Fixing a fee for a musical performance is not an exact science, but after years of performance negotiations, we have some rough guidelines for you to consider.
We have a sliding scale on the honor system. Here in the Triangle area (Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham, and surrounds) our base rate for an affair of up to 3-1/2 hours is:
| $125 per person | Lowest fee, very modest affair, minimal requirements, special circumstances. Three hours maximum. |
| $250 per person | Average affair, average fee. |
| $300 per person | Reasonably generous affair and, uh, "comfortable" clients. If you are spending generously on location, caterer, cake, dress, flowers, etc., and/or if you are using a wedding planner, this will be our fee. |
Here are possible extra fees:
| Travel | Out of town, we ask $15 per person per hour of traveling. Example: Greensboro is one hour away, so this would be an additional $30 per person. |
| Amplification | We charge $50 to bring, set up, and operate the P.A. (necessary for most large affairs). |
| Piano | We charge $30 to bring a fine electric piano. If a TUNED acoustic piano is available on site, or if a piano is not needed, we leave it home! |
| Overtime | If your event will require our presence for more than 3-1/2 hours, we will charge an additional $50 per musician per hour. |
| Accommodations | If your event is far from our homes and the music will last late into the night, we need a place to stay or enough extra money to pay for our own accommodations. |
| Wedding consultant | Please let us know if you have hired, or are planning to hire, a wedding consultant. |
North Carolina is a "right to work" state, which means we do not have to charge union rates. For comparison, here are wedding rates charged almost ten years ago (1994) by the musicians' union (American Federation of Musicians):
| Event Time | Minimum Fee | Overtime Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Weekend & Holidays | $400 per musician for 4 hours | $150/hour |
| Twilight | $450 per musician for 4 hours | $150/hour |
| Weeknights | $350 per musician for 4 hours | $125/hour |
| In addition to the quoted rates there was an additional 10% "Administrative Fee"! | ||
OTHER QUESTIONS WE HAVE BEEN ASKED:
Wby do you need shelter at outdoor events?
Our wooden instruments are costly and cannot take rain or extreme sunlight or heat.
Do the musicians take breaks?
Performing is tiring. We take a 7-10 minute break every hour. The breaks can coincide with toasts, speeches, etc.
Will you play special requests?
We are famous for learning special requests, from Louis Armstrong tunes to Purcell's Air for Trumpet (on violin) to samikos from Greece. Give us plenty of advance notice and a recording and/or sheet music.
Will you meet with us personally to discuss the event? Will you come to our rehearsal?
If you will go to her house at a convenient time, Jane will have a half hour meeting with you for no charge. If the meeting must be elsewhere or if you need more time, there will be a fee. You don't need one of us to come to your wedding rehearsal; we have performed for many weddings and can follow directions on the spot (be sure to have somebody in charge of cuing us). If you really want one of us to attend the rehearsal, we can do so for a fee.
How many musicians do we need?
You can hire just one of us: for instance, Ken could pipe your wedding party into the service, or Jane or Beth could sing some requests during the service. However, you naturally get more variety and more excitement as you add more musicians! We've noticed that when people want to dance but are kind of shy about it, the more of us there are the more likely they are to forget their inhibitions and cut a rug. What if I have more questions?
Just call or email us!
Mappamundi: More-or-less traditional music home page.
Mappamundi: More-or-less traditional music wedding page.
Mappamundi: More-or-less traditional music booking inquiry form.
| Contact Mappamundi by email
or: Jane Peppler 5301 Cedronella Drive Chapel Hill NC 27514 (919)-383-8952 FAX: (919)-382-8601 |