talkmagic.co.uk

I read the latest sticky about becoming a pro and it was interesting and well thought out, the comments generated also as such.
I would be interested to have the views < and yes this is an old nut, of talk magic peeps on the following,
There are a couple of magicians in the area that are regularly getting work, but are charging ridiculous rates,, im not talking hundreds here, but sadly , for example,, two hours close up magic at a 5oth birthday party, quoted at £50. yes fifty quid !!! now personally i find that insulting to fellow professionals and myself. their arguement is,, well its fifty quid i wouldnt otherwise have had!
to me this shows contempt for fellow pros, and also for themselves, it also undermines them in the long run as they will never be more than a fifty quid magician,,
perhaps other people might like to comment, offer advice,, contradict me , show me where im wrong,, all views ,except rude ones , greatfully received.
al

That is so low and i would not never insult other entertainers or the art by charging such a low sum of money. If i have a local gig that is mid week then i sometimes only charge £150-180 but £50 is just silly!

Yeah I'm surprised by £50, I would have thought most magicians charge a minimum of £100 for any appearance of an hour or more!

Yeah, it's got to be £150 minimum these days.

Ever seen this rant of Harlan Ellison's about being undercut by competition? I reference it constantly.

Colour language within
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE

It's the same in the music scene. So many of my friends play gigs or slots on festivals or all-dayers for nothing 'just to get the word out'.

So when I come along asking for money I'll get told I'm not getting any because everyone else has been too shy or stupid to ask. I've tried to talk to these people to make them see sense but, they outnumber me. Greatly.

Love the Ellison footage!

Grimshaw wrote:It's the same in the music scene. So many of my friends play gigs or slots on festivals or all-dayers for nothing 'just to get the word out'.

So when I come along asking for money I'll get told I'm not getting any because everyone else has been too shy or stupid to ask. I've tried to talk to these people to make them see sense but, they outnumber me. Greatly.

Love the Ellison footage!

The cut-throat world of a capitalist system! And you see it constantly - undercut your competition! Of course by doing that you're devaluing the product and everyone loses. And too many believe the myth that a competitive market is good for everyone. The benefits are short term for the end user until competing parties fold one by one or are acquired and then BAM - you've got a monopoly.

And Grimshaw is right - the music industry is a wonderful example. As Prince is constantly stating, record labels used to be run by musicians or music lovers. Now it's all businessman and the art suffers.

(Clearly I'm not a capitalist. I'm not a socialist either. But I do hate the aggressive and selfish pursuit of short term financial gain which seems to be getting worse and worse.)

me_simon wrote:Ever seen this rant of Harlan Ellison's about being undercut by competition? I reference it constantly.

Colour language within
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE

Well said that man.

Welcome to the entertainment industry.

There is another side to this. We are in the middle of the worst recession since the thirties. Ireland is bankrupt. Fees for everything have fallen, and continue to fall.

In the past three weeks two of my friends have put in prices of six hundred euro for day-long gigs. Once they might have got it; not now. Bookers don't even react with surprise any more to those outrageous prices; they just hung up and phone someone else.

Sometimes falling prices are driven by the market, not by competition trying to undercut you.

I know an entertainer that does wedding gigs for £150 and he is booked out most weekends. I think the days of high fees are over for a while. I have another friend who charged £500 for a wedding - guess what his work has dried up. Sign of the times.

Restaurants aren't lowering their prices. Venues aren't lowering their prices. Celebrants aren't cutting their fees. Drivers aren't cutting their fees. In fact, since the economy messed itself I can't think of anything that has become cheaper.

Apart from artists. And that's because the market gets flooded with people undercutting each other. I understand it's all to do with the laws of supply and demand but the long term consequences are very sad.

Restuarants are cutting their prices, at least over here. Rents are down, taxies charge less. Hotel rooms are dirt cheap tohire. Everything is down.

TonyB wrote:Restuarants are cutting their prices, at least over here. Rents are down, taxies charge less. Hotel rooms are dirt cheap tohire. Everything is down.

Nom nom nom nom (that's me eating my words)

In that case, I guess it's only fair performers take a cut too. Sorry to hear that though.

quilty as charge
yes I have been offering to do childrens parties at £50 but only as a recession special without the prizes and no disco, is that realy wrong.

with the tendency to be secretive about what people charge perhapse we could have some minimum charges posted as a guide.

wedding £150 minimum.
childrens party £100 minimum for full package.
table hopping £200 minimum.
card reading £100 per hour.
balloons £100 per hour.
psychic party £150 per session.
strolling for outdoor events £300 per day.
theater / galla shows £1000.

please feel free to adjust thease prices so we all have a base line to work from I'm sure it would help everyone out.