Writing a quote for a gig or an event

What goes into a quote for a gig?

Start with what you do and how long. The act or the programme, the playing time, how many of you are coming, what time you're there for load-in and soundcheck.

Then set out who arranges what. What you bring yourself, what you expect from the venue, what's in your rider. That's where arguments start otherwise.

Then the money: your fee, whether amounts include tax or not, travel, accommodation, and when you send the invoice.

And finally the terms. The date the offer runs out, and what applies if either side cancels.

How do you hold a date on option?

An option is nothing complicated: you keep a date free until a set day. Put that day in your quote, in plain words.

If another request comes in for the same date, you call the first party and give them a few days to decide. That's simply how it works, as long as you wrote it down beforehand.

Keep track of which options expire when. Forgotten options are blocked-off weekends you earn nothing on.

What do you do when the client goes quiet?

Call, or send a short email. Not because they don't want it, but because that request is work for you and one line on a long list for them.

One reminder after five days or so, and another just before your option runs out. That's usually all it takes.

Keep a note of which quotes are still open. That list is the difference between a diary that fills up and a diary you sit waiting on.

How do I get the quote ready for you?

You forward me the request exactly as it came in. An email, a message, a form from your site. I pull out what's there: date, place, times, what they're asking for.

I turn it into a quote in your words, with your rates and your terms. What I don't know, I ask you — I don't make it up.

Then you read it. You send it, or you tell me I can. If nothing comes back after a week, I nudge you.

I keep an eye on the option date, so you no longer have to remember which Saturday you still need to release.