHTS

These are events at pubs which allow anyone to perform a couple of songs. Many people are there for a laugh and a pint, therefore the pressure is non-existent and it is an easy way to practice performing to audiences if you haven't already. Get up and play at your local open mic night and see how people respond to your performance! If they like it - keep going! If they say nothing - they're probably shy (or really drunk)...

3. LEARN SONGS

Building up a repertoire of songs is important for those restaurant and pub gigs. Songs people know! Remember that. Always listen to new music in the charts, learn Justin Bieber's new song because the kids like it, or learn a classic Beatles song just because everyone loves the Beatles. Listen to song suggestions from friends and write a list of all the songs you know well. Try to aim for 2-2.5 hours of music.

4. BUSKING

Your local city or town is the best place to busk, as it is busy and has a constant audience on the streets. Busking is a great way to get yourself out there, practice your skills and also get some money too! Get yourself a decent microphone (Shure SM58 £80) and a little busking amp (Roland Cube £100) and off you go. You can busk without the equipment, but it sounds more pro when it's coming through a mini amp blasting through the streets. Make sure you are allowed to busk in the spot you've picked and if not - Google your town or city to see if you need a license which are easy to get (just send the council an email). Have your business cards out while busking and people may even contact you to play a gig!

5. YOUTUBE

Again, social media is a MUST. Film yourself on your phone to start with (or a camera and mic if you have one) and upload it to YouTube on your musician's profile. Begin by doing well-known covers and remember to add tags !! Post these YouTube links on your Facebook and twitter so more people can see and your views will begin to increase. By having your own online portfolio, it means you can send links to people hoping to book you and you can apply for festivals!

6. HANDOUT YOUR BUSINESS CARDS/CONTACT VENUES

To start with, you want gigs that already have an audience. There is no point you booking out a stadium when you haven't got a following or a status. By gigging in local pubs and restaurants, even local festivals, means EXPOSURE. For the first year of your performing career, say yes to every gig paid or unpaid because when you post it to social media it looks like you're doing something. It shows you're busy and it's all experience. Once you've done around a year or 2 of taking most gig opportunities you can then afford to be picky and take the gigs offering money or better exposure. By contacting restaurants or handing your card to them at the desk means they now know of you and can contact you when they have live music events. Most pay around £40-£100 for 2 hours of music (so get learning those covers!!). Emailing or Facebooking a venue is a good idea too, but face-to-face is always quicker and shows you've put more effort in! Playing covers is usually what they ask for but I always whack in an original one, and they often appreciate it!

7. WEDDINGS

Now people may see you busking or at a restaurant playing and ask you to sing at their wedding... how much do you charge? Weddings are the most special day and the performances need to be sleek and on point. Performing at a high standard is vital and with the pressure of performing such a formal and important event, it means the prices can be raised as you are showing you can deliver excellence. For your first ever wedding you can't expect to be paid £3k because that just wouldn't happen with no experience unless they were minted and you were lucky! The first 5 weddings you do, should each increase in price slightly starting at around £100 for 2 hours of music. Once you have performed at over 10 or so over a couple of years your prices can reflect your experience and expertise. You can then begin to offer a fee of £190-£270 for 2 hours of wedding music. 4 of these a month and you'll be earning a solid extra £800 on top of your monthly wages and a little tip from me: Put 50% of your musical earnings into a music savings pot so you can buy that really nice guitar you've had your eyes on all year...

And there you go, 7 easy steps to earning money with your music!

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About the Creator

Holly Morwenna

I am a singer songwriter, aged 19 studying Music at university in the U.K.

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