Updated April 26, 2025
When I began working as an accompanist, I was surprised by how informal my employment arrangements were. Some employers required tax forms and/or time sheets, some asked for invoices, and others needed no paperwork at all. The hourly rate varied widely, ranging from babysitter wages to professional musicians’ wages.
To establish my own rates for freelance work, I searched online to find documentation from other universities. I found these excellent resources, which include detailed information on fees, cancellation policies, and guidelines.
University of Tennessee School of Music
Incorporated Society of Musicians (UK)
Accompanists’ Guild of South Australia
If you know of any similar resources, please let me know, and I’ll add it to the list.
Eileen Huang 
I can’t wait till I have a gig for you to play at…We might have to get married again so you can play at the wedding!
Thanks for posting these links. This is great information!
Thanks so much for posting. Wonderful information.
Thank you! This validates and supports my fee structure.
Thanks, Eileen! Very helpful.
I have requests from others to record accompaniments of choral songs and send them digitally to use with their classes. How much would you charge them…would if he per piece recorded? Sometimes I record just one song, but others ot may be 7-10 songs.
I suggest charging your regular hourly fee, being sure to cover the entire process, including multiple takes, editing, formatting the files, etc.