How Much?!! A Guide to Function Band Prices Function Bands For Hire

Have you heard the one about a man who calls an entertainment agency to get a quote for a function band?

The agency rep says:

Off the top of my head, a five piece band will cost about two thousand pounds.

The guy jumps out of his chair exclaiming,

TWO THOUSAND POUNDS!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? FOR MUSIC?!?

The agency rep responds,

Well, let me suggest this. How about you call around and ask for five plumbers to work from six to midnight on a Saturday night. Whatever they charge, the band will work for half.

It’s funny, but it also does a good job highlighting that professional musicians have a real value too. They’ve invested years in becoming fluent in a trade which requires skill and experience, and just like a plumber - you’re relying on them to provide a quality service at a time when it really matters.

Examples of Function Band prices

There's no denying that a good function band is a big investment for any event - but we thought it might be interesting to show you where your money goes when you book a band to provide your wedding entertainment - and how little most musicians actually earn.

Breakdown of costs per gig

Yearly costs averaged per gig, based on a 5 piece function band that plays 50 gigs a year, and charges £2000 per gig including all costs.

Petrol/Diesel - £130
Vehicle maintenance - £35
Vehicle insurance and tax - £30
Equipment purchase - £30
Equipment maintenance - £20
Equipment and public liability insurance - £15
PAT Testing - £5
Food/drinks - £75
Clothing £25
Rehearsal costs £10
Promo Audio & Video Production - £35
Promo Photos - £10
Promo materials - £15
Web site - £10
Phones - £5
Agency fees / marketing costs £300 - £400

Total costs per gig = £750
Total remaining money to be split between band members = £1250
Total earnings per member per gig = £250

Breakdown of time worked per gig

So then we thought it might be good to show you the average amount of time a function band spends working on a single gig.

Rehearsal time (averaged across a year) - 30 minutes
Travel to and from bands meeting point - 60 minutes
Travel to and from gig - 240 minutes
Load in and load out - 60 minutes
Set up, sound check - 90 minutes
Changing time and eating - 60 minutes
Waiting around between set up and performances - 120 minutes
Performance time - 120 minutes

Total time = 12 hours

So - if each member of the band works 12 hours to earn an average of £250, that's about £21 an hour. Considering most function bands can only work a maximum of 85 gigs a year (most functions happen on Saturdays) - then their best hope is an average annual salary from function gigs of around £21,250.

So - the point we'd like to highlight here is that most good function bands are REALLY good value for money - even though they may seem expensive on the face of it. The quality of service you can expect, the hours they put in, and the enthusiasm given to delivering that service - far outweighs what you'd expect for the money each musician will get paid.

Musicians by their nature are not usually money orientated and accept the hardship of a musical career as a trade off for doing something they love. Their passion for playing and performing should never be taken advantage of or undervalued.

Written by Ruthe Graham from Celtica - An exciting, fun and flexible trio performing Celtic, pop, rock, trad and Irish music with a bit of Ceilidh thrown in for good measure!