# How Much Should Your Band Charge for a Show? > Pricing your band is one of the most uncomfortable conversations in music. Charge too little and you lose money. Charge too much and you do not get booked. Here is how to figure out what to ask for — and how to negotiate it without damaging the relationship. Source: https://band.social/blog/how-much-should-your-band-charge-for-a-show Published: 2026-08-19 Tags: Booking, Money --- A useful fee starts with the cost of playing, the audience you can realistically bring and the terms of the offer. Work out your minimum before negotiating so you can compare different deals on the same basis. ## Understand the Common Deal Types Before you can name a price, you need to know what kind of deal you are being offered. There are three main structures: ### Flat Guarantee The venue or promoter pays you a fixed fee regardless of how many people show up. It is predictable and limits your downside if the night is quiet. Confirm when and how it will be paid. ### Door Split You receive an agreed share of ticket revenue. Ask whether the split applies to gross ticket sales or to net receipts after tax, ticketing fees, production costs or an agreed venue charge. Ask who pays support acts and when the settlement is calculated. For example, 50 tickets at €10 bring in €500 gross. If €100 in agreed deductions comes out first and the remaining €400 is split 70/30, the band's share is €280 before its own costs. The same percentage on gross sales would be €350. Put the calculation in writing. ### Guarantee vs. Percentage A hybrid deal gives you a minimum payment plus an agreed share above a threshold. Confirm whether the percentage replaces the guarantee once it is higher, or is paid on top of it; both structures exist. Work through a ticket-sales example with the promoter before accepting. ## How to Price Yourself Your fee should reflect two things: your draw and your costs. ### Know Your Draw How many people will come specifically to see you? Be honest. A band that can reliably bring 50 people to a 150-cap room has real leverage. A band that brings 10 does not — yet. Your fee should match your actual pull, not your ambition. ### Know Your Costs Before you agree to any deal, add up what the show costs you: travel, accommodation if it is out of town, parking, food, any gear hire. Subtract your direct show costs from the expected payment. A negative result means the band is funding the show; decide together whether any non-financial goal justifies that choice. [Band Social's expenses tracker](/features) makes it easy to log costs per show so you always know your real break-even. ## Work Out Your Break-Even Imagine a local show with €90 travel, €40 rehearsal or equipment hire and €20 parking. Direct costs total €150. A €200 guarantee leaves €50 before member pay, tax and other overhead. If the offer is a door split, calculate how many paid tickets you need to reach at least €150 after all agreed deductions. This gives you a minimum; it does not tell you what your time or audience is worth. ## What to Charge at Different Stages - **Starting out:** Door split or a small guarantee (enough to cover travel). Focus on building draw, not maximising fee. - **Established local act:** Ask for a guarantee that covers direct costs and reflects your draw and time. Compare recent offers from similar acts in your city instead of relying on a universal price range. - **Regional draw:** Negotiate a guarantee that reflects the value you bring. If you are selling tickets, you have leverage — use it. These are rough guides. Every market is different. Talk to other bands at your level in your city to get a realistic sense of what is normal. ## How to Negotiate Without Burning the Relationship Most promoters expect some negotiation. The key is to be direct, reasonable, and easy to work with. - State your fee clearly and explain it briefly — "We need to cover travel from [city], so we need at least [amount and currency] to make this work." - If they cannot meet your number, ask what they can offer and decide from there. Sometimes a lower fee at the right venue is worth it for the exposure or the relationship. - Do not accept a deal you will resent. If the numbers do not work, it is better to say no politely than to play and feel exploited. ## Get It in Writing Even a short email confirmation — date, venue, payment terms and timing, ticket price, agreed deductions, set time and load-in time — protects both sides. It is not about distrust; it is about making sure everyone is on the same page before the night. ## Raise Your Rate as Your Draw Grows Your fee should go up as your audience grows. If you are consistently selling out rooms or bringing strong numbers, revisit your rate. Use reliable ticket sales and show results to support the conversation, and be prepared for different budgets at different venues. ## How Band Social Helps Enter past show fees and related expenses, then review the per-show net result before quoting a new date. You can take an actual cost figure into the negotiation and compare a proposed guarantee with what similar shows cost your band. [Explore Band Social’s Booking features](/features/booking).