A clarification: “If alcohol, double your fee” is something I heard years ago from a few veteran callers. I used to charge a bit more for “wet” events than “dry” ones, but found I had to work just as hard at the “dry” ones, so started charging
the higher rate to everyone.
Currently I ask $475 for corporate or private events, $400 for nonprofits. I’ve been told by a couple of top callers that I could/should be charging more, but when I’ve tried raising the rates, I’ve gotten so many turndowns that I make
more money with the lower rates.
My rate includes travel within ~1 hour of home, and once I’m there, I’m willing to stay up to 4 hours. I always recommend 1.5 to 2 hours of actual dancing if people aren’t used to it, but I make it clear that I’ll call as long as people
want to dance. Almost never does anyone take me up on it; typically they’ve had enough after 90 minutes.
Rate changes: I ask $500 if it’s a wedding, to cover repeated interactions with the client before the day. (Top DJs often ask a LOT more for weddings than for other family parties.) I’m willing to dicker if I don’t have to bring, set up,
and run sound, but I have to be sure that the gear and the operator will be adequate. My one-nighter rate for calling & sound is the same whether or not there’s a band – obviously it’s more work to do sound for 4 people than for 1, but the energy of a live
band makes up for it.
Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.
New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
(available now)
From: Tepfer, Seth via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net>
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2023 11:34 AM
To: Contra Callers <contracallers@sharedweight.net>
Subject: [Callers] Going rates for ONS dances?
Hello hive mind
The costs of everything have gone up post-COVID. What are you charging for one-off dance events, aka One Night Stand dances? Assuming:
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you, the caller, are running sound and providing sound equipment
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there is no band
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It is 90 minutes give or take
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it is NOT a wedding
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no alcohol (hat-tip to Tony Parkes - if alcohol, double your fee!)
If the assumptions above are not true (there is a band, it is a wedding, there is alcohol, etc), how does that change your rates?
Seth
Seth Tepfer, MBA, CSM, PMP (he, him, his)
Senior IT Manager, Emory Primate Center
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