It all depends. I used to play in a Cajun band based in London. We played all over the country as that was where the audiences were. Besides playing we would provide dance workshops and our own (well, my own) PA. If the venue supplied the PA we'd charge a little less, partly becaouse we could then travel in one car.

Often, playing a gig would mean leaving London in the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday or right after work on a Friday and not getting back until 3 in the morning if we weren't put up somewhere. So you're talking about a 10 hour day without taking travelling expenses into account. We'd gross on average £60-£70 per head and then you'd be paying for petrol, instrument repairs and strings, car depreciation etc. Not an exorbitant fee. People still objected to paing it, though, and even tried to wriggle out of it after signing contracts. By the end we were mainly playing in London for less money but we'd got a lot of our time back.

Like I say, it all depends, partly on what you get out of it non-financially. But you must bear in mind that if you have a well-paid day job which allows you to play for next to nothing you are undercutting professional musicians who depend on music for their livelihood. What's the word I'm looking for? Oh yes...scab.

Finally, I used to work for a florist. When you're booked for a wedding they are probably paying a lot less for you than they are for the flowers, the dress, the food and the booze. So bear that in mind when you're negotiating.