The Guardian: the shocking truth about the money bands make on tour.

[Gervais Cote]

I don't like the term "hobby" because it carries an implication that the musician isn't serious about it. I'd say it's a "calling" but it's certainly not one that makes meaningful money.

In truth, as I've written many times before, we are coming off the tail of an historical anomaly in the field of professional music performance. A combination of social and economic factors made it possible in the period roughly 1920-1980 for there to be a meaningful number of professional musicians who could earn a living (admittedly, often a sketchy living) from musical performance and closely related work. Before that period, there was a very small number of actual full time professional musicians and the making of music for most people was an at-home amateur activity, almost always unpaid or with nominal compensation ("If you and your brother will come play at the barn dance, I've got half a barrel of salt pork we don't need...") And that's how it's going to be in the future.

One can complain, whine, pi$$ and moan about the state of affairs, but the truth is that it will probably never happen again that a large number of moderately talented musicians will be able to make useful money off playing music. Of course there will be the highly paid pros who support the massive mass-produced products of Taylor Swift, Beyonce, etc,, but those people will be numbered in the hundreds.

Your last paragraph is (unfortunately) 100% true.

 

[J Wilson]

I once went out with a 'legacy' country act still plying a decent living on their 70s/80s hits. Gone for six weeks through the midwest and one New England date, played 7 dates. Slept in the bus the whole time, they'd get a motel room every couple of days to shower and clean up, even parked the bus once in a KOA that had bus pads/hookups.

Came home dead even after many bologna sandwiches.

This wasn't what I had in mind.

 

[friskinator]

I once went out with a 'legacy' country act still plying a decent living on their 70s/80s hits. Gone for six weeks through the midwest and one New England date, played 7 dates. Slept in the bus the whole time, they'd get a motel room every couple of days to shower and clean up, even parked the bus once in a KOA that had bus pads/hookups.

Came home dead even after many bologna sandwiches.

This wasn't what I had in mind.

This is the case with a lot of current bands as well. Bands we've all heard of.

 

[J Wilson]

But then again: Before file sharing and the bottom fell out of the record business, artists were often behind the 8-Ball from jump street.

Had a nephew who played keys on the road for a well-known 90's country artist. He got the same deal a lot of them got back then: Signed his big 'record deal', which means they fronted him a BUNCH of money to hire a band, lease a bus, hit the road to support the albums, the idea being he'd slowly pay this debt back as the career advanced. And granted, it was a roll of the dice by the label to front those $$$.

Nephew became great, close friend of the guy, played with him several years, then moved on. Ran into him a few years later playing with someone else on the bill, and they caught up.

After seven number one records and about as many well-charting hits, the guy never made a dime until he was dropped from the label, and the remaining money he owed was written off.

This always reminds me of the quote about how to make a million dollars in auto racing: Spend two million dollars.

 

[dune]

I didn't even go on the road until late '83 and made my living playing music through early '98 with just over a year off at one point to really get my sobriety under my belt. The road scene had already diminished considerably at that point and for all practical purposes was gone by 2000.

When I signed onto my first cruise ship in 1995, it was immediately apparent to me that one successful contract was all it took to have a gig as long as I wanted one. A good friend is still out there nearly 30 years later. That isn't to say that conditions haven't changed on ships for musicians. They were already understandably hiring fewer Americans in favor of folks from other countries who would and could work for less, likely due in part to lower costs of living and they were making really good money. One keyboard player I worked with out there only worked 6 months a year and that allowed him and his family to live "upper middle class" in his home country. From what I have gathered since then, the musicians still out on ships are working more and getting paid the same or less. After my leaving in April of '98 I was still getting calls from the cruise line for probably 18 months afterward. I tried to work it out so that I could make it like a "working vacation", but they couldn't give me the kind of lead time I needed to do so.

I would say that the entire time I was gigging full-time, I made a good living. I started at $350 a week (plus rooms and sometimes food) on the road, The last road band I worked with in 1994 paid $650-$750 weekly. That ultimately ended up being "the band from hell" for me - BL became impossible to work with and I would have left even had he offered to double my pay. Seriously. It was that bad - I quit with what I had in the bank (which wasn't that much - yes, I made good money, but I didn't manage it well back then) no gig and no real prospects, living in a hotel in Vegas and I was happy as a clam - so thrilled to finally be out of that nightmare. I found out later that I would have gotten a tech gig at a big casino there that I had applied for, but the cruise ship gig came up and I was on a plane to NYC within the week. After all, somebody had to spend their summer cruising back and forth from NYC to Bermuda.

 

[pepj]

Friend is a featured artist on cruises out of east coast Australia. Iirc, 6 weeks onboard at just shy of $40k.
Lockdown burnt through those savings though and they haven't rushed back.
Maybe he will do 1 a year, which seems to be a popular option with people I know doing the rounds.

 

[dune]

Friend is a featured artist on cruises out of east coast Australia. Iirc, 6 weeks onboard at just shy of $40k.
Lockdown burnt through those savings though and they haven't rushed back.
Maybe he will do 1 a year, which seems to be a popular option with people I know doing the rounds.

Yep, "star" acts featured in the main theater can make BIG bucks. Beatles tribute band used to get something along the lines of $40K weekly ($10K per show, 4 shows a week), split 5 ways - band plus soundman. I was told that Jerry Lewis got $60K for the same.

 

[pepj]

To follow on from this, we are going for a promo reel on the basis that the cost of it 'should' pay for itself in a couple of gigs. Gigs that we are currently excluded from and pay significantly better.
We could possibly BS our way in...but if i was the booker, I'd not fall for that.. use personal recommendations which again, only go so far and relies on us not abusing that relationship, or just get a reel and use it elsewhere.

I don't necessarily feel this is the answer or correct way to do it..its just making it obvious that we can play and are worth the extra.
All the while, accepting that a booker just wants a good event that he can resell and is no benchmark of the quality that may or may not be involved.

Its all relelative to whatever gigs you target..

 

[crguti]

Just play somebody else music. just play covers.

 

[dune]

Alex Van Halen talked about his dad passing a hat around for a very early gig that he and Eddie had performed.
Alex: "How much did we get?"
Dad: "Seventeen dollars, so here's five each for you and Ed."
Alex: "Only five each? What about the other seven?"
Dad: "Welcome to the music business."

 

[Michael Milner]

Read Moses Avalon's books on the music biz.

 

[roccobass]

Sure, me too. I had the typical stars in my eyes when I was in a road band in my early 20s. Ww were good and motivated. But I learned early in how many things can go wrong in a band. Damned, if didn’t happen to us. Your booking agent only has your back so long, trust me. Never got as far as the recording contract level.

Fast forward 40 years. Played mostly local from then on. Did alright money wise. Only used a booker a few times, but that was for high paying gigs. Yes, it’s been at side income hobby level for decades, but I’ve been fortunate in most of the players I’ve made music with and the venues. I’ve only been stiffed twice in all my years.

My current vibe is to play interesting and challenging music and gig within a reasonable distance. I know. Those ingredients don’t always go together. If all else fails, I play online.

 

[friskinator]

Sure, me too. I had the typical stars in my eyes when I was in a road band in my early 20s. Ww were good and motivated. But I learned early in how many things can go wrong in a band. Damned, if didn’t happen to us. Your booking agent only has your back so long, trust me. Never got as far as the recording contract level.

Fast forward 40 years. Played mostly local from then on. Did alright money wise. Only used a booker a few times, but that was for high paying gigs. Yes, it’s been at side income hobby level for decades, but I’ve been fortunate in most of the players I’ve made music with and the venues. I’ve only been stiffed twice in all my years.

My current vibe is to play interesting and challenging music and gig within a reasonable distance. I know. Those ingredients don’t always go together. If all else fails, I play online.

I was in the same boat in my 20s. We were good, but there were problems: substance abuse, bad management, being young and impulsive with business/creative decisions, etc. We actually made it to the record deal level, but that went nowhere fast. Spent a ton of money making a record that was ultimately never released due to the usual record company nonsense. We never really recovered from that.