How much $$ do touring musicians make?

[hensonbass]

I am curious what the average weekly pay is for a touring musician on the road?

To set some parameters:

1. Let's say the act is a low overhead show that is successful and makes great money (5 - 10K gross a show), always in the black and it keeps growing. The band will consist of a leader and two sidemen maximum. They travel by van and will have to hump their own gear. The crew and leader are easy to get along with.

2. The leader wants a mature, high-quality and versitile (multi-intrumentalist) musician. Not a kid who just looks cool and can play a steady stream of eighth-notes.

3. The music quality is decent. Not great by musician standards. I'm sure a "jazz" cat would slit his wrists. But the gig does require an accurate and musical player.

My opinions right now:

I personally cannot justify going on the road for under $1,000 a week if you can make close to that figure in your home town just freelancing. I know I won't get my mug in BassPlayer mag. for playing weddings and club dates in my hometown. But I do enjoy a variety of gigs in town (classical, jazz, rock, ethnic, broadway shows). The only way I'd go out for less than a $1,000 is if it were my own music I was playing.

At the same time I know there is a limit to what can be done in my hometown marketing high quality music. It is a sad reality that I make a fair amount of money performing some overall poorly played music. I'd rather take gigs that hold me to a higher standard of professionalism.

So where is it at? Have I priced myself out of the touring market?

[csholtmeier]

When my drummer was doing the "Pearcy's Ratt Bastards" gig he was getting $850 a week. That's after taxes. The venues ranged from 3,000 to 30,000 people. Some big shows.

[cheezewiz]

LOL. Pearcy recently played in a little Village in the area in a bar that holds like 60 people. (OK..it may hold 100, but you get my point!)

[markjazzbassist]

sounds like you should sign on or get work with a established Pop act. They would treat you like a Pro and would make good money.

If you're in Atlanta, you should try to get on with all those Hip-Hop, R&B, and Rappers down there. There's a whole slew of em.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by markjazzbassist

sounds like you should sign on or get work with a established Pop act. They would treat you like a Pro and would make good money.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

I'm sorry, but here's the sad reality of the business...if you are a sideman, you are completely at the mercy of the bandleader as to what you get paid. There are a select few who are willing to pay you extremely well. For example, I hear that Eric Clapton pays $25,000 a show for his top guys. And there are some acts that will split what they make with you and everyone else evenly. More often than not, though, the leader takes the lion's share of the money and the sidemen get paid a working wage. For example, Stephen Pearcy paying his band members $850 a week. You can bet your ass that Stephen Pearcy is getting anywhere from $7000 to $10,000 a show at the very least. If they do two shows a week, then he's still making a fortune. Which is his right. He's the one drawing people to the show, not the sidemen. And that fact will be thrown up in your face a million times whenever you ask for more money.

I'm in a similar situation with Bowzer. Bowzer makes all the money, and I get paid a working wage when I work with him. Which I'm cool with, because they're not coming to see me, they're coming to see Bowzer. I would like to see my pay increase substantially, but the gigs pay what they pay and I can refuse them if I want.

As for what you should get paid to do a gig like that, nowadays I wouldn't even entertain the notion of going out on tour for weeks at a time for less than $350 a show with at least 5 shows a week. But unlike the original poster, I've gotten way past the point of caring about making a musical statement and I just care about making money, and I can make close to that money at home and I don't give a crap that it's not "advancing my artistic side."

I agree that someone on tour doing 5-7 shows a week shouldn't be making less than $1000 a week. But the harsh reality of the business is that bandleaders will pay you as little as they can get away with, and if they've got a big enough name, there will be a list of people they can call if you don't do it. The music business has been and always will be a buyer's market, and the musician looking to turn a buck is at the mercy of who he/she knows and how much they're worth to the people they know.

[Tim Cole]

Originally Posted by cheezewiz

LOL. Pearcy recently played in a little Village in the area in a bar that holds like 60 people. (OK..it may hold 100, but you get my point!)

That gig paid $6500 plus ryder, and expenses as well.

[Tim Cole]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

I'm sorry, but here's the sad reality of the business...if you are a sideman, you are completely at the mercy of the bandleader as to what you get paid. There are a select few who are willing to pay you extremely well. For example, I hear that Eric Clapton pays $25,000 a show for his top guys. And there are some acts that will split what they make with you and everyone else evenly. More often than not, though, the leader takes the lion's share of the money and the sidemen get paid a working wage. For example, Stephen Pearcy paying his band members $850 a week. You can bet your ass that Stephen Pearcy is getting anywhere from $7000 to $10,000 a show at the very least. If they do two shows a week, then he's still making a fortune. Which is his right. He's the one drawing people to the show, not the sidemen. And that fact will be thrown up in your face a million times whenever you ask for more money.

I'm in a similar situation with Bowzer. Bowzer makes all the money, and I get paid a working wage when I work with him. Which I'm cool with, because they're not coming to see me, they're coming to see Bowzer. I would like to see my pay increase substantially, but the gigs pay what they pay and I can refuse them if I want.

As for what you should get paid to do a gig like that, nowadays I wouldn't even entertain the notion of going out on tour for weeks at a time for less than $350 a show with at least 5 shows a week. But unlike the original poster, I've gotten way past the point of caring about making a musical statement and I just care about making money, and I can make close to that money at home and I don't give a crap that it's not "advancing my artistic side."

I agree that someone on tour doing 5-7 shows a week shouldn't be making less than $1000 a week. But the harsh reality of the business is that bandleaders will pay you as little as they can get away with, and if they've got a big enough name, there will be a list of people they can call if you don't do it. The music business has been and always will be a buyer's market, and the musician looking to turn a buck is at the mercy of who he/she knows and how much they're worth to the people they know.

Your math is severely flawed. Take into account, a $4,000 a month bus lease, $1000-$1500 a week sound men (x2, FOH and monitor mix), and countless other expenses no one else is taking into consideration. I too, thought the same thing.....but a good friend who is a MAJOR league sound engineer set me straight on that. Aint hardly anyone getting rich.

[JimmyM]

Actually, no, my math isn't severely flawed. If he's taking on two soundmen and a $4000 bus lease while making $6500 a show (btw, I wasn't too far off the mark with that prediction), he's living beyond his means unless he's doing 4-5 shows a week. Which he probably was while he was on tour. I don't know how his tour dates lined up, but a guy like Stephen Pearcy should easily be able to clear half of the total pay of every gig, even with the bus, the soundmen, and the band. That to me is making a fortune.

[SBassman]

Subscribing. Very interesting.

[Tim Cole]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Actually, no, my math isn't severely flawed. If he's taking on two soundmen and a $4000 bus lease while making $6500 a show (btw, I wasn't too far off the mark with that prediction), he's living beyond his means unless he's doing 4-5 shows a week. Which he probably was while he was on tour. I don't know how his tour dates lined up, but a guy like Stephen Pearcy should easily be able to clear half of the total pay of every gig, even with the bus, the soundmen, and the band. That to me is making a fortune.

We're talking different situations here. Pearcy had no bus, sound men, etc. The situation I was just referring to applied to bands I just saw last week with the sound guy I mentioned....Skid Row, and King's X. Then again, I am sure the SR/KX show cost the promoter a lot more than $6500

[JimmyM]

Probably not a whole lot more, though. It looks like they're playing all clubs.

[troy mcclure]

When I was taking bass lessons in the early 80's, my teacher auditoned for a very famous albino musician who offered him
$75 a gig for regional shows in our area. My teacher laughed at the idea of making less than he did for for giving 3 lessons.
He did give up the opportunity of maybe getting an endorsement deal or becoming a known sideman though...

If the circumstances were right, I would love to tour one summer just to have the experience.

[Dave Martin]

There isn't an 'average'; I know guys working for new acts for as little as $200 a night and a select few who make $1500-$2500 a night for established acts.

I know of at least two artists who hired their musicians for a straight one million dollars for a year; that was what it cost the artist to get the commitment from the guys he wanted to use. But that, as you can imagine, it pretty damn rare....

The trick is to (A) be in the right place at the right time, and (B) remember that everything is negotiable.

[Dave Martin]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Actually, no, my math isn't severely flawed. If he's taking on two soundmen and a $4000 bus lease while making $6500 a show (btw, I wasn't too far off the mark with that prediction), he's living beyond his means unless he's doing 4-5 shows a week. Which he probably was while he was on tour. I don't know how his tour dates lined up, but a guy like Stephen Pearcy should easily be able to clear half of the total pay of every gig, even with the bus, the soundmen, and the band. That to me is making a fortune.

Hey, where can I lease a bus for $4K a month? The local lease companies around here are closer to $750 a day, plus fuel and a driver (who are, at a minimum, $500 a day without overdrives...).

[AmazingGracePlayer]

Not much... You'll have a better chance being able to pay all your bills if you are an accountant.

[Marcus Willett]

As someone who just got back from a tour a few days ago; I can tell you it varies considerably. Andy pays OK when we tour, but we are treated well, the gig is very pro and everyone gets their own hotel room, 4 star minimum.

I was actually making more money when I was music director at the Legends in Concert show, but it was for a LOT more work, and a much less pro environment. I don't regret leaving Legends, and I am very happy to be playing for Andy.

Having said that, I would never suggest anyone go into this business "for the money." There are much easier ways that are far less frustrating. If you're looking to make money, I would steer clear of being in the entertainment business and definitely of being a sideman for hire. Trust me, when we play a road date, Andy is making 100 times or more what the sidemen are...really.