An Eye Opening Headline

I know touring costs are consistently going up and bands are canceling shows because hitting the road just isn't feasible right now... but holy smokes. Dave Mustaine says it costs $45k a day for Megadeth to just "be" when on the road. Of course, that price is passed right on to us as ticket buyers.

Now compare that cost to a really huge band  - say Metallica's current 72 Seasons tour. What is the nut on that bad boy every day? Or heck, the current and never-ending Motley Crue / Def Leppard world tour? Or Aerosmith's upcoming farewell harrah? Nirvana ain't cheap and I'm thinking there's a lot of bloat in the day to day costs for huge bands that like to travel in a certain style. Still, when even smaller bands that hit the road in a van and play clubs can't afford to gig anymore, we've got a problem. What happens when only massive acts like Taylor Swift can afford to tour? What happens to live rock n' roll? Just something to consider on this hump day.

Comments

[Him]

What is the nut, indeed, Allyson. What. Is. The. Nut. Oh, question mark. Oh, and bad boy too!

And did you have dig another knife into poor Dave with that comparison to the 'other' band? You know, the band that sent him packing? I mean, really? I kid. It actually made me chuckle.

And I bet Mr. Mechanix isn't far off, nor are you in suggesting the multiples when you consider higher-selling legacy acts and lower-selling emerging bands. They are all probably losing money in some sense.

To borrow from Orwell, though, all bands are equal. But some are more equal than others. Still, a band on the way up can't expect to have a rider like a legacy act. And even some legacy acts have to cut cost to make a tour possible . .. or swallow losses because. well, they can. Then you factor in the merch issue, the cut that a venue (more or less, a corporation in a lot of instances) takes from those farther down the pole, and it starts to get kinda' crazy. Ditto considerations of travel to another continent, or country.

And, even then, some of those associated costs we bitch about have nothing to do with what the band's are paying to tour. You know, the usual suspects. Sp that only adds to the problem.

Post-pandemic, bands and fans want to get out there and see music live. But there are tons of things that are making this 'new normal' a fan and band unfriendly time right now. Thankfully, based on what I read here, fans are doing their best to enjoy what they can and support who they can.

But I don't envy Dave right now. And I certainly don't have the cash to drop on a metal cruise. So, like all of you, I pick my spots wisely. And I hope that is enough to keep things going, for me and the bands I love.

[Bryon]

I think it was M Shadows who recently said that touring costs have basically doubled since they last toured. That's fine if you're a big band like A7X and Megadeth, who can easily pay for all of that from ticket sales, but it's a real problem for smaller bands. It's not like a small band can just double or triple their ticket prices without taking a serious hit in attendance.

[Him]

Hear you, Byron. And, like I said, those smaller bands are also getting hit by venue costs as well. Not a good time to be 'up and coming' methinks.

[Him]

Bryon, my apologies.

I guess I have been reading "She Walks in Beauty" a bit too much these days!