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Wondering how much a live band would cost ?

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Mrs.soontobealfonzo

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We plan to have an outdoor wedding cermony and reception with a party of about 50, and would love to get a band. anyone get one or know about how much they can run ?
 

ephemery1

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Ours is around $6000 for a 9-piece band... but when we first started looking, I heard everything from $5000 - $13,000. That is in the Philly area though... it may vary depending on where you live.
 

janinegirly

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6K for 9 piece sounds about right and is actually quite reasonable. You will find bands a lot higher than that too, but if you shop around you can find around 700 per piece. For 50ppl, you can go with 5-6pieces. So I think you''re looking at 3-4K (without tips), if you''re willing to shop around. I found that bands that played full time were a great deal more expensive. Ours have full time jobs as well which allows them to be more reasonable in pricing. We have a 6 piece for wedding of 90-100.
 

neatfreak

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Well...my dad who plays in a band as a hobby, says that they won''t leave the house for less than $300/pp. I think that is certainly at the low end however, and it''s a square dance band, so take that to heart too.

I know they certainly play jobs for $1,000 (there are only 3 of them), but it totally depends on how "important" the band thinks they are and also the location.

Depending on what type of music you want, you could consider hiring a college jazz band. Wouldn''t necessarily be as good as a professional group, but they will usually play for a lot less!
 

fatafelice

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My band will be $3000 for 5 musicians, and that includes travel from Nashville to western NC. I thought that was on the high end, but I guess not!

ETA: I didn't know that there was a correlation between number of guests and band size...Can someone explain this to me? my wedding will be about 125 people and now I am worried that my band is too small!
 

janinegirly

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you''re right..there is no real correlation. i guess if people are using huge space then bigger band fills it more.
you''ll be fine.

3000 might be highend for your area, but def not for east coast/ny area. everything is so ridiculously overpriced here!
 

Jas12

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we are paying $1000 for a 4 person band--they are local semi-professional...that''s super cheap, i think we got a deal b/c my mother used to work with the lead singer
 

diamondfan

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not be be funny, but I think a minimum of 5000.00 and up to many tens of thousands. Depends I guess on number of members, how many hours they will play, travel distance, etc...
 

jasper

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In the Seattle area, most professional 4-6 piece bands run between $1,000 and $4,000. (Union scale seems to be about $200 - $300 for each additional performer.) If you want to quickly get a range of prices, you can check with the local musician''s union or booking agency. If your area has a booking agency, the agency''s name will be mentioned on many of the music ads in the local bridal guides.

I wrote a little essay on shopping for a band:
http://talk.theknot.com/boards/User/Profile.aspx?UserID=53792#choosing_a_band

-- Jasper
 
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We paid around $5500 for an 11 piece. And they were awesome!!! New Jersey area. My dad actually talked them down so I would definately try to bargain for it.
 

jcrow

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Date: 3/13/2007 5:27:38 PM
Author: fatafelice
My band will be $3000 for 5 musicians, and that includes travel from Nashville to western NC. I thought that was on the high end, but I guess not!

ETA: I didn''t know that there was a correlation between number of guests and band size...Can someone explain this to me? my wedding will be about 125 people and now I am worried that my band is too small!
i think the more peope attending, the bigger band you can have. we had 100 guests and a 5 member band. perfect imo.
 

Class n Sass

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Jan 14, 2007
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I am actually booking my band any day now. I''m sooo excited because they are sooooo amazing! I just received the contract today and plan to look it over this evening. I''m in NYC and paying close to 6K for a 10 piece. They originally wanted almost twice that amount but I was referred to them by someone and I also talked them down. Good Luck!
 

Trelala

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Jul 12, 2006
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I think gigmasters is a great way to find bands in your area. They even have prices, comments, photos and audio clips.gigmasters

For ppl interested in hiring an opera singer, operabase is a good place to start. OperaBase

Just for fun
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A dishy young American tenor, for example, can cost as little as $300 for a 45-minute performance in your own home. “La Traviata” in your garden, with a professional cast of 20, costumes, stage and pianist, starts at around $10,000, not including travel costs. Bagging today’s hot soprano—say, Cecilia Bartoli—will cost between $15,000 to $25,000, depending on the event. Getting Luciano Pavarotti for your party might be dicey, but a good lead-time, a cheque for $30,000 and a fully stocked fridge would certainly put you in the running.

From The Economist
 

dani13

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Nov 12, 2004
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We are having a 9 piece band- and are paying around $7500 for them to play at the cocktail hr and reception (NY area). That is around the going rate in my area for a band that size.
 
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