I agree with most of the people so far... chalk it up to a loss and move on.

As far as the "business" aspect of it, I agree that "the price is the price". If YOU KNOW in your heart that you're charging a fair price, then stick to it.

When we first started our company 5 years ago, we did "wheel and deal" a little bit to get sales when sales were few and far between. However, as we started getting bigger, it created a problem where someone would come in and say "well THIS person got it for less money, so I want it for that price", and so on. We reached a point where we had to lay down a firm rule of "this is the price".

We MAY have lost a few customers along the way, but when you have a product that is decent quality and you KNOW you are charging a fair price for it, you'll get what you ask. If they don't want to pay a fair price, odds are they won't be happy with it no matter what, so you're better off without the sale (or gig) anyway.

My other suggestion... contact other pipers in the area and ask what THEY charge for gigs. If you're all on the same page for your prices, customers can't play the "but THIS person said it was THIS much" game.

Also... about the "you'll get referrals" thing... You'll ALWAYS get referrals if you're good. You'll NEVER get referrals if you're bad. The point is, the referrals are dependant on YOUR performance, not what any customer tells you they will do. Charge your normal rate and if you're good, the referrals will come automatically.

Hope this helps!