It’s been a bad enough for major tours this Summer (as if you didn’t know). So imagine how bad medium level acts are doing on tour right now! This past weekend, Metal Injection posted an account from Oh, Sleeper guitarist Shane Blay explaining the financial struggles that a mid-level band can expect to experience on the road.
After breaking down the profit made and lost in merchandise and guaranties (rounding up to $300 each), Blay proclaims that once you take out bills and costs, each band member on the tour (amongst four bands in his example) makes only around $13 per day. You can take a look at Blay’s whole breakdown over at Metal Injection, but get ready to be downright depressed.
It’s sad to read this, but sadly not all that shocking. Touring was never all that bankable for mid level artists, but this Summer is proving to be a struggle for even major artists (when the Jonas Brothers have to cut dates, you know times are tough). It’s simply a shame anyway you look at it. And while it’s been thought that bands make the majority of their money on the road via merch, Oh Sleeper’s account kind of pokes a hole in that theory, mainly because they use American Apparel merch, which of course is the most comfortable. I guess if you go to an Oh Sleeper show and the shirt you buy is uncomfortable, you know they cut a corner.
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