Entertainment For Lively Minds
World tours v. no record sales.
Something I’ve been pondering recently. What’s going to happen to touring abroad? Obviously not at, say, Depeche Mode level, who’ve just played two nights in a big shed here in Madrid. But at the subsistence end, the Great Lake Swimmers for example, who played round the corner not long ago. How can it be economically viable? – given that live is supposed to be the money-earning end of the business now.
I’m guessing at the figures. 500 people, if lucky, at 15 Euros a pop. 7500 Euros in total. Of which the band gets what, 2000? Which has to pay for bus/van hire, driver, the odd crew member, hotels possibly, shedloads of petrol, food, booze – share the leftovers among the 4 or 5 members of the band and what have they actually earned? Repeat 15/20 times in various European cities. Factor in the cost of flights to and from the US…
When a gig in a foreign city was a means to an end – reviews, publicity, bit of radio, possibly even telly, translating into record sales – then I suppose you could afford to break even, even take a loss. Possibly there was even a wealthy record company picking up the tab. Now that said gig is the end itself, given it will probably translate into hundreds even thousands of illegal downloads and double figure sales, how can it be done?
I suppose fairly soon the only way to see a UK/US group outside the UK/US will be festivals...
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They could always
get a real job.
Please
can we have the down arrows back?
One example - The Fleshtones
The Fleshtones, venerable Kings of garage rock, are in Spain just now : http://www.fleshtones.org/index.asp?inc=calall
In my experience, bands will rely on making money selling merchandise at the gigs - those t-shirts and CDs you buy are sometimes for the petrol to get to the next gig!
If bands want to tour, they'll find a way to tour
They're in Madrid tonight!
I'd give my eye teeth to be able to go to El Sol to see them.
A great rockin' night out - if you can go, Madrid, please go!
(Music in the vid starts about 1:55)
In the UK...
...I believe the maths is something like if you're a touring band & you can't pull an average of 300 people per gig, then you're going to lose money.
Most of the Gigs
I go to have an audience of anywhere from 20 - 200, but usually around the 80 mark. I've never figured out how they make a living but I suppose they do.
A friend who puts bands on at a small venue does it for the love of the music. She'll usually break even and occasionally make a few bob. The most she has made in one night is around £250, but she's happy doing what she does. There's an army of people like her out there; enthusiasts who want others to experience the pleasure of seeing all kinds of live music in their neck of the woods. Without them, I doubt if many musicians could keep going.
Even happens at the top end!
We went to see Toby Keith in Glasgow at The O2 Academy a couple of weeks ago his first concerts in the UK. Let's say 2000 people @ £17.50 per ticket = £35,000. For this you got 11 people in his band who had been flown across from America, presumably 2 nights accomodation plus road crew expenses. Not a lot left to make a living! Having said that he was 3rd or 5th in the list last year (depending on the source) of gross takings for American artists above Springsteen and Madonna. It's his own record label so he's paying. Full credit to him for such a low ticket price especially when he's typically $150 in the States.
Toby played a brilliant set with a group of outstanding musicians combining country rock with some moving ballads.
The concert was nearly ruined by a group of ****heads from Doncaster who thought it amusing to shout out at every opportunity and talk and make telephone calls through the show. Why travel 200 miles if you have no intention of listening?
The Decemberists
I thoroughly enjoyed their Forum show this week, but as I left I caught myself wondering how they could afford to carry on.
I have no knowledge whatsoever of the band's income, but I assume it can't be massive. One album in the last 3 years (I don't know its sales figures but we all know they won't be much). A US tour with maybe 30 dates this year, plus a very short European tour and a couple of Australian dates. Unless I'm missing something this will be pretty much the only sources of income over the last 2 to 3 years. Colin McCoy will have earned more presumably as writer, but how do the band members (and in particular the 2 temporary ladies who just feature on Hazards Of Love) earn enough money.
As I say, I could be missing something here. I love The Decemberists and the world is indubitably a better place for them being in it. It worries me that bands of their size will have to call it a day.
They don't make a living as most of us would understand it
I am reminded of the late John Harvey-Jones who used to front a TV programme trying help ailing businesses. One of them was an independent TV production company. "This isn't a job," he said. "It's a lifestyle."
True
One particularly interesting aspect of the Fleshtones film ("Pardon us for living but the graveyard was full") was their discussion during it of how to scrape a few bucks together : Keith Streng, the guitarist, says he makes his living from doing a "Man with van" job.