What bands really make on tour.

[etoncrow]

Problem is, they aren't mid-level....The "headliners" they occasionally open for probably don't even reach "mid-level".

I was wondering about this. Back in the 70's the originals band I played with toured for six week stretches; like six on and six off. We also did the periodic USO tour for two months at a time. When we were off (at home) we played the local clubs, fairs and festivals. We got paid $800 - $1200 a show. That's in 1970's dollars. On tour we were playing mostly colleges and filling the between dates with large clubs like the "Lone Star Cafe" in NYC. We were warming up "headliners" like the Dixie Dregs, Atlanta Rythym Section, Freddy Fender and Doug Kershaw. The Dregs, ARS, Fender and Kershaw, IMHO, were mid-level. We were knocking on the door.

We were asked to play a local club and when we told the owner our rates he said, "I will never pay that much for a band!" We said we would play for the door and provide our own door man. The next time we played he paid our rate because he lost money by not doing so the first time.

My point is, either the band mentioned in the OP is not what they are represented to be or things have really, really changed since the 1970's.

 

[CTbass613]

...i don't know if i would classify that as a mid level band...no offense, i never left my home state for a tour unless we had a string of shows guaranteed at a $1000.00 a night, and i don't consider the bands i play with mid level at all because we don't draw, we have a good enough press kit, and professional attitude that we get booked at places where there is an expected crowd in which our music will appeal to them (this is an original band as well). I think its tough if you are considering a tour a bunch of dive bars with 4 other bands sharing the night. It may just be the style of music they play that doesn't allow them to pursue a tour that involves festivals, fairs or colleges where there is a budget and even better a contract that guarantees pay, and then subsequent merch sales.

 

[onosson]

We got paid $800 - $1200 a show. That's in 1970's dollars.

...

My point is, either the band mentioned in the OP is not what they are represented to be or things have really, really changed since the 1970's.

Things really have changed. I hear the same story from the guys 20+ years older than me (I was born in '72). When we toured in the 90s we were getting $800-1200, as a medium-level (Canadian) touring act. Minus all our own expenses (sometimes hotel rooms or a meal would be thrown into the deal). That was at the height of our "success", 20 years after what you're talking about, and the money in real dollars hadn't increased at all, in fact it largely decreased.

I'm not bitter about it - we had a great time touring including opening for some amazing acts like Deep Purple, Little Feat, Dave Matthews Band, and I have pretty much made a living off of music since straight out of high school. But it's definitely gotten much tougher to do since the 70s except at the higher levels.

 

[Ripley]

I heard an interview with Don Dokken, years ago, and he said that on their 2nd album (iirc), they were each being paid $200/week by the label while on tour.

Now, you may not think much of guitarists or hair bands, but - George Lynch was literally the Hendrix/Clapton/Page of his generation, and Dokken was probably one of the, if not THE, most influential hard rock bands of the mid- to late-80's. Ridiculous album sales, people tripping over themselves to interview Lynch and Dokken, heavy rotation on radio and MTV... for $200/week plus whatever they could scrape out of merch sales and what have you. Oy...

As an additional study piece to the OP, if you're a young kid with hopes and dreams of touring in an original band, check out the Anvil documentary "Anvil: The Story of Anvil".

 

[pmaraziti]

It confirms what I think:

1. I'm lucky enough to have a paid day job that is not the one of a touring musician
2. Music is Heaven, Music Business is Hell
3. Music Business has to be reinvented

I have also to say that most of the time my amateur band has closed in red the books after a gig. While we insist on getting paid not to screw the market of those who try to make a living out of it, I have to say that in general we made less than 300$ in gross/gig. Only once, we were able to raise about 3500 $ in a night, but it was for a cause for a non-profit org that one of the members founded.

 

[Ric5]

Playing music for a living can be a fast track to serfdom. You work really hard to make other people get rich and you get a small return.

But another approach is if you get a good local house band gig you can make enough to live on.

But I like to tell young musicians to get a college degree and a career and then do the music thing part time and make it a hobby you get paid to do.

 

[Tampabass]

I heard an interview with Don Dokken, years ago, and he said that on their 2nd album (iirc), they were each being paid $200/week by the label while on tour.

Now, you may not think much of guitarists or hair bands, but - George Lynch was literally the Hendrix/Clapton/Page of his generation, and Dokken was probably one of the, if not THE, most influential hard rock bands of the mid- to late-80's. Ridiculous album sales, people tripping over themselves to interview Lynch and Dokken, heavy rotation on radio and MTV... for $200/week plus whatever they could scrape out of merch sales and what have you. Oy...

As an additional study piece to the OP, if you're a young kid with hopes and dreams of touring in an original band, check out the Anvil documentary "Anvil: The Story of Anvil".

+1,000 on "Anvil" - It's an amazing little movie, on so many levels. Funny, poignant, kind of sad. It has a lot to say about why people want to play music (in this case, metal) and whether financial success or the lack thereof should determine when/whether to call it quits.

 

[thirtypoint87]

first comes the fame, then MAYBE comes the money.....

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Get a day job, and do what you love by night....sorta like Batman

 

[bluewine]

Trust me I understand the dream. I had it years ago and to tell the truth I would love to try this even today ..if i could even thou I know its a total waste money wise. I would do it for the life experience and as a bucket list thing

No local or regional bad can survive touring like this without support money from a label or another sorce. Its foolish to see that bands think they will be the next big thing and starve to find it and go broke when they could play locally and make way more money. I used to work behind the scenes and seen these bands eating beans and stinking from no showers for days etc

I do understand the dream thou but question the gain. I know one band in my area who has traveled as far as LA and said most times they only have enough money to get to the next town ..sometimes not enough.

I also used to play with a guy who had a band for years and never traveled more than a state away and most times an hour's drive to play. He made good money and payed for all his equipment including the bands ,van and his personal truck all from having a good band..locally. He never was famous but he made more money from his time than most who had a had a little buzz in the region for sure.

I would do it too bully. In a heart beat.

 

[bluewine]

When does the money start to roll in, if ever.

I saw Paramore this Summer on a Honda Civic sponsored tour, 3 bands they head lined. Big $$ in light staging and effects. Awesome tour bus too.

 

[Corevalay]

It's really unfortunate but nowadays there really isn't any money in the music business. Getting signed and going on tour is more likely than not going to cost you money.

It really is a shame.

 

[bassbully]

When does the money start to roll in, if ever.

I saw Paramore this Summer on a Honda Civic sponsored tour, 3 bands they head lined. Big $$ in light staging and effects. Awesome tour bus too.

For most never..the music biz is not what it once was. Its not that it was ever great but there were national acts canceling tours this year due to poor ticket sales. This is why so many of the mid-level bands disappear as quick as they appear.

 

[jive1]

If your main goal is money and chicks, it'll probably be easier to accomplish as a doctor than as a musician. But, if your main goal is to make music, then the only way to do that is to be a musician.

 

[pasta4lnch]

there was a sad point in my career when the guys I was aspiring to be were not making decent livings. it scared the heck outta me. needless to say, after 10 years in the biz, I start school again next month to learn a new trade . . .

 

[unbridled]

At my level, it's a hobby that doesn't quite pay for itself. That being said, my hobby is a helluva lot more fun than others. I don't want to get famous and I don't want my hobby to become work. I'm happy right now as it is.

 

[atauntaun]

Those guys are lucky, we only got $5 a day for food.

 

[sammyfallen]

Going DIY is the only way for a band to succeed this day and age.

We would tour 30-45 days per year and play within a 2 hour radius on weekends.

We printed our own merchandise, bought an $800 van, and paid to record and print our own albums.

We made $500 per show on tour & $750 locally, but, we had no overhead except for fuel costs.

We each made over $100 per night on tour and $175 for local gigs.

We all have day jobs as well. I am airframes tech. The vocalist delivered newspapers, the guitar player was basically a maid and the drummer was a Screen printer.

We played a gig with The Casualties and It opened my eyes to the world of touring. They are one of the biggest punk bands in the world and were only bringing home around $100 per person each show. They had to pay managers, booking agents, and crew. None of them had relationships outside of that band. Just not a life for me...

 

[fingerbun]

A lot depends on the specifics of your project.

I left my job as a bank clerk in 1981, went full-time as a muso and my income went up about 40%. But that was playing 50/50 covers and originals, selecting material that earns money, and carrying relatively modest production. It also meant avoiding support slots, which were necessary if you wanted to make it, but they didn't pay. I did get to play some big rooms and meet some of my heroes, but that was a side trip from the main business.

I did a few tours. I tired of it pretty quickly. How guys spent 150-200 nights a year on the road with no money, crap food and accommodation and hours of bored waiting between gigs is beyond me. And all that nighttime driving is dangerous. It was a sobering moment when a friend was killed in a car crash.

In 1989 I went into IT and my income obviously improved a lot but IT was a well paid job back then.

I don't know how much it's changed. I used to average four shows a week, and friends doing it now might be getting two. But that's partly being older.

If you can play and tailor your product around a market you can make $150 to $300 a night ( that's gross per musician, after commissions, etc but before cost of your gear). Add in some teaching, session work and lucrative corporate extras at Christmas and you can make an ok living.

I have friends who went that route. But to me it was better to have a job outside music to bankroll things. If I like a project enough I can pay to play, and for orchestral stuff that's what I do. Band gigs I take maybe $100-$200 a night. 4-6 gigs a month. And I can afford the gear I want. (double bass is unbelievably expensive).

So when you look at the figures for a band you also have to look at their business model to understand them.

And you need to be clear in your head about what you really want.

 

[TRichardsbass]

jp58, I hope you don't mind but I copied and pasted your original post to my "How to Succeed" page, giving you the props for it. Thanks for this post, as you will help soooo many more then you could ever know.

tom richards.