We discovered that one of the 15 upcoming wedding trends that’s changing everything is “live bands over DJs”.
We’ve always known that a live band is the way to go, and not because we happen to be biased, but because we have heard so many times that live music brings things to LIFE.
You rarely hear how the wedding reception was so incredible, that the rendition the DJ did of some song was perfect, however, you do hear that the band kept people dancing, and covered songs in a way that a person loved even better than the original artist.
Nothing against DJs, they are certainly handy in specific situations, but in almost ALL situations, bands leave a lasting impression on your attendees.
Let’s talk about booking Hot As A Pepper for your wedding reception, and how we can customize the experience to suit your every need.
We are available in SC, TN, GA, NC and surrounding areas in addition to our home of Upstate / Greenville, SC.
Here’s the 15 upcoming trends article for you to read:
Some find themselves experiencing a bit of sticker shock when a band tells them the cost of the event will be $3000, when a DJ quoted them $800.
So why IS it so costly to hire a band or musician for your event? This is a long one, grab a drink.
Equipment Investment:
A band not only has to invest in the same speakers and amps (or larger) that a DJ might use for the audience to hear their show, but they also have to invest into a monitor system which is what the band uses to hear themselves. The band also has to invest into a mixing console with more inputs, instruments and instrument stage amplifiers. This could mean while a DJ has as little as a couple thousand dollars invested, a band might have $50,000 or more on their stage!
Also, a DJ might have some dance floor lights, while a band may have some dance floor lighting and stage lighting to illuminate the members so you can see them.
Personnel:
A DJ has a clear advantage here. Having less equipment means that it could be a one-man-show. He/she could be setup and ready to go in as little as 15 minutes!
A band may have to arrive 2 to 2.5 hours before the show in order to get setup, get a proper sound check, and then get changed and ready to perform. However, that’s not really the start of the labor involved. The band will have to load all that gear into their vehicles, a trailer/van/bus, and drive to the location. Then at the end of the night, they may remain at the venue for up to an hour tearing down and loading out their gear, then driving it to where it is kept.
Let’s examine a typical show. Band meets at 2pm and loads up gear, drives to the venue for a 4pm load-in. They then setup their gear and get a sound check and changed into show clothes for a 7pm performance. The performance lasts from 7pm to 10pm, and the band tears down and leaves by 11pm, and finally unloads at their studio or storage location and heads for home by 1am. That’s an 11 hour day. BUT WAIT! That’s not all, that’s 11 hours times how ever many band members and staff that are involved. In the case of Hot As A Pepper, that would be 6 to 9 people. or up to NINETY-NINE MAN HOURS.
A band usually has sound and lighting techs which make them sound or look their best, so they can concentrate on playing their best. That adds to the number of people involved, and the man hours of labor.
A musician in a band might have an 11 hour day for your 3 hour event!
Add to that a few scenarios such as when the band MUST SET UP by 1pm for a 6pm show because the photos are being taken at the venue, or there is a cocktail reception before the band plays. This could add many hours to the entire band’s investment in time. They cannot setup and leave their gear, nor can they do anything else to make money while their gear is tied up at that venue.
Before your show, it is likely that you requested several special songs, let’s assume 3 songs that the band doesn’t normally play. A musician might learn their part for 3 songs in as little as an hour, while more complicated songs might take several hours. Then the band must come together and rehearse them as one unit. Let’s assume 2 hours to learn them, and 2 hours to rehearse with the band, times 7…. 28 additional hours invested.
Let’s take the numbers from above, where the band invested 99 hours into a show, change the setup time to 2pm so the band can be out of the way by 5pm to allow for a cocktail and dinner hour, which adds 18 more man hours, then add the 28 man hours to learn special songs. If my math is correct, that is 145 man hours.
At the minimum wage that people are pushing for of $15/hr, that would be $2175 in pure labor!
Each musician invests into their gear and clothing, and a huge investment is made in learning their craft, which might take years. The songs they play took hundreds of hours to work up, again, times however many musicians are performing them.
A band has to have rehearsal space, which may cost them monthly.
A band may be losing 20% or more to a booking agency, right off the top.
A band may have to buy additional insurance, and for a whole lot more than a DJ.
There are meals involved during the day, and guitar strings, sax reeds and batteries for various devices.
Some bands are fortunate enough to have a van and a trailer, where all people ride in one vehicle, while others might use their personal vehicles, meaning even more investment in gas and maintenance.
So just how much do the band members make? Yeah, that’s a lot less than you might think!
Taking a $3000 wedding event which was booked through an agency as an example, we immediately lose 20%. Then we take out expenses for fuel or vehicle needs, assuming a trailer rental, and gas of $100 and let’s assume the client pays with a credit card, and we lose 3% additional (90 bucks). That’s 2210 left. If we have a single sound person, we might give them $200, which means only $2010 remains.
For this example, the band will have 7 members, and they each get an equal cut, in addition to the sound system getting an equal cut, so they can maintain it… $2010 divided by 8 is $251.25.
Each member shows invests 12 hours into prep, driving, playing, loading, etc.
That looks like each member gets $21/hr! Not bad. No no, wait…. What about taxes? If they are reporting this income, they might lose 30% in taxes, taking it down to 14.70/hr.
And yet they invested money into lunch, and maybe Waffle House afterwards (maybe dinner if that wasn’t included in the rider for the event), fuel in their personal vehicle, strings/sticks/reeds/batteries. That could run into the 25 dollar range or more.
Pay – taxes – expenses could look more like $12.50 an hour or less. Maybe much less, especially if something goes horribly wrong, like a shirt getting ripped, or a damaged instrument.
The next time you think bands are getting rich and that their rates are outrageous, consider some of the above and you might understand that you are likely getting one heck of a great deal when a music group performs for you.
Try calling in a handful of plumbers, computer techs or HVAC techs to work for you for half the day, and compare that bill with a band!
If you would like a quote for Hot As A Pepper live music entertainment, let us know! We would be happy to play your wedding reception, high school reunion, wedding anniversary party, corporate event, festival or venue! Use our CONTACT FORM and we will get back to you quickly. Or feel free to give us a call at 864.979.1224.
What’s the advantage of hiring “Hot As A Pepper” over a DJ?
1. UNIQUE – there’s nothing unique in the music you already have on your iPod or CD. The artistry and talent that world class musicians bring to their performance is priceless, and becoming more rare all the time. Live solos on guitar, keyboards, bass and drums won’t happen with a DJ. Not to mention the Vocal interaction of a Front man during a song getting everyone involved with the song!
2. CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY – in real time, when they have to, live bands can extend, shorten, re-arrange, vamp, transpose pitch, modify tempo, and alter lyrics of songs to fit requests and respond to “spur of the moment” dance situations. Sometimes these tools literally save the day. DJ’s can’t do these things.
3. MEMORABILITY – a phenomenal, live performance will be talked about for many years, especially when they keep an entire audience engaged for hours. But who will remember a DJ after a month?
4. ENERGY & EXCITEMENT – most people rarely, if ever get to experience the raw energy and excitement of a sizzling, live performance up close and personal and when they do, they hit the dance floor with passion from the get go. But the DJ; standing at the table, rarely moves
5. ENTERTAINMENT VALUE – how entertaining is it to watch someone wearing headphones and pushing buttons?
6. COST – a DJ may save you money, or will he/she? You will likely spend $200-$750 for a DJ – But that’s just for one or two persons. A reputable live band will run $500-$1,500, but that’s for 4-5 talented musicians and a show! Comparatively, that’s a very good value.
7. REPERTOIRE – the Hot As A Pepper song list is adaptable – it allows us to pace the crowd and engage the crowd with relatable songs for the moment! A live band is not necessarily limited in what they can play. Everything we play, we make our own. If that means staying true to the original – we do that… but if it means dressing it up for fun, we can do that!
8. COMPLETE PACKAGE – if there’s any song(s) the band doesn’t currently do that you want, You can request it us to play on mp3/CD. So with our live band, you have absolutely everything!
Every non-profit organization has a special event that could be a perfect opportunity to hire a band for entertainment or background music purposes. Larger organizations may have many events per year and sometimes, the event coordinator has no idea how to go about hiring a band. They might even opt for a DJ, or even worse, plug an iPod into a PA system.
If the expected event is large enough, in terms of potential attendees, and the venue itself can support it, then by all means, consider a band. A band adds personality as well as entertainment. There is no comparison to canned music when it comes to energy level, a band will win hands-down, every single time!
Let’s assume you know that your charity event is going to be outdoors and there will be 100 plus people… How do you find the right band for this event and more importantly, how do you get them booked?
A google search for “hire a band for greenville charity event” or “book a band in spartanburg sc for chairty event” may turn up a few options, maybe even “Hot As A Pepper” will show up, however, you go calling the first 3 bands that show up. Do some research on each group first.
What type of music do these bands play?
Is the music well suited to your event and crowd?
Is this a professional band or a “jam band”?
Does this band perform charity events?
You don’t want to book a country party band into your formal event any more than you want to book a stuffy suit-clad horn band into your outdoor party atmosphere. Find the right band for the event.
Assuming your search turned up a few choices, and you narrowed it down to the bands that fit the occasion, determine if this is going to be a band you can trust to perform in a way that reflects upon your gathering in a positive manner. A “jam band” may be perfect if we’re talking about a street fair, or even if many bands are involved, but if the celebration is a fund raiser and the band is considered an integral part of the day or evening activities, then you probably want to set your sights on a professional band.
Why a professional band? Because they are more likely to plan ahead, show up on time, setup equipment in an orderly manner and even have better equipment and possibly lighting. A audio technician who will help get a proper mix and control the volume will be involved. And they can put on a show, where the songs will flow without long 2 minute pauses (or more) between every song.
A professional band will work with you to insure every detail is covered, such as providing a mic for announcements or awards to be given out.
Now, the downside to a professional band: Professionals generally expect to get paid, because music may be their only or primary source of income, and they have invested much of their life into being the best they can be at their career choice, no different than you. A band’s investment in instruments, sound system and lighting systems may run into the hundreds of thousands, and at the very least, into the tens of thousands.
It is for this reason that some bands refuse to do charity gigs. It’s not that they don’t WANT to help, it is just that it costs so much in time, money and liability to perform one gig.
Let’s say you have need for a band for an awards ceremony for your non-profit organization, where you want to have dancing after the awards for two hours. For a five person band to play two hours, here’s a rough idea of their side of it.
Before gig:
1 hour spent organizing the event, getting details with you
1 hour arranging songs for the event into set lists
1 hour spent discussing clothing and gear with the band
Day of gig:
1 hour spent loading gear and driving to your event
1 hour for setup of sound system and sound check
2 hours spent waiting for time to play
2 hours playing
1 hour waiting to tear down while people disperse
1 hours spent tearing down and driving home
1 hour spent setting gear back up or storing away
That doesn’t seem like much, only 3 hours planning and 9 hours on the day of the gig. But wait. There are 5 band members. Which means that there will likely be 50+ man hours involved in a two hour gig, not taking into consideration any assistants which will be used. Add another 4 man hours for a sound or lighting technician.
These numbers are on the high side. I have seen many 2 hour gigs take only 20 man-hours, but they didn’t require lighting, or excessive PA setups.
Add to this the fact that each member of the band has to get there, meaning they have to meet to load gear, then drive or ride to the location, putting miles on their vehicles and burning gas to do it. And meals have to be considered because you don’t go all day without eating, and of course fast food costs money.
A band will invest 100 dollars in food, drinks and gas to play your two hour event without a doubt. Even more if they have helpers in attendance or bring family members to help.
Then there is wear and tear on instruments, and the increased risk that a 2,000 dollar guitar can get damaged, or the mixing console, the tools that permit the musician to work. Every time something is moved, it gets scuffed, or it rips a seat in the musicians car.
Most guitarists are changing their strings every few gigs, so there could be an investment for 20 dollars are more just in strings for a few guitars.
Sometimes, a band member has to take off time from their paying job to play a gig, which could cost them 50 dollars or more.
Add this all up and it is easy to see why a band may not want to do your charity event.
Don’t hate them for this. It is not that they are cold-hearted, it may be that they simply can’t afford to play without compensation.
So how do you book a band for your charity event if you have no budget to provide compensation and the band tells you they don’t play for free? Consider making the offer of 100 dollars per person to cover their costs.
It might not be what they normally play for, but it sure beats the band going into debt to help out a great cause. Remember, when a band or its members go into debt to help your charity cause, they only get a “good feeling” out of it. They can’t write off the scratch on their PRS guitar on taxes as a charitable contribution.
When striking up the conversation for the first time with the band’s booking agent, explain that you have a charity event that has no money budgeted for entertainment, however, you may be able to make some compensation. That may hold their attention longer. And remember, booking agents are paid a commission, so your offer of free food means nothing to that person.
If you do need a band for your charity or non-profit event here in Spartanburg, Greenville, Anderson or around the Upstate of South Carolina, Hot As A Pepper will work with you to provide the professional level of entertainment that you desire. Give us a call at 864-979-1224 and let’s talk about it.
We discovered that one of the 15 upcoming wedding trends that’s changing everything is “live bands over DJs”.