fee for string quartet,is this a fair price?

shelovestobuystuff

I have been quoted a price of £550 plus £50 travelling expenses for a string quartet to play at a dinner party.I asked for a quote for 3 hours playing.I have never arranged live music before and wonder if anyone could tell me whether the price I was quoted is what is usually expected.I had thought about a Harpist and the price for that was £350 plus expenses.Compared to the fee for the Harpist the quartet seems good value but advice appreciated.:D

piglet6

Hi there

Not sure of the going rate for these things, but I am tempted to agree with you that it seems like a good price compared to the harpist. It will be £137.50 per musician for the three hours and bearing in mind that they will (presumably) be self-employed so lose some of this to tax/NI, and also that for a dinner party it will presumably be in the evening (i.e. slightly "unsociable" hours, not 9-5 daytime rate), I would think that £550 is OK.

Not sure where in Scotland you are, but if you are near a university, could you contact their music department (I know Edinburgh has one, but don't know much about other universties in Scotland - sorry!) and ask their advice... i.e. could they recommend a group/advise on prices? Perhaps some of their students might even do this sort of entertainment as a way to earn extra money - that at least would give you an idea of comparable prices (and who knows, it might even offer you a cheaper alternative!;)).

Piglet

ManAtHome

You could get a lot of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven CDs for that...

Ms_Chocaholic

Sounds like a good dinner party if you are having a string quartet, can I come?

shelovestobuystuff

Great advice about contacting the uni and using students.The quartet I am liking best at the moment actually met at uni(biographical details on their website) and have been working together ever since,so it is very possible that I might find a student group who are a little cheaper.I will definately look in to that quickly before I book anyone.
Thank you.

alison6692

Hiya

Yep that sounds reasonable - We had a string quartet for our wedding and it worked about that.

HTH

Alison x

harryharp

shelovestobuystuff wrote: »

I have been quoted a price of £550 plus £50 travelling expenses for a string quartet to play at a dinner party.I asked for a quote for 3 hours playing.I have never arranged live music before and wonder if anyone could tell me whether the price I was quoted is what is usually expected.I had thought about a Harpist and the price for that was £350 plus expenses.Compared to the fee for the Harpist the quartet seems good value but advice appreciated.:D

Have you heard the string quartet perform, or have you heard any sound samples of their work? String quartets are pretty variable in quality (as with any musicians)- but if you've heard them and like them I'd say the price was very reasonable.
Having said that, I'm a harpist and I would definitely not charge £400 for 3 hrs inc. expenses. Maybe it's worth shopping around?
The other thing is- how many guests are you having? If it's a large do or if you think the guests will be quite 'high-spirited', the string quartet's sound will carry better than the harp, which is better suited for more intimate settings!

shelovestobuystuff

harryharp wrote: »

Have you heard the string quartet perform, or have you heard any sound samples of their work? String quartets are pretty variable in quality (as with any musicians)- but if you've heard them and like them I'd say the price was very reasonable.
Having said that, I'm a harpist and I would definitely not charge £400 for 3 hrs inc. expenses. Maybe it's worth shopping around?
The other thing is- how many guests are you having? If it's a large do or if you think the guests will be quite 'high-spirited', the string quartet's sound will carry better than the harp, which is better suited for more intimate settings!

Thanks for your advise.I have listen to samples of their work online and chose them because they play my favourite piece,Canon,just the way I like it,everyone else I listened to played it too fast for my liking.The dinner party is a trial for my wedding so I can sample the food and music first hand before I finalise my plans for the actual day.
I could go to an event the quartet are playing but am having a private dinner party instead to better check how they sound in a small venue.
I adore all strings,the harp is so beautiful too.Perhaps I might find an excuse to have another small party soon and have a harpist at that.

harryharp

shelovestobuystuff wrote: »

The dinner party is a trial for my wedding so I can sample the food and music first hand before I finalise my plans for the actual day.

That's a good idea- if it's for your wedding you want to get it right. I hope your dinner party goes well, and I wish you all the best for your wedding.