The Price You Pay for Playing for Free: The Case of the Missing Money.

“There’s not a lot of money for this job, but it will be great exposure and cache for you.”

“That’s wonderful, because it takes two exposures and one cache to pay my rent.”

There’s a fee for not charging a high enough fee, or accepting a gig that pays well beneath your value – what you bring to the job at hand.

Accepting a low fee will become your value – “They are really inexpensive.” That’s your value: you’re inexpensive, regardless of the high degree of competence and excellence that you bring to everything you do.

Here is the fee breakdown.

1.     They won’t take you seriously.

2.     They won’t necessarily pay you, or respond to in in a timely manner.

3.     It gives them permission to say or do anything they want – treat you and speak to you disrespectfully.

Once you go low, it’s very hard to get what you’re worth, because your value to them is that you don’t charge a lot. That’s how they assess your value now, and in the future.

What is your true value? What do you bring to the table?

Years of training, experience, your own personal creative instincts, professionalism, reliability (always keeping your word), high standards, easy to work with etc.

Your value is also associated with what you do differently from others in your field. This is the “extra” that potential employers with get when they hire you.

If someone asks why your fee is $700 or $1,400, you can answer by telling them in one or two sentences what they’re going to get from you.

A one to two sentence answer followed by silence: no further explanation and no apology.

Period.

Once upon a time in Los Angeles, there were four music teachers who were close friends that each played the same instrument. They were all excellent teachers, totally dedicated to their students.

For private lessons,

·       One charged $80 an hour.

·       One charged $65 an hour.

·       One charged $140 an hour.

·       One charged $90 an hour.

Of those four, who had the most students?

Wait for it…

The one who charged $140 an hour.

“They must be really good because they charge that amount.”

Whether it’s for private lessons, concerts and recitals, teaching at an academic institution, residencies or any important service you provide to others, you always pay a price for not charging what you’re worth.

Were they the best teacher of the four? No, but that teacher knew his value.