There are 15 questions that separate a calm booking from a problem on the day of the event, and the three that save the most money are these: exactly how many members will show up, whether the price is final or there are extra charges, and from which minute the contracted hour starts running. Here are all fifteen, with the answer that signals a good vendor and the one that should worry you.
This is not a questionnaire of distrust. A professional musician answers all fifteen in two minutes because they have answered them a hundred times, and in fact appreciates being asked: whoever asks well complains less. The one who gets annoyed or answers vaguely has already given you the most important information of all.
The 15 questions, with the good answer and the red flag
| # | Question | Good sign | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exactly how many members will show up? | A firm number: "there are 7 of us" | "It depends," "whoever is free" |
| 2 | Is that price final or are there extra charges? | Itemizes travel, extras, and meals | "We'll see," "it's the usual" |
| 3 | Is travel to my neighborhood included? | Confirms the base zone and what it costs to go beyond it | Doesn't ask your neighborhood |
| 4 | Do you bring your own sound or do I have to rent it? | Specifies what they bring and for how many people | "With whatever is at the venue" |
| 5 | How early do you arrive and how long does setup take? | Gives two different times: arrival and start | Gives only one time |
| 6 | Does the hour run from the first note? | Yes, and puts it in writing | Dodges the question |
| 7 | How much is an extra hour if we go over? | A concrete price agreed today | "We'll see in the moment" |
| 8 | Do you play these songs? (a concrete list) | Reviews the list and says which ones they don't do | "We play everything" |
| 9 | Do you have a recent video playing live? | Sends their own video, with the audio from the take | Only photos, or a video of another group |
| 10 | How much deposit do you ask for and how is it paid? | 30 to 50 percent, with a receipt | Asks for everything upfront and in cash |
| 11 | What happens if I cancel? And if you cancel? | Has a policy for both sides | Only has a policy for your cancellation |
| 12 | What happens if a member gets sick? | Explains how they cover the position | "That never happens" |
| 13 | Do you need power and how much? | Gives a concrete requirement | Doesn't know, or says it doesn't matter |
| 14 | Do we have to feed them? | Says so clearly before you ask twice | Mentions it on the day of the event |
| 15 | Who will I talk to on the day of the event? | A name and a direct phone number | An office number that only answers by day |
The three that save the most money
How many members show up. A mariachi's price changes with the number of musicians, and the difference between 6 and 12 is not a nuance: the national range for a mariachi of 6 to 8 members is MX$2,000 to MX$4,500 per hour, and one of 12 runs MX$6,000 to MX$8,000. If nobody said the number, on the day of the event five can show up and sound like five. When the number is in writing, there is no argument.
Whether the price is final. The charges that appear afterward are almost always the same four: travel outside the zone, extra hour, meals, and sound rental. Asking about all four by name, not in general, is what prevents the surprise. And if what worries you is the serious scenario, the one where someone collects and disappears, it is worth reading how to avoid fraud when hiring musicians, which covers the warning signs beforehand.
From which minute the hour runs. Already explained, but worth repeating because it is the most common dispute at the end of an event: the hour runs from the first note, not from when the van parks. One written line in the confirmation closes the subject for good.
How to send them without sounding hostile
The tone mistake is sending all fifteen at once like an interrogation. What works is grouping them into three short messages, in the order a musician expects them:
- First message (before talking about price): date, time, place, type of event, and how many people. And one question: "Are you available that date and how many members would it be?"
- Second message (with the price now on the table): "Does that price include travel to my neighborhood and sound? Is there any extra charge I should consider?"
- Third message (before booking): deposit, cancellation policies on both sides, arrival time versus start time, and the price of the extra hour.
Spread out like that, the questions read as organization and not suspicion, which is exactly what they are. The whole process, from first contact to the day of the event, is laid out step by step in the checklist for hiring music for your event.
The video question and why almost nobody asks it well
Asking for a video is obvious. Asking for it well is not. A promotional video edited with studio music over it says nothing about the group; what helps is a continuous shot of a real event, with the audio from the take, even if it was recorded on a phone and sounds imperfect. That imperfection is precisely the proof.
Two follow-up questions worth a lot: "When is that video from?" and "Are the people in it the ones who will come to my event?" In larger groups, member rotation is normal and not a bad sign, but the group that answers clearly is on another level from the one that gets uncomfortable.
The technical questions that prevent disaster in a garden
At outdoor events, three of the fifteen questions stop being a formality and become critical: the one about their own sound, the one about electrical power, and the one about how many people. An acoustic format that sounds perfect in a room of fifty people disappears in a garden of two hundred, and there is no talent that makes up for it: sound reinforcement is needed.
Ask the musician what they bring, and ask the venue how much power is available and whether it allows a generator. They are two different conversations and both are yours, not the vendor's. The ranges for what it costs to cover that gap are in the guide to sound and lighting rental.
What to do with the answers
Put them in writing in a single confirmation message. You don't need a notarized contract: a message that sums up date, arrival time, start time, end time, number of members, total price, what is included, what is charged separately, deposit paid, and the policy if either party cancels is enough. When the vendor replies "confirmed" to that message, it is already an agreement with a date and time stamp.
That message resolves ninety percent of disputes, because almost all of them stem from a misunderstanding and not from bad faith. If you want the complete version of what the agreement should say and how the deposit is handled, it is in contract and deposit when hiring musicians.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first question I should ask?
Date availability, before price. Asking price first of a group that is not free wastes your time and theirs, and in peak season the calendar is the scarce resource, not the money.
How much deposit is normal to ask for?
30 to 50 percent is the usual in Mexico. Asking for one hundred percent upfront is not illegal, but it is a signal to check everything else more carefully.
Is it a bad sign if they have no formal contract?
Not necessarily. Plenty of excellent musicians work by message. What is a bad sign is resisting putting in writing what was already agreed verbally.
Should I ask about the repertoire before or after booking?
Before, always. Sending your song list before paying the deposit avoids discovering at the event that they don't play the piece that mattered to you.
What do I do if they dodge several questions?
Keep looking. It is not that they are dishonest; it is that a lack of clarity beforehand becomes a lack of clarity on the day of the event, and that day you can no longer switch vendors.
Ask less, check more
Half of these questions answer themselves when the musician's profile already carries the information: format, members, city, repertoire, and video. On Serenattia you can compare profiles with that data in plain view, keep everything in writing in the conversation, and confirm the date before paying. Search for musicians available for your event and ask the questions that are really still missing.