Playing at a footballer's wedding or a rich man's knees-up is now an acceptable way for pop stars to get even richer, writes Imogen Edwards-Jones.
FOR ALL the sneering that the recently hitched footballer's wife Coleen McLoughlin, aka Mrs Wayne Rooney, endured from the style police concerning the dress, the guests, the magazine exclusive and the groom, she managed to get one thing right. She booked Westlife to play at the wedding.
Not that Westlife are hip, cool and stylish. They patently are not. But by booking a private gig, Coleen has joined the long line of A-listers, billionaires and oligarchs who like nothing more than shelling out for a private performance by their favourite pop stars.
In the last 12 months alone, Amy Winehouse has played for Louis Vuitton in Paris and Roman Abramovich in Moscow. Whitney Houston cleared her pipes last month at an invitation-only black tie ball in south London. Deep Purple took Gazprom's shilling and played for the then-future Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, at the Kremlin. Even Pete Doherty played his own sittingroom a few months ago to a devoted audience of two.
In the old days, private gigs were the remit of tribute bands and the has-been star down on his luck, with a mortgage to pay and various kids to support. But as record sales decline, touring costs rise and downloads are two-a-penny, an oligarch's knees-up or a footballer's wedding is now an acceptable way for any Grammy award-winning star to line their pockets.
They can earn a lot too. Rod Stewart and Robbie Williams come at €1.25 million each. The Rolling Stones played a Texan billionaire's 60th birthday bash at the Hard Rock hotel in Las Vegas for a sweet €4.4 million. Paul McCartney sang for American TV executive Wendy Whitworth for €630,000. Sting did Bill Gates's New York Supper Club for €315,000. Abramovich gave Winehouse €4.25 million for an hour-long serenade in Moscow. Elton John, who won't step on to your Tuscan terrace before trousering a cool €1.25 million, refers to all this as "giggle money" or "bank raids". With up to six private gigs a year under his belt, it is easy to see why he finds it so entertaining.
But it's not just the big boys who get booked and do the booking. While I was researching Pop Babylon, an exposé on the contemporary music business, it became apparent just how widespread the phenomenon is. The Sultan of Brunei, who lavished millions on his daughter's 18th birthday - hiring Janet Jackson and the All Saints (all of whom received a diamond-encrusted watch on top of their fee) - has made way for a different sort of audience. Since the explosion of cash to come out of Russia, it is much more likely to be some nameless tycoon on his yacht in the Mediterranean on the other end of the phone.
Interestingly, the girl groups tend to be more popular than the boys, mainly because it's men who book them. Leather catsuit-clad Girls Aloud can make €250,000 for 20 minutes at a party, while the Pussycat Dolls get €625,000 per gig. Recently the Sugababes got €315,000 for seven songs, and 30 minutes' work at a Russian man's 21st in the south of France.
There is still some talent that won't get out of bed and on to a plane for large sums of money though. Coldplay were offered €625,000 to sing at a birthday party at Cliveden, a luxurious country house, but even the lure of a chopper to get them there and a large donation to their favourite charity wasn't enough to get them out of the studio. Annie Lennox is apparently the same.
For the most part, though, money talks. In these progressively less affluent times it makes sense for pop stars to take the dot.com dollar and the oligarch's roubles.
Unlike touring, where everything - down to the sandwiches eaten by the roadies - cuts into the profits, the costs incurred by the band for a private gig are nil. They get chauffeured or jetted to the venue, they play to a digital audiotape, or (for more money) with a band, and then they take their leave.
So, after the agent has taken his 10 per cent and the manager his 15 per cent, all the cash goes into the star's back pocket. They might be expected to "mix and mingle" with their hosts for an hour or so after the gig, depending on what terms have been negotiated in the contract - but that is not exactly exhausting work.
No wonder, then, that the market is expanding rapidly, with indie acts and young pop stars offering themselves up to the highest bidder. Even old favourites such as the Human League and Rick Astley have dusted themselves off and are available for weddings and bar mitzvahs. So, no matter how big or small your budget, there appears to be a band to suit you.
If money's really tight, there's always owngig.com, a website that came online last month where fans can bid for acts to play a private gig in their area. The idea is that if enough local people of similar tastes bid for the same group, then they can pool the cash and book the band. With the focus on artists in the €25,000 to €50,000 price tag, they look for groups who are on tour and try to persuade them to do an extra gig.
So it really is only a matter of persuading some friends to clean out their bank accounts, and you too could have Amy Winehouse singing in your kitchen.
Or you could remortgage the house and finally achieve your ultimate teenage fantasy - Take That playing in your bedroom.
- Guardian service