"Tribute" Tour with Dave, Al and Satch

[Seshmeister]

What really killed music was the loss of locally owned radio stations. Every radio station had it’s own personality and the DJ’s were local celebrities themselves. A lot of bands got broke by these guys. The Police were nobodies in the states and they played a small club in Syracuse where they were seen by a Boston DJ there visiting family. They got massive airplay in Boston because of him and that broke them into the bigger music scene.

That’s gone. The more major clubs want you to pay them to play. Not even the mob who owned the clubs in the old days pulled that kind of shit.

That's a bit glass half empty though. Bands nowadays can make a multi track single or album and release it themselves internationally on all the streaming platforms for pocket money. They can then use their phones to make a video for a single, edit it with free software and put that out there and publicize it on social media all again for no cash. Back in the day that would have cost at least $100k.

On the pay to play front it depends what you mean, here the model is often effectively the band becomes the promoter so in the same way that missing out the record company taking 80/90% like in the 'good old days, there is no promoter to pay.

A typical gig we would play would be you pay the club $100-$200 for that they provide PA and sound guy keep the bar takings but the bands get the door money. I then find a couple of young support bands give them 25 tickets each to sell at $8 a time (or less if they want) from which they pay me $4 for any they sell. If they sell none fine. Another $30 for someone to sit at the door taking tickets and cash for people who just turn up and $80 for a van to move the backline and drums.

So my outgoings are $210. Worst case scenario the two support bands only sell 10 tickets each they still get paid $40 each and my break even is for us to sell just a further 20. Last gig we made a few hundred and the support bands were happy with $60 or $70 each. No one is doing it for the money anyway but it's not pay to play really. If three bands can't find 40 people to come to a gig locally then maybe a 3rd part\y promoter doesn't deserve to be out of pocket.

Small niche bands touring is more complicated and difficult but it is doable because there are still promoters out there willing to take a punt, As far as I can make out most of those bands playing at the 100 people a night rely on merch - mainly $20 vinyl to get by.