"What's Your Rate?"

As a free-lance cellist and someone who never considers herself a business person, I hate this question! Honestly, I would play for free, but I know I can't afford to. But, how do I know how much I should charge? By how many people will be in the listening to me? Am I just playing background music, not holding people's attention? By how far I have to travel? By how long I have to be there? Do I have to learn new pieces, which requires more time preparing before the performance? There is a lot to consider.

For example, I played a gig this weekend and feel like I should have charged way more. I had to play six pieces between speakers to an audience of almost 500 people. Before the gig, looking at the information that was given to me, all I saw was a 90 minute funeral and I would play six pieces of my choice. But I show up, and feel the pressure of all these ears getting ready to listen to me. I was so nervous. Also, adding insult to injury, these people (I believe) have money. I'm beating myself up because I should have charged more! In end, they seemed to like what I did, so I'm pleased with that.

Anyway, here's what I've learned: I need to ask more questions. How many people, will I have the attention of the audience, how far do I have to travel, how long/much do I have to play, what do I play, and what's the budget. All of this information is key and affects how much I should charge for a certain gig. So now, how much?.....