Devin Townsend telling us what we've all been thinking...

[socialleper]

...music is a money pit now.
Unless you are a kid or cute woman getting clicks on YT, you are pretty much f'ed.

Devin Townsend Says It's Almost Impossible to Make Money on Tour Now: "It's a Complicated Time, Brother" | MetalSucks

 

[Jazz Ad]

And this is coming from a major musician with huge following.
I remember him once saying he made more from royalties out of his EMG video that went viral than from tour and album sales together.

 

[socialleper]

And this is coming from a major musician with huge following.
I remember him once saying he made more from royalties out of his EMG video that went viral than from tour and album sales together.

Yeah, Devin isn't a nobody. He isn't Metallica, Iron Maiden, or Ghost, but he is definitely a headliner. A lot of bands are canceling dates or just soaking opening acts to absorb the costs. With venues taking bigger cuts and ticket processors taking a bigger cut, there is nothing left.

 

[Jazz Ad]

And there's no choice really. In Europe there used to be a network of bars with great stages and medium sized halls that could host 100 to 200 people so artists who were known but not super famous could tour and meet their fans as well as get discovered by others.
Nowadays you have dive bars for weekend warriors, then it's 500 people or so town stages or opening for big bands in arenas.

 

[51PRI]

And this is coming from a major musician with huge following.
I remember him once saying he made more from royalties out of his EMG video that went viral than from tour and album sales together.

Devon Townsend is "a major musician with a huge following?"

 

[BlueRock]

Devon Townsend is "a major musician with a huge following?"

Devin Townsend is.

 

[socialleper]

Devon Townsend is "a major musician with a huge following?"

Yes, Devin Townsend is. He did very well with Strapping Young Lad and branched out from there. As of 2022 has credits on 28 albums. Like I said, he isn't Metallica or Iron Maiden, but he does pretty well.

 

[Jazz Ad]

Devon Townsend is "a major musician with a huge following?"

Judas Priest straight asked him to replace Rob Halford when he needed rest. How's that for Credentials ?
The Retinal Circus album topped sales on 3 différent occasions and countries.

 

[Jay Corwin]

Not to mention I think he got his first big break with Steve Vai for those of us who were around in the 90's.

 

[Zooberwerx]

In my situation, it's a hobby that almost pays for itself. I have a special respect & admiration for the pros making a go at it.

Riis

 

[51PRI]

Devin Townsend is.

I googled him, since I didn't know him, and he's actually on tour right, so I guess he hasn't given up on trying to make money playing music

 

[Altitude]

A career as a performing musician was reliably lucrative for a brief moment in time, maybe the last 50 to 75 years. Before that, musicians were artists, more or less monks to their trade.

Appears it’s headed that way again. The systemic reason, as Townsend points out, is that the human and performance space infrastructure for live music have degraded and the costs to tour have soared, creating a terrible situation for the not-super-famous touring act.

For the regional and local pros, there’s the competition of cheaper and more convenient entertainment options these days as has been discussed here thoroughly.

The last factor, affecting fewer but still worth mentioning, is the choke hold the promoters have on the high end of the live music business. For example, I do not think Taylor Swift expected or wanted the situation that Ticketmaster created for her upcoming tour. Whether you like her music or not, she realizes that millions of her fans can’t come to her shows and it’s largely due to a money grab by the non-artistic part of the business she’s in.

I don’t have a solution.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

...music is a money pit now.
Unless you are a kid or cute woman getting clicks on YT, you are pretty much f'ed.

Devin Townsend Says It's Almost Impossible to Make Money on Tour Now: "It's a Complicated Time, Brother" | MetalSucks

So what you are saying, if you are a 70ish musician it’s hopeless?? Good thing I have a pension..LOL.

Seriously, having gigged and recorded through last 5 decades, today there are so few venues, and the ones that are they either don’t pay well enough to get off the sofa, or you have to be a wiz at marketing to fill the seats.

To drag people out of their homes, out of their favorite lounge wear, when they beverages and food on hand (which is a whole lot less expensive when bought at the grocery), with an endless stream of music playing their favorite tunes played exactly like they remember it for FREE, with zero risk of getting a DUI, or worse yet, shot, would take a lot of selling.

I don’t exactly have a defeatist attitude, but the fact of the matter is the general public has decided that supporting live music is passé. And frankly, the big draws out there today are more so about visual extravaganzas than the clinical production of complicated musical experiences. JMO

 

[Mr Cheese]

In my situation, it's a hobby that almost pays for itself. I have a special respect & admiration for the pros making a go at it.

Riis

I agree. Plus, nowadays many companies are just looking for any help at all, so if you are semi-skilled in another area you can work just a few days a week to supplement any lack of earnings from music.

 

[five7]

So, I guess we are all play as a hobby now.

 

[mistermikev]

i am hopeful that this is just an adjustment phase. A while back a friend of mine played on this ron white online bar thingy... still in its infancy but I can really see that taking off. its local acts playing to a live bar... then broadcasted to the internet. I certainly have enjoyed it a few times and I imagine that there would be some audience for monetizing it... if not advertising then paid access. Do I think we'll ever get back to the 80s where guys like yngwie can buy a lambo based on relatively obscure fame? no, those days are over... but I think the ripples of music on the internet will settle and musicians will find ways to make money at it again... at least I hope.

 

[nickpc]

I googled him, since I didn't know him, and he's actually on tour right, so I guess he hasn't given up on trying to make money playing music

From the article: "You’re touring ultimately so you can present your work to the people who care about your work, and that’s worth it to me." So he's getting something more out of it than the money - but I would assume he needs to at least break even.

 

[51PRI]

From the article: "You’re touring ultimately so you can present your work to the people who care about your work, and that’s worth it to me." So he's getting something more out of it than the money - but I would assume he needs to at least break even.

Probably true. Most of us, I think, play music for reasons other than money. Getting the money is nice though.

 

[nickpc]

Probably true. Most of us, I think, play music for reasons other than money. Getting the money is nice though.

Yep. My day job would allow me to gig without worrying about the money, but then my day job would make it tough to actively gig - no matter how it paid. Which is probably a common situation.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

In my situation, it's a hobby that almost pays for itself. I have a special respect & admiration for the pros making a go at it.

Riis

At age 70, no doubt it is a hobby. But I got to tell, I’m just as serious about it now than when I was a touring pro. I have a gig coming up here in about 2 weeks, and I’’ll be on my bass for about an hour or two daily in preparation.

In the interim between gigs, we record two thee songs a month, and have been at that pace for the last several years. We record a much broader variety of music than the core genre of the band which is really cool for staying engaged.