How do bands afford to tour?

[moresound]

We use to rob banks, liquor store what have you along the way to pay for touring!
We use to come back to home base with a heck of a whole lot more cash than when we departed and we actually forgot to grab the pay from at least half the venues that we played!

 

[chamelious]

Sounds awful. Its slowly dawning on me that my band is never going to get anywhere, we're never going to be able to consistently play gigs because we're all broke now before we've even started. I have rent and hundreds of pounds worth of bills every month that i just don't have the option of not paying. Short of a lottery win.

 

[Lt. Bob]

This would be me...

I have a lot of respect for anyone who's made a career out of actually playing music... it was always too hard for me. If you think the logistics of touring a band "on the road" in the US are hard, imagine a country the same size, with only 22 million people, mainly scattered round the edges... it's positively brutal - this country (Australia) has had some wonderful bands and musos... very, very few ever make a going thing of it, many try for years but eventually when the reality of the financial situation cuts in they seek other ways to live, often still associated with music, but not trying to do the "rock star" thing.

Occasionally a band hits it big and sustains it either at an Australian or international level, for one reason or another, but it's rare.

I've had several attempts to go "pro" but fundamentally I don't like the poverty side of it, so I've given up these attempts, and now work in business analysis and web development at a major financial organisation for the $ and have for years. The upside of selling my soul is that buying gear isn't a problem!

I play in a duo that's just starting to make a bit of headway and I could give a rat's arse at this stage if I get paid or not... not that there's any money on offer anyway... it's all about the songwriting and performing...

But as I said, having read Lt Bob's posts for years, I have great respect for his ability to do the music thing over such a long time - you should write a book LT... I'm sure you have some great stories to tell..

Yeah, it's definitely a poverty inclined life but I get by so that's really better than a lot of players do.
What saves me is that I can do so many different things, bass, guitar, sax and vocals and all styles. I can play deep jazz all night or twangy country or pop or rock.
All of my friends that only play a single instrument or style play a lot less.
I do get ragged sometimes for playing covers but I stretch out and improvise enough so it's not boring.
And yes ...... I'll play your furniture stores' grand opening where no one at all will be listening to me ........ that'll be $400 ... thank you very much!
I use those kinds of gigs as concentrated practice ........ I strive to get better at every gig regardless if it's a shitty gig or not.

I have thought about writing a book ................ I've done a lot of shit and played with a lot of names. Saw Buddy Miles naked ....... *shudder.....*
Only thing about such a book .... it would involves lots of things that aren't considered ok nowadays ........ nameless sex ..... drugs ...... throwing water out of the 9th floor window of the Dempsey in Macon on passersby on the street below ...... ah .... good times, good times.

 

[grimtraveller]

I have thought about writing a book ................ I've done a lot of shit and played with a lot of names. Saw Buddy Miles naked ....... *shudder.....*
Only thing about such a book .... it would involves lots of things that aren't considered ok nowadays ........ nameless sex ..... drugs ...... throwing water out of the 9th floor window of the Dempsey in Macon on passersby on the street below ...... ah .... good times, good times.

I'll read your book. But only if you name names ! Will you autograph my copy ?

 

[moresound]

I swear to god that if Lt. names me again in the nameless sex category ..... heads will roll!

 

[Lt. Bob]

I swear to god that if Lt. names me again in the nameless sex category ..... heads will roll!

 

[moresound]

Thank you Lt. here's some more weed.

 

[stevieb]

... throwing water out of the 9th floor window of the Dempsey in Macon on passersby on the street below ...

So that was YOU! Shouldda known...

 

[moresound]

We also use to rely on the kindness of strangers.

 

[Supercreep]

Just wondering if anyone has any idea. Seems to be so many bands hiring vans and touring, my band struggles enough affording fuel in cars to one off gigs, arranging time off from 5 peoples full time jobs. I'm friendly with the local venue and i know that even big bands filling the venue are only getting paid £50-200 odd. Never understood how bands are able to do it.

Bands are able to do it because at some point they stop being dilettantes and quit the day jobs. To wit:

They live in the van if they don't have a place lined up to crash.

The money they made at the gig is for: 1) Gas to the next gig 2) Food (canned tuna, ramen, and local fruits, and maybe the food bank) 3) strings, heads, sticks 4) Laundry 5) recording/merchandise, in that order.

When they're not touring, they're letting bands who are crash with them.

 

[ido1957]

We used to tour when 6 nighters were the norm. We used arrive Sunday afternoon and leave the next Sunday morning - thus no need for an apt.
Except when we had a week off then we would stay at girlfriends?? apt or at fleabag motels. We carried an electric frying pan and cooked our food in our room with ice filled coolers to keep the meat fresh. We avoided restaurants and spent all our money on gas, vehicle repair, food, booze and laundry in that order. We got up at noon so we only ate twice a day. It was fun for about a month then we realized that this was in reality a job...you sure miss your old day job, your steady paycheck and your nights and weekends off.

 

[Geebop]

Alot of bands I know do it for very little, it's more for the love of the music. Think you would either be very lucky (or very good) to make any money.

 

[chamelious]

Bands are able to do it because at some point they stop being dilettantes and quit the day jobs.

Bit strong i woulda though, dilettantes?

The situation you described would be fine if you had nothing else to pay for besides the gas/tinned tuna, but what about rent, council tax, phone bill, water, electric, car tax, insurance, credit card bills, monthly repayments on the gear you need but cant afford to buy outright, etc? How do you handle all that stuff when you quit your day job?

 

[Lt. Bob]

Bit strong i woulda though, dilettantes?

The situation you described would be fine if you had nothing else to pay for besides the gas/tinned tuna, but what about rent, council tax, phone bill, water, electric, car tax, insurance, credit card bills, monthly repayments on the gear you need but cant afford to buy outright, etc? How do you handle all that stuff when you quit your day job?

You can't.

I can't tell you how many friends of mine that stuck to only playing have nothing.
No health care ..... no house ...... no retirement savings.
I'm good and work way more than most and I still wouldn't have any of that without my wife just falling into a corporate niche she has a knack for and my piano tuning business back in Baton Rouge.
As a tuner I could schedule things as I wished so it allowed me to gig 6 nights a week so my day job never really interfered with playing.
But unless you wanna be homeless when you get old or rely on a wife to take care of you ..... you NEED some decent income and for 99% playing isn't the way to get it.

 

[chamelious]

You can't.

I can't tell you how many friends of mine that stuck to only playing have nothing.
No health care ..... no house ...... no retirement savings.

That's fair enough i could see how you could live without those things, but the list of stuff i mentioned in my last post, you can't just not have those. Aka I'm not bothered about not being able to afford putting money away for when I'm 70, but I cant just stop paying bills.

 

[Greg_L]

Sounds awful. Its slowly dawning on me that my band is never going to get anywhere, we're never going to be able to consistently play gigs because we're all broke now before we've even started. I have rent and hundreds of pounds worth of bills every month that i just don't have the option of not paying. Short of a lottery win.

Atta boy. Welcome to the real world of being a "musician". Just do it because it's fun and forget about trying to make it. You won't. Just have fun with it.

 

[chamelious]

Atta boy. Welcome to the real world of being a "musician". Just do it because it's fun and forget about trying to make it. You won't. Just have fun with it.

I agree greg We do have fun with it, we're only really after "making it" as far as being able to go places other than our home town and draw a crowd to be honest. We have some other things we want to "have done" like making an album, a proper music video, etc.

 

[Greg_L]

I agree greg We do have fun with it, we're only really after "making it" as far as being able to go places other than our home town and draw a crowd to be honest. We have some other things we want to "have done" like making an album, a proper music video, etc.

Making an album is easy. You're a home recorder right? Making a decent video might be a little harder, but it's doable. Granted, I don't play music that appeals to the masses, but I've been playing live since the late 80's and have been around lots of bands and musicians. I don't know anyone that's "made it" to the point that playing music is all they do with no help from anywhere else. I know guys that have gone on world tours that made 6 bucks a day. I know dudes that tour the states extensively, to nice crowds, and still have to hold regular jobs. They do it because they like it. I think it's dumb as hell to financially go backwards like that, but whatever. I suspect that to really "make it" you're gonna need to literally sacrifice everything in your life, get a lot of help from outsiders, and fall into a huge pile of luck - with the luck being the most important ingredient. We're way beyond the days of demo tapes, press kits, and being discovered. You can gig, travel, and live off of cigarette butts and puddles of water in the street, but you're probably never gonna make it without falling into a lot of luck. Hard work and having a dream doesn't matter anymore.

 

[Lt. Bob]

That's fair enough i could see how you could live without those things, but the list of stuff i mentioned in my last post, you can't just not have those. Aka I'm not bothered about not being able to afford putting money away for when I'm 70, but I cant just stop paying bills.

well that's what I was saying ....... I just didn't list ALL the things you mostly won't have if you quit your day job.


And you're right ..... you have to pay your bills.

Right now, about the only way to do that as far as I can see is to be a cover band or do a single act.
To be clear, I don't try to do an original music show but that's because I know the vast majority of those guys make no money. I've filled in sometimes for original music bands and made 30 bucks for the night. Screw that!

About the most money of a non-hit band I know of were some friends from Baton Rouge called the Molly Ringwalds. They made LOTS of money ...... like 70-80 grand a year apiece.
But what they do is an 80's show ........ maybe one or two originals but basically a cover band. And they spend all their time on the road.
To be honest ..... I personally LOVED being on the road. I loved always being in new places and seeing new stuff.
But most people get tired of that and long for home and their friends and family.

I'm not saying don't do it BTW .......... I couldn't do anything else ... it's in my blood ...... I got the music jones.
But it's useful to know what to expect financially and the reality is that most of us will never make a lot of money.
I've pullled in as much as 40k during busy years but often less than that and we're talking gigging 7 nights a week and doubles on Sat or Sun.
Because I'm weird, I've never tired of it but truthfully, most people do.

 

[Greg_L]

Or you can join a cover band, be lame as hell, and make 200 bucks a night.