The Manhattan Transfer

Questions and comments about The Manhattan Transfer.

Test

hey steve,

great to hear your doing alot of different things. i wanted to know, if it's not too personal to ask, what sort of money are we talking about when you do tours with Manhattan, and Scofield? if you can't answer exact amounts, an estimate would be great.No body seems to want to talk about how much money musos should get. ie what would you get for a tour with Scofield? thounsands, 10's of thousands? how about sessions? i know it varies quite considerably depending what the situation is. Any insight into the finances of a muso would greatly appreciated. i wanted to know for my own personal benefit. so i don't undercut myself. do you just accept what is being offered?

Thank Hassy,
hope you can help.
Cvitan Barac

I know it's kind of personal, but it's a fantastic question. This is something not talked about enough in drum magazines. It seems that musicians are very cautious about talking salary. Why? I have nothing to hide when it comes to this. Of course I will not talk exact figures on a message board, but I do believe it's healthy to know the facts.

First know what it is that you bring to the table. Is it something easily found in someone else? What level of musicianship do you play on?
This helps you know what you're worth as a drummer. Second, how long have you been in a particular scene? If you're new, no matter how good you are, you have to work your way up.

Once you have reached a decent career altitude you can then gauge what your value is. Don't aim too low and don't aim too high. Unless of course what you bring to the table is SO valuable to the artist that you actually have a chance on making something outrageous. By today's standards, a great drummer touring with internationally known acts, regardless of genre should be making anywhere from $3,000-$10,000 weekly. As far as I know, this is the payscale. Some musicians DO make less and more.

As far as what I bring in, all I can say is that the people I work for are very gracious. Of course, leaders will not always offer you what you think you deserve, you have to ask for it. I try to be fair with my pricing. I think I make a great living playing music. No complaints here. HA! Bottom line is if you're happy, you're doing fine.

Sessions are another story. It's a sliding scale. For major label sessions I usually earn a minimum of triple union scale. This also depends on if I'm making loops and playing percussion in addition to drums. Again not every session is the same. If I know it's a radio music project for Atlantic Records and it will bring in plenty of revenue, I will charge accordingly.
For independent sessions, I base my pricing on the amount of time the project will take, how much I want to work with them, and what their budget is. I try to come up with a fair figure.

You can look up union rates online on the American Federation Of Musicians website.

[ November 04, 2006 04:14 AM: Message edited by: STEVEHASS ]

[ November 04, 2006 04:18 AM: Message edited by: STEVEHASS ]

Music is and always has been, a sliding scale. If you're not Steve Hass then you can't expect to be paid like Steve Hass. Dues must be paid, and great gigs must be had.