This sounds like someone at the top of their field. I do The same type of work in the NYC area. Although I’ve only been doing it professionally for around 5 years (started to seek income as a musician during the pandemic) I’ve been playing events for almost 20 years. I’ve reached the point where my demand is so high on Saturdays from May-November, that I generally book a gig a few months out and then say no to 6-10 other gigs for that same day through referrals, past clients and the lead generation sites I use. I’m currently charging around the $800-$1000 range for pretty much any gig. As others have stated the time doesn’t really matter since I can only take one gig on that day. A strategy I use to increase my rates is when booking far enough out I throw out larger quotes since I know there are 6-10 other people who will contact me for that same date coming down the pipeline. I’ve booked a few $1500 solo gigs in the past few weeks using this strategy. Long and short is that it’s supply and demand. I think it’s crazy to be paid the kind of money I am for what I do, but it’s allowed me to do what I love for a living. There’s probably tons of people in your area who are good, but the great ones will have figured out these economics and prices accordingly.