Why do some bands cost more than others?

WHY SO MUCH?

A very good question, indeed! The first thing that comes to mind is Level of Training / On-Stage Experience. Hiring truly wonderfully talented live wedding band with highly trained musicians is going to definitely cost you more than hiring weekend warriors (a little more on that topic later). Many of the cats who have invested their 10,000+ hours on their instruments to gain ‘expert’ status are paid more for that very reason. When they are called to work, they are efficient and professional and able to play anything you throw their way. Those are the musicians you want on your stage … the ones who make it look easy and effortless and sound amazing (with heart and soul).  Check out some Malcolm Gladwell on the 10,000 hour rule.

I THINK I’LL HIRE MY FRIEND’S GARAGE BAND!

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with hiring the weekend warriors band comprised of 9-5ers. An accountant, a lawyer, a dentist, a secretary, and school teacher. Truth is I love all musicians and I have absolutely nothing against those who have other jobs to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads and love to play an instrument on top of all that. We all need an outlet! However, please be aware that if you do hire this band, chances are their song list will be very limited and they may use the same song list from their bar gig. There will not be the same attention to dynamics, detail and tempo you will get from a group of musicians who are musicians every single day of their lives. You will get what you pay for in a live wedding band. 

SIZE OF BAND AND INSTRUMENTATION

You will pay more for a 9 piece band than you will for a 5 piece band, obviously!  Many times there are those shopping for a band who want the sound of a 9-12 piece for the price of a 5 piece. Good Luck! If you want real horns versus horn sounds played by the keyboard player or tracks, you will need to fork over a little more dough. Can Guitar, Bass, Keys, Drums and one Lead Vocalist give you what you want? Perhaps YES! But maybe what you want is a Funk, Soul, Motown, R&B, Disco ensemble. Go for no less than a 7 piece in this case and get at least one sax on that stage.

You will pay more for a band that doesn’t use tracks and uses real musicians to cover each part of every song because they can adjust on the fly, improvise, change songs on a dime, and interact with the crowd … As opposed to hiring a band playing along with tracks. You may pay less for this 7piece ensemble supplementing and beefing up their sound with horn tracks and keys pads to fill in for the missing musicians on stage. This band will be married to that track. Once a track starts, that’s it, there’s no stopping that tune until it’s done … So much for improvisation, changing a song on the fly and interaction.

SOUND COMPANIES

A great sound company is worth its weight in gold. We only hire the best ears in the business to alleviate any sound faux pas. Have you ever been to an event and heard that screeching horrible shriek called FEEDBACK? That should never happen. Again, a good band will not skimp on sound and hire the very best person who understands that they need at least FOUR 20-amp circuits of power to eliminate any interference frequencies or hums in the system. 

SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION

The Replicas Music is provides exceptional Live Wedding Bands and fights to keep their overhead low so we can control costs and have the best rates with the best sound.  We do have incredible musicians that can play anything and an amazing rehearsal space where we meet once a week to perfect our performance for each event. When you hire a band like The Replicas Music Variety Band, there’s so much time that goes into creating the perfect soundtrack for your event. It starts with a phone call. Then a series of events happen right after you hire the band of your choice. We make charts for new songs for your event. Our musician practice extensively on their own and bring their hours of hard work to our rehearsal where we put it all together for our clients. We take time to talk to your event planner extensively about timeline and flow. We take a day to do a site check and discuss load in, electricity, stage design. Basically we care … a lot.

A little knowledge goes a long way. We believe that an educated consumer knows how to recognize value and substance over flash. When you are ready to hire the best live entertainment in Southern California give us a call!

CONTACT THE REPLICAS MUSIC TO BOOK YOUR AMAZING LIVE WEDDING BAND!

323.691.3883 OR 908.420.5607