Why Your Unsigned Band Needs to Get Better at Asking for Money
Wanting to build a career from music doesn’t mean you have to apologise for charging
9/23/20262 min read
Money can be an uncomfortable subject for an unsigned band.
You’ll happily spend hundreds or thousands of pounds recording music, buying equipment, travelling to gigs and producing merchandise. But when somebody asks how much you charge to play, suddenly everyone gets awkward.
"Whatever you normally pay bands is fine."
Sometimes that's appropriate. Sometimes accepting a gig for little or no money genuinely makes sense because the opportunity is valuable. But if that becomes your default response, being in a band can quickly become very expensive.
Start by knowing what gigs actually cost you.
Imagine four band members driving 100 miles to play a show. There’s fuel, parking, potentially food and perhaps rehearsal costs beforehand. Add everything together and that "great opportunity" might actually cost the band £100 before you've played a note.
That doesn't automatically mean you should turn it down. It does mean you should know what you're agreeing to.
When a promoter approaches you, there's nothing wrong with asking what the fee is. You don't need to be confrontational about it. A simple "Sounds great - what budget do you have for the band?" is perfectly reasonable.
The same applies when you're offered "exposure".
Exposure can have genuine value. Supporting a well-matched touring band in front of 300 potential fans might be worth doing for very little money. Playing a corporate event for free because somebody promises it'll be "good exposure" is a very different proposition.
Ask what you're actually getting in return.
Who will be there? How many tickets normally sell? Will you be promoted? Are expenses covered? Can you sell merchandise? Is there a realistic opportunity for something useful to come from the performance?
Once you start asking those questions, vague promises become much easier to evaluate.
Merchandise is another area where bands often undervalue themselves. Don't automatically price everything as cheaply as possible because you're worried nobody will buy it. Work out what each item actually costs, factor in the things that didn't sell and leave yourself a sensible margin.
Fans buying your merch aren't donating to charity. They're buying something because they like your band and want to own it.
The same principle applies to CDs, vinyl, private performances and anything else your band sells.
None of this means squeezing every penny from your supporters or refusing every unpaid opportunity. Particularly at the beginning, there will be gigs worth playing simply because they're fun, useful or put you in front of the right people.
The important thing is making those decisions deliberately.
An unsigned band costs money to run. If you eventually want the band to become financially sustainable, somebody has to become comfortable talking about money.
You don't need to become ruthless businesspeople.
You simply need to stop feeling guilty about putting a value on what you do.