Next semester I talked to the president of SGA and told him about me being a magician and all that wonderful stuff, lol. Anyway, he asked how much I charge. I'm just wondering what other people in college charge to walk around and show guests tricks and what not. Thanks

That's probably the toughest question to ask someone else.
Ask yourself-
1) What do you think you're worth?
2) What will their budget allow?
3) What will the local market bear for your level of entertainment?
Answer these questions and I believe you'll
come up with an appropriate amount.

I'd have to agree with Michaels. It'll depend on your skills, the area the college is in, and how many others there may be that will do the job. I've seen some use the tactic of setting a higher price, but offer to do it for free for the first few times to prove they're worth it. Talk about self-confidence.

That's an easy question.
The answer: It depends.

It depends on a whole lot of variables, not the least of which is for how many and for how long.

Best bet is to fend off answering that question until you've had a chance to explain what you do.

As for doing if for free to show that you're worth it, that's probably a really bad idea; once you establish a price -- zero, in this instance -- that's pretty much how they will look at you.

Just remember, you can always negotiate downward (to a lower price) but you can't negotiate upward (to a higher one).

Peter has a good point.

I too am a college performer. Usually I don't do a lot of shows during the semesters, but during the breaks I try and book a few shows here and there. And like Peter said, it really depends on a whole lot of variables.

First ask yourself a few basic questions, start with the ones listed below and add as you see fit:

-What kind of magic do they want, stolling, stage, parlour...etc.?

-Who will the audience be? Kids? College Age? Seniors?

-What kind of environment will you have to work in?

-Will you be comfortabe in this environment?

-How much time will you be working the event?

-What props/preparation will you need?

-Will any of those props/prep cost you money?

-How good is your performance? Is it good enough to demand a high fee?

-How much are they willing to spend? Do they have the means to spend money on a performer?

-Is the show a charity event?

Next, try to come up with some sort of pricing scheme. Start with a base amount that you would like to make per show. Then according to all of the answers to the above questions add to or subtract from that amount an amount that reflects the situation.

For Exapmle: If you want to make $100 profit per show, and someone asks you to do a 2 hour walkaround charity show at a childrens hospital, and they specifically ask for you to do some balloon sculpture as well.

Take $100 plus the cost of trasportation to and from the hospital, food; plus the cost of balloons and other non-reusable props, like flash paper, hat tears, or givaway items; minus your charity discount that you determined earlier. That should give you a reasonable figure for what you should charge.
I usually add to this price a bit and then haggle down to the price I want.

Hope this gives you some idea's
jlareau
:bluebikes:

If I wanted to hire Bill Malone for a corporate event how much would he charge?

Good question, I was wondering while watching his DVDs ... I don´t think he is cheap, since he seems to be very well established and hired by all major companies ...

Bill Malone charges like $1700 an hour I think. I heard it on the magic radio show

Contact Malone's Magic Bar in Boca Raton Florida. I'm sure they'll tell you how to contact him or his agent. They would be the only ones to give you an accurate answer.

The questions that comes to mind in this "new to magic" thread are:

What is your experience level?
Are you professinal quality?
Should you be asking for money at all?
Are you going to do a bad job where a magician in the area would do a better job and not hurt magic like a non-professional passing themselves off as a professional would?

Lots of questions and only you can answer them.

Answer them honestly and you will answer your other questions too.

Good luck, have fun.

Bryan

Twizted,
The book "The Magic of Michael Ammar" has several great essays on this subject. It's a very good book if you don't already have it.
-Josh

The company I work for a made a mistake a while back. They advertised for a Magician to perform for about 800 people, a 40 minute performance. It was for a fund raiser where there were quite a few acts (mostly musical). The powers that be decided that they would hire the most "expensive" Magician sight unseen. Figuring you get what you pay for! They flew this guy in, and he was terrible! Lesson learned (always get a demo)
Anyway, I agree, you can always negotiate down, don't go lower than you feel you are worth!

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Peter Marucci wrote:
Apr 16, 2003 5:44a
Just remember, you can always negotiate downward (to a lower price) but you can't negotiate upward (to a higher one).

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Negotiating down- Sounds like a flea market.
Come up with a fair price taking into consideration all the factors recommended in the previous posts and be firm. If your price is fair there should seldom be a problem.

The one place I do a lot of magic is down at the pub. I never get paid in money but in beer.

Go to Visions online journal of magic and look in the left toolbar. Scott Guinn has a great article on this very question. He's also a host here.

Michaels writes: "Negotiating down- Sounds like a flea market."

And sometimes that's what it has to be!

After half a century in magic, I don't think I've ever come across anyone who hasn't negotiated a price or act at one time or another.

Having a fixed price and refusing to budge is a luxury few professionals can afford!