How Much Should You Get Paid To Do Comedy?

How much do you want to charge?

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It’s not immediately clear, but there are 8000 people in front of me in this pic. Reading & Leeds Festival, c. 2008? Photo by Alex M. Smith

I admit that when it comes to comedy, my rates vary. Sometimes I get paid nothing, if a friend asks and it’s for a charity or a cause I care about or because I just feel like getting on stage. Other times, I earn thousands of dollars to perform an hour of comedy.

The same is true if I write comedic songs for a project. The most I’ve gotten paid for a comedic song project is $25,000. The least is $0.

This also goes for my comedic writing and joke writing. I’ve been paid thousands of dollars and also zero dollars.

(Yet, my profits from doing some of the free work and shows I’ve done are still accruing.)

There are some factors to weigh when determining what to ask a booker to shell out for your fine comedic wizardry, such as;

• Day of week - Weekend shows typically pay more than week day gigs

• Time of day - Shows during odd or very inconvenient hours might pay more or less, depending on how they perceive it; if no one else is booking you during that time, maybe they think it’s worth less (it’s not)

• Level of experience - New comics charge less, experienced comics charge more (duh)

• Location of venue - Closer proximity pays less, travel gigs (should) pay more

• Length of gig - Shorter sets pay less, longer sets pay more

• Type of material - If you have to write new material or themed material or speech for a brand or celebration or commissioned set, this should pay more; an exception is roasts, which may or may not pay more than a typical set

• Other factors including personal interest in the gig (how much you do or don’t want to do it), the expected audience size or type (shows with tough audiences should pay more, but they typically don’t), someone you don’t like (or like very much) is producing the show, etc. etc.

I use typical college gigs as a comp show. These kinds of shows can often pay around $1000-$2000 per show for your everyday decent comedian to do about an hour of material (and much more for a bigger name comic). Using that number, and the above factors that apply, I would recommend aiming for somewhere in that window for any show that is comparable to a college gig, including travel gigs, corporate gigs, shows that have a large, built-in audience, etc. If it’s very nearby and/or convenient to perform, the $500-$1000 range may be reasonable.

Bar and comedy club gigs typically pay between $50-$100 per 15-20 minute set.

Something between a college gig and a bar show can be negotiated accordingly, within that range. Would you accept $300 to do a 30 min set for a show at a restaurant with 100 people waiting and ready to laugh? I think many comics might.

All this being said, if you have your eyes on the big prize, eventually, you will have to edge yourself out of the typical pay range and start asking for more.

You will know when the time is right to do this because your audience will be growing—your social media followers or video view counts may reflect that—your schedule will be filling up weeks in advance, and bookers will be offering you more money to do the shows you used to do for less, because you’ll have to start turning them down to get paid more elsewhere.

One note about paychecks: I LOVE to talk about money and be very transparent about how much I earn on various shows, because it helps all comedians learn to ask for and earn more when we all do that. So, don’t keep your for pay numbers to yourself—it’s literally not worth it.

P.S. I read a fun fact today that the average comedian makes $60,000 a year. Not too shabby.

How much do you usually get paid to do a comedy gig? What’s the most you’ve ever made on a show?

Daily musings:

• How Much Do Comedians Make For Netflix Specials? | Reddit

• How Do Comedians Make A Living? | LA Times

• The Salaries of Headlining Comedians | Chron

• Salaries of Stand Up Comedians | Comparably

Etc.:

• Free comedy info galore — $70 annual subscription! | Museletter

• 6/8’s Poconos Underground Comedy (my show + birthday party) | EventBrite

• Find my NSFW comedy including a forthcoming new album here | OnlyFans

• Your ad to 8k+ comedy fans for $40/wk | jess delfino at gmail dot com

• For $7 / month or $70 / year get your own comedy coach | Subscribe

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