How much do guitarists get paid?

Answer 1

AnswerThis is a difficult question to answer, as there are many different levels of professional musicianship. A professional guitarist could be anything from a musician working at a theme park to a multi-platinum recording artist.

For a musician starting as a performer for hire or a recording artist, there really is no salary as most jobs are obtained on a contract basis. A beginning professional guitarist will usually end up supplementing his income through teaching private lessons, working part time (or full time) at a music store or other options. He would be fortunate to make $20,000-$30,000 per year. The more a guitarist makes a name for himself, the more jobs he will get and the more they will pay. The key to becoming a successful professional musician is to play well, play consistently, take direction well and always show up prepared and on time.

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There's no doubt that talent is the most important factor in being paid well as a musician but that aside, professionalism, personality, image and preparation are extremely important. Studio sessions for major labels can range from $300 - $3k (and even more depending on stature) per day depending on the project and number of hours.

One-offs (a single show) with a major act can range from $1k-4k + per diem depending on location, travel, etc. Tours can range from $1500 - $5k per week + per diem and tour rehearsals prior are sometimes paid 50% tour rate but it really depends on how you negotiate your deal with management. If rehearsals are not in my hometown I always insist on full tour rate as I'm away from home and won't have the opportunity to take other sessions or gigs.

There are industry standards in place but in my experience you get whatever you are able to negotiate and each situation is somewhat unique:

Where is the artist in their career - just starting out? well established? world famous?

What is their management like - generous and easy going (LOL)? frugal and stingy?

Is the tour being sponsored by a corporation or is it being funded by the artist?

Is it a promotional tour/concert or are tickets being sold?

Sometimes you can ask for your price but if the budget doesn't support it you have very little chance of getting your number.

With a major act doing 6 months worth of shows you can expect to earn $50-90k.

Answer 2

my guitar teacher says that if you play good in a concert you can get paid up to $50,000 or just get everything free for about a week ,but if you do horable in your concert you will get paid a cent in ten years ,so youll be broke.That's what happened to Dave Mustuine.He was the guitarist of mettalica but he was drunk in all his conxerts but now hes the guitarist of Megadeth wich are freakin awesome.When he joined Megadeth he turned out to be very successful and didt drink anymore and became christian.Now because he doesnt drink he get paid $100,000 ,so if your planning to be a guitarist don drink ,if you don't drink hopefully you can be successful and get paid big ones but then again depends how good you do that concert.

Answer 3

That depends on How good you are and more importantly how popular you are. This is the sort of business where you would be very lucky to find an award rate.

Answer 4

Anywhere between $0 and $1,500,000,000