How much to charge for show?

[T of S Productions]

hey guys

i was just wondering how much i should charge for a small show of about an hour for 8 to 10 people, most of them 13-15 years old.
also consider the possibility of keeping me longer than an hour.
I was told that might happen!

Thanks!!!

 

[Dustin Lynes]

Is this your first paid ''gig''? I would say do it for free if it's your first time and then instead of payment, ask parents to tell their friends about you. These kids will no doubt tell their friends (if you're any good ) and that will increase the potential for you to work again. If it's not your first paid event I would suggest $40 to $100 depending on a number of variables. Again if you haven't done a paid event before, it's best to do it for free and get the experience.

 

[2ndDeal]

About an hour isn't a small show... If possible, cut down that time. And plan carefully in what order you perform and what. As Dustin suggested, you shouldn't ask (much) money. Even if you have done performances before, paid gig is a different thing.

 

[joshua barrett]

i don;t have time to explain all the why's etc but, free shows on;y get you more free shows for the most part. your basiclly saying your worthless.

standard rate i do is 150/hour for walk around/cocktail/table-hop

and about 150- 250 for a stand up show.

reherse your performance like a pro, and charge money. you can do magic for free anywhere

 

[Ziemes72]

Joshuas right, in a way. You should charge for a show your a performer, but you shouldn't charge much. If you dont charge at all it looks unprofessional and people wont take you seriously.

 

[RichmanMatthew]

Joshuas right, in a way. You should charge for a show your a performer, but you shouldn't charge much. If you dont charge at all it looks unprofessional and people wont take you seriously.

Either way, the first few gigs that you get should be for free and just for the experience.

 

[DannyT]

I believe you should charge one-billion dollars. *Dr. Evil*

I guess it depends on how much you honestly think you should make.

 

[Ziemes72]

Yeah, I've done walk around gigs for like charities, and gonna start doing it at hospitals, and I will never charge that because its like charity. On the other hand if like someone wanted me to do walk around for their private party I would definitely charge.

 

[Chase]

When I was 21, my walkaround magic was $100 an hour.
My single performance close up/parlor show for parties was $500. If you wanted two or more times for multiple groups it was $300 for each additional show. If you wanted five or more times it was $250 for each additional show.
That was quite a while ago (12 years) and I was pretty polished.
This is one of the hardest questions to answer in magic because the answer is:
Charge what you are worth.

And I don't know what you are worth. Do you?

 

[CoryOOreo]

The real question isn't how much you should charge, it is how much you think you are worth.

 

[ZachMueller]

Richmans right, the first few shows should be either very little, or free.

But it's really up to you.

 

[Nate Malini]

I did my first show for free for my neighbor at the time and I let them know I normally charge 100 dollars for 1/2 an hour and 180 for an hour(even if it was my first show). I handed out a flier at the end with an outline of "what you get". I don't know if the free show helped the business but it didn't hurt. I had less perishers performing that day because it was free. I was worry free. and that did help.