These are recommendations from the Milwaukee chapter of the AGO:

The chapter recommends the following minimum fees:

$100-175 for one service (may include brief pre-service rehearsal)
$ 75-125 for each additional service on the same day
$ 35- 60 for same day rehearsal exceeding 30 minutes
$ 75-100 for rehearsal on a separate day
$150-200 for funeral or memorial service (may include brief pre-service rehearsal)
$200-300 for wedding service (may include brief pre-service rehearsal)
$ 50- 75 per hour for special preparations or rehearsals on a separate day

In Germany I am paid 10 € for a weekday service and 15 € for a Sunday service at my parish, which is 13,40 $ resp. 21 $.

My church doesn't even hire substitutes. If I am away, they do without.

It's really hard to make comparisons from one geographical area to another because local expectations can vary widely.

I believe the fees posted by irishtenor are those for a substitute organist, which are generally higher than what a regular organist would get. (There are also variables if the person substituting is only playing the organ or also directing a choir, etc). My position in a Catholic church was advertised as paying according to AGO guidelines, and this is (more or less) what I receive; my subsitutes, however, get about 50% more than what I earn per mass. As far as I know, the AGO does not issue guidelines for fee per service for regular church musicians, only guidelines for salary.

It can be complicated to apply the AGO guidelines to a Catholic context, since with many Catholic jobs, half the time for a "10 hour per week" organist position can be put into playing 5 or more masses per weekend - something unheard of in most non-Catholic churches. In other words, it may or may not be helpful to think in terms of fee per service. If an organist is paid the AGO standard for an organist with a B. A. of $20,000 / year for 5 masses per weekend, for example (approx. 275 masses per year with holy days etc), this comes out to $72 per mass; if the position called for 3 masses per weekend instead (200 masses per year), that would be $100 per mass. Of course, it is worth asking whether both positions should be regarded as "10 hours per week," but they are often treated as such.

At the risk of sounding elitist, I have to say that $50 per mass seems criminally low to me. The last time I was paid that was when I subbed in college back in the early 1990s, and this was not at a particularly affluent parish. I have asked for higher compensation at a number of parishes and usually received it. I am no susperstar organist by any stretch, but think that the musicians should be paid at least what the plumber gets per call.

Organist at a parish in the surrounding Madison,WI area: $50,000 plus housing. This was the compensation about 5 years ago. (That organist is not me.)

Just crunched the numbers, considering pledges as opposed to attendees. My Episcopal church is rather larger, but our per person spending on the total music budget is about the same, if not greater.

Imagine a Catholic church where each parishioner gave $2/week towards the music program. What would THAT sound like?

When I was the organist at a local parish, I was getting $70 per mass and played 3 masses a weekend. That was just for me to show up and play. They were interested in me starting a choir, and was willing to pay me $125 for a rehearsal a week. Looking back, I think that was even low, since by getting paid per service, you are not fairly compensated for the numerous hours it takes to plan the music and practice for it. Any future position I accept would either need to be salaried or paid hourly based on the actual number of hours I work a week...not just the time you actually spend playing.

Catholic churches here in the S.Fco Bay area don't pay AGO prices, and only the big rich Catholic churches have organists anymore.
I used to play for a Catholic S. J. Diocese parish in a very rich area near Stanford [30 yrs ago]. Got paid $75.00 per Mass. These low prices are intended to be recompensed by the organist getting ALL the weddings and funerals in the parish. [Protestant parishes don't have the quantity of funerals and weddings that Catholic Parishes have].
The Diocesan guidelines used to even specify this, perhaps new priests don't understand the difference, and the influx of guitarrists hasn't helped.
The funeral parlors seem to set the rules for funerals, and tell the families that the going rate for the organist is $200, sometimes they say $250.
So if the parish follows the diocesan guidelines, you play 1 Mass on Sunday, plus 2 funerals during the week, and perhaps 1 wedding on Saturday, and your income is at least $675.00 a week. Now I substitute at many non-catholic churches. The minimum pay for the poorer churches is $125.00 per service, & doesn't include midweek rehearsals. Episcopalian churches pay more, at least $150- $200.00, sometimes more. Most Protestant churches also require more practice and study by the organist, since they include the names of all the organ music in the Order of Worship, and expect variety.

At my local parish church in suburban Boston, I served as a volunteer choir director for a year; at the time (2004) they were paying organists $75 for each Mass.

I have once or twice subbed for a VERY poor Episcopal church which offered $75. To me, this is the lowest a church may offer in good faith to lead music. But aside from the occasional work between jobs, for the past seven years I've only accepted and sought salaried positions.

Regarding M. Jackson Osborn's comment: I came to this town seeking to be closer to my wife's family and I am happy we're here; the only thing is that all 8 parishes in the area pay close to this amount and maybe seem to be in league with each other. It is rather frustrating, but what else can one do? I have talked with the pastor, who has agreed to get it bumped up to $50. $50???? I consider myself an above average player who, again, back in college, earned $150 a Mass. I am a Vocal Music Ed. BA and have many, many years of choral experience and organ experience. But there are some things I cannot do...

Now absolutely no offense is intended toward anyone on here who HAS done this, but I cannot, in good conscience, agree to go to another denomination and play for them when I know they do not possess the fullness of truth. As Catholics, don't we have to first and foremost be disciples of Christ? He says, "Come and follow me." If I go and play for another denomination, am I not, in a way, empowering a liturgy which does not get at the fullness of faith and which does, by the lack of grace offered through the lack of the seven Sacraments, endanger a soul?

I totally agree with MJO in terms of proper compensation. Playing the service is the tip of the iceberg. Planning and rehearsals not to mention organ practice is 90% of your time if the music is done to the best of our ability. Do not cast your pearl before swine, so to speak, or corn cobs is all you will have to eat. That is unfair to yourself, your family, and to all of us in maintaining a level of just compensation.

I USED to play for an Episcopal church in the 80's until I came to the realization that I was supporting heresey. Never again. JIF is right. We cannot be like the double minded politicians who support abortion and profess to be Catholic. You deceive yourself and deaden your conscience and worse lead others to believe that false ecumenism is the path to unity. There is no difference between worship and your work. Let all things you do be holy and acceptable to Jesus and Mary and Holy Mother Church.

The Episcopal Church has on numerous occassions invited me to play for their services especially when their bishop comes to their church. My not accepting sends a message about what the Catholic Church believes and promotes. We cannot say one thing and do another. We must have fidelity in our intentions and our actions.

I apologize for helping lead this discussion away from its intended topic.

Charles, I'm not familiar enough with the folks on this board to know humor or sarcasm or any such thing, but really, I think the point made on here by Francis and myself is that it needs to matter that we're Catholic. Otherwise, in the words of Flannery O'Conner, "to hell with it." To insist that we stay loyal to our Faith is not to be a 'flat-earther' or a 'heretic burner'. If we're Catholic but yet we work not just WITH but FOR a group that espouses beliefs that are in contradiction to the teachings of the Truth, are we not saying that such differences don't matter? In effect, are we not saying that truth itself doesn't matter, or, perhaps equally as bad, that there is no truth? I'd rather be Catholic and poor than Episcopal/Presbyterian/Lutheran/Calvanist, etc... and rich. (Though I'd rather be Catholic and richER - working on that one! :)

I think some of the views here are a bit extreme. Extreme to the point that a Vatican Council wouldn't endorse them, either. Some of the folks here live in an esoteric past not supported by any reality.

Yes, it's great to be Catholic, but especially here in the South, it isn't a Catholic world. Working is good, too!

I tell young people to not go into education or Catholic music. Go for something that pays better, and is not so populated by those with their own agendas.

O come now, one doesn't ex officio become a Christian Scientist by playing for one of their services; by this logic a faithful Catholic can't work as a public school teacher.

And I'm pretty sure CharlesW isn't seriously suggesting that anyone here would actually burn a heretic, as opposed to merely turning them over to the secular arm. ;-)

To try to stay on topic, I did one time see an ad for a Protestant church that wanted a $50 organist. It was an hour's drive through the forest away and I never heard if they got a taker. As a rule, though, $125 is the minimum around SF Bay.

Charles, you said:

"I think some of the views here are a bit extreme. Extreme to the point that a Vatican Council wouldn't endorse them, either. Some of the folks here live in an esoteric past not supported by any reality.

Yes, it's great to be Catholic, but especially here in the South, it isn't a Catholic world. Working is good, too!

I tell young people to not go into education or Catholic music. Go for something that pays better, and is not so populated by those with their own agendas."

Charles, I'm not sure what about my post or other people's posts was 'extreme'. Interesting that you sort of loosely cite the Vatican Council but don't really cite the text or an actual passage. Does it matter if one's a Catholic, or doesn't it? If so, then we should be working on evangelizing and helping bring our 'seperated brethren' to the fullness of truth. If it doesn't matter, to hell with it. Why be Catholic? Why go into teaching at a Catholic school? Why pray? Why have a devotion to the Blessed Mother? Why work to make processions with the Blessed Sacrament beautiful, powerful events? Why...?

I agree, it may be hard to find a job in a mostly non-Catholic area, and I'm not saying that one absolutely SHOULD NOT, under any circumstances take a non-Catholic post, but when one is offered a choice between a modest income at a poorer Catholic parish and a good income at a Protestant church, I hope that any serious Catholic would look at themselves and think a little.

Your advice to young people seems to indicate that money equals happiness. I am a recently turned 30 year old who does get frustrated by the pay, but I work a full-time teaching job at a Catholic school, an organist job on Sundays, and (soon) a part time job so that I can hope to have my Lord say to me at the end of my life, "Well done, good and faithful servant..."

Ach, those Episcopalian devils! Next they'll come at you with some prot version of the comfy chair.

Francis says "It's time to stand up for what we believe..." and reminds me how happy I am to have so many (and so diverse) allies for chant and polyphony, from ex-Wiccans to those for whom Mozart, Haydn, Gounod and Messiaen are not Catholic enough.

from ex-Wiccans to those for whom Mozart, Haydn, Gounod and Messiaen are not Catholic enough.

Messiaen not Catholic enough? Yeesh!!

Or even worse, Richard, those Lutherans coming at us with fat paychecks. Quick, get the weapons. The Protestants are attacking. Next the Democrats will come and take all our Bach scores. ;-)

Outside of jobs in major churches, I think few are getting rich in church music.

In all seriousness, if playing for a Protestant service or two weakens anyone's faith, maybe that faith wasn't so strong to begin with. I have found my interactions with Protestants a good opportunity to inform them about Catholicism. It's amazing how little many of them know about us. We are a mystery to them.