What expenses would a local nonprofessional musician have? Gas or a bus ticket. Maybe lunch or dinner. $50 for a two-hour performance sounds great to me but I have a job and wouldn't need to string together 30 or 40 of these every month. I can think of lots of people in the same boat who are quite talented..I don't know what their financial requirements are but some would be available for not too much money, or whatever the door brought in, minus say $50 for someone setting things up...and some would need the money and work for not too much. There are people in the middle that wouldn't like this arrangement...

If I were doing this, and I am not as I don't have the energy..I would have a take it or leave it attitude, especailly with prima donnas. I would say you might make $50, you might make $30, you might make $200. And I am not really thinking of concerts as much as informal things in a coffeehouse or too bad about libraries not taking tip jars...not requiring sound people, special setup etc. Just a person or two with a guitar or banjo or whatever.

If I were a performer, which I am definitely not, I would jump at the chance to make between $50 and $200 for a few hours' work...mg