Sample Pay For Singers in US Dollars
There are no rules when it comes to paying non-union singers for their performances and recording sessions. Here are some very general ranges of what singers in America typically make at these gigs (amounts in USD).
Demo Recording $100-$250 per song, $50 per harmony
Wedding (4 hours) $200-$300
Corporate Events – $250-$300
Church Singer – $400-$3,000 per month
Local venue with a local band $120-300 per night ($600-$1200 for the whole band)
High-End Hotel – $3,000-$5,000 per month
Cruise Ships – Dance band singer $740-$1,400 per week
Cruise Ships – Production shows – $1,000-$1,500 per week
Cruise Ships – Vocal duo or trio $1,000-$2,000 per week
Cruise Ships – Piano Bar $1,000-$2,000 per week
Cruise Ships – Headliner or guest $3,000-$5,000 per week
Cirque De Soleil – $50,000-$80,000 per year
Tribute Bands – $2,500-$8,000 per 90-minute set
One-Off Performance as a Famous Artist – $50,000-$1.5 million
Other Opportunities
- License Songs for TV and Film (If you have recordings of your originals)
- Use Distributors such as CD Baby, TuneCore (If you have recordings of your originals)
- Session singing for commercials, TV, film, radio and records – Join the union, SAG-AFTRA
This post is an Action Article from the Singdaptive Course, How to Make a Career Out of Your Singing. Sign up for a free Singdaptive account to find out how you can take this course and receive your free, personalized course.
Lisa Popeil is one of LA’s top voice coaches with over 40 years of professional teaching experience. As a singer, she’s performed and recorded with Frank Zappa and ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic and her album ‘Lisa Popeil’ was a Billboard ‘Top Album Pick’. Lisa has an MFA in Voice, is the creator of the Voiceworks® Method, and is regularly featured in leading music magazines, journals, books and conferences.
