Last week, I read an interesting article in USA Today about working musicians called Summer Tours Help Bands Pay Bills. It focuses on banjo-guru Bela Fleck to show how much money bands earn by touring.
Fleck says concerts reflect 70% of the band’s income, records 20% and merchandising 10%.
Fleck will realize 40% of his yearly touring income crisscrossing the country to perform with his jazz/bluegrass/world music band at amphitheaters, auditoriums, amusement parks — even a farmer’s market in Kansas City.
Good info on the economics of the touring band.
Bela Fleck doesn’t sell many records so he would have to make his money from touring… Which is good, because then the evil people don’t get anything (or much).
Hey, speaking of evil people, did you know Clear Channel owns most of the amphitheaters that bands play in across the country? And that they own most radio stations in just about every significant market in the country? And that they get paid to put bands on their radio stations? hmmm…. I hear a song coming on….
I was tuning in the shine on the light night dial
doing anything my radio advised
with every one of those late night stations
playing songs bringing tears to me eyes
I was seriously thinking about hiding the receiver
when the switch broke ’cause it’s old
They’re saying things that I can hardly believe.
They really think we’re getting out of control.
Radio is a sound salvation
Radio is cleaning up the nation
They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don’t give you any choice
’cause they think that it’s treason.
So you had better do as you are told.
You better listen to the radio.
I wanna bite the hand that feeds me.
I wanna bite that hand so badly.
I want to make them wish they’d never seen me.
Some of my friends sit around every evening
and they worry about the times ahead
But everybody else is overwhelmed by indifference
and the promise of an early bed
You either shut up or get cut out;
they don’t wanna hear about it.
It’s only inches on the reel-to-reel.
And the radio is in the hands of such a lot of fools
tryin’ to anaesthetize the way that you feel
[Chorus]
Wonderful radio
Marvelous radio
Wonderful radio
Radio, radio…
My brother bought tix for the dead at AllHell Pavilion. Tix were $45. By the time ticketbastard bent him over the total came to $140!