Comedy shows can be performed for any occasion with audiences of any age, including weddings, birthdays, school events, sporting events, company gatherings, and fundraising events. The cost of hiring a comedian depends only on a few factors of entertainment reputation. Stand-up comedians may charge hundreds to thousands of dollars at night to make people laugh. How much does a comedian get paid for a private show?
You can hire comedians for any event, from a private meeting with fewer than 20 people all the way up to large festivals with more than 1,000 people. Which means you can get comedians from as low as a few hundred dollars all the way up to tens of thousands. Still, the most requested comedians on the show (or famous comedians performing at local comedy clubs or private shows) rarely charge more than $10,000. Celebrities and comedians with TV credits have the most demand and are the most expensive and can command tens of thousands.
The Business Of Comedy
Agents and managers are working on behalf of comedians, who often work on a contractual basis. As a result, the amount of pay a comedian makes will depend on the quality of the clients their manager can get them and the number of shows they can win from their clients.
The percentage of total revenue earned will depend on their experience and the level of income of the comedian. Some comedians earn thousands of dollars overnight, while others work hard for nothing. As a result, the comedy’s earning will depend entirely on the success of their management.
So what if you’re one of the great comedians, and you have all the abilities to make the audience roar with laughter, would this career be good enough to earn a living? Let’s talk about the economics of comedy.
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No Fixed Wages For Beginners
Comedians get paid little to nothing even while working for long hours, which endures considerable uncertainty by having no idea where the next payment will come from. If a comedian has no credits and has not been on the road they will be lucky to get money for a Happy Meal on their way home. Often your first 3-5 years will be minimal pay but lots of time and money spent going to shows and paying for stage time.
MONEY MADE YEARS 1-3: $10
If new comedians can do private shows, the average income of stand up comedians is $50 for two 20 minute sets if they are a club regular and have a credit. This changes to a fixed hourly rate, but the new comedian must do four sets of shows per week, while the rest of their time is spent writing material, watching other comedians, and having a stable day job to pay the rent.
MONEY MADE YEARS 3-5: $250
A successful comedian must be witty, cautious about the audience, confident and lucky enough to survive. If a person wants to stay in the industry for more than two years to be truly known as an artist, much confidence is needed by him because failure, frustration, and rejection are the norm of becoming a leading comedian.
Most comedians work at an additional job in the daytime, and when night falls, they are back to making you laugh until your stomach hurts. Since there are other expenses to take care of like planning weekly performances, spending long hours in rehearsals and workshops, and criticize each other’s jokes and performances. This is a vast and stressful environment, as a beginner comedian with barely enough pay.
Good Popularity, Better Pay
In this industry, famous comedians and stand-up performers often charge more than new or lesser well-known comedians in this business. Adam Oliensis, a New York comedian, was named as the Best Comedian in New York for three years in a row. As a result, it increases the consistent rate of revenue every year. Reputation provides reliability and gives customers more confidence in the services they are buying. This will increase competition in the age of comedians and, in many cases, will also increase the rate.
MONEY MADE YEARS 5-7: $1,000
Popularity and experience are closely related. Whether it’s a private show or a late-night comedy show, it’s always good to hire someone with a good fan base. Some comedians are too good and can perform a variety of different performances, whether it’s cracking some good jokes for the CEO as an event organizer, or the skills to entertain the guests at a birthday party with some entertainment activities.
MONEY MADE YEARS 7-10: $5,000
What More Are You Offering
Entertaining your audience is what the comedians best at, but you can also add music to it too by playing the guitar or rapping a song and getting more laughs, this is how comedian Jason Love has been able to book shows all over the world including cruise ships.
Some content is suitable for adult audiences and private parties, while other material is devoted to clean jokes that appeal to the younger audiences. Some entertainers have 15-20 minutes of funny content, while more professional comedians can take up to 2 hours by performing multiple sets for the show.
MONEY MADE YEARS 10+: $10,000+
In addition, many comedians that are hired offer other additional capabilities such as hosting, auctions, and opening speeches. Others can also do special performances for a particular event, such as jokes towards the bride and groom or groups of salespeople. Some comedians add physically performances as well, providing juggling and stunt performance. And some come and behave like comedy pairs and use magic tricks to amaze their audience.
Types Of Private Shows Or Event
A good comedian usually determines the performance pay of a show based on the length of the performance, the size or type of audience, and what is expected of him other than making the audience laugh.
With the Clean Comedy Crew, our typical show is a 45-60 minute performance. When this is for a private audience the cost is around $300, while for a shorter show for customers with limited budgets or for non-profits, can be as low as $150.
For large audiences, even if the show type is the same as a private show is higher than usual. Performances for commercial audiences (such as bars where the organizers can earn money from guests) and for public shows and music festivals are typically a way to earn more than a small gathering. We have done shows where the group was 50 people and made $400.
Additional Costs
Some comedians increase the total cost of the service by asking an additional amount for the traveling expenses, and there is nothing wrong with it. Depending on the popularity of the comedian and the entertainment value they provide, some comedians may charge extra based on the distance they have to travel. Geolocation can also affect the cost such as comedians in high-cost, competitive regions such as New York often charge higher fees than the one in New Jersey.
In addition to popularity, type of show, traveling expenses, and real performance, the dates that artists need to put up a show may also affect the average cost. Prices may be slightly higher on Friday and Saturday nights since those nights are more popular than Monday and Tuesdays. The date of the event is also essential; for example, Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve is often the most expensive night to hire a comedian.
The truth is comedians love to perform and each comedian has their limit for what they can take to do a private show. Just remember if a comedian is offering an hour show for less than you would spend for a nice dinner you want to check them out beforehand so you don’t end p with an unhappy crowd and egg on your face.