How The Cost Of Live Crisis Is Affecting Music.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ต.ค. 2024
- This has to be joke. As we are all aware, the cost of living crisis is affecting us all, some more than others. A new survey has revealed that 90% of professional musicians are worried about affording food. How can this be? Will professional music be wiped out completely and left to only the mega pop stars like Taylor Swift and Harry styles? What kind of world would that be. Tell me what you think the solution is in the comments below.
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What's the solution?!
This whole situation sucks and I can only think that musicians need to find a new revenue stream. T-shirt sales aren't enough anymore. Sponsorship? Eurgh. Go fund me and Kickstarter stuff? More festivals, more Collab tours? It can't continue like this. More government funding for the arts, more vocal high level celebs getting involved, spreading the word. Unions and groups of musicians creating a circuit in each country, more online hubs, SoundCloud etc just isn't enough. Quality needs to shine through, bring back top of the pops or similar!!
Drugs mountains of drugs
The solution is vote with your money, and go and support live music! Since lockdowns ended, pretty much all my spare money goes on gig tickets, because I think hospitality and the arts were unfairly targeted by government policies (remember the scotch egg rule!?!?). In the last few months I’ve seen Morrisey, Converge, Anthrax, Sick Of It All, and I think this is what’s missing. People need to retrain themselves to experience live music instead of relying on TH-cam (he says watching youtube).
If you are a music fan it is your DUTY to spend your money on supporting the artists you love.
The message is deeper, we are being forced to give a shit about each other…music will never die, for now it’s just sleeping… Harry and Taylor aren’t really music, they’re familiar and good at what “they do” but wouldn’t have lasted in 50’s 60’s 70’s or 80’s…. Music has got to go back to pain because suffering IS the factory of songwriting… bit deep i know 🤣… so go play for freeeee for food or shelter…. If music be the food of love…play on 🤘🏻✨
REJOIN the EU…
Justin, I’m a lifer. Almost forty years of professional playing, from cover bands to signed recording acts. Including my own band Buffalo Brothers (Attic/Universal) and the Canadian legendary recording act Helix (Capitol/EMI). I have two gold records on my wall from bands I’ve been in and to this day I retain endorsement deals with major drum companies. I only say all of this for context. NOT to be a braggart. But this information aside, the fact is…I’m done.
DONE.
Until the last two years, the worst year I had was a 100+ gigs year. Typically it’s was 200-300. Regardless, being single with no kids, I managed to make that bad year work. And now? Since 2020 I’ve played two handfuls of shows.
I’m empty and have nothing left inside of me to give. And this bitterness has eaten away at my love of playing-and yes, here come the TH-cam trolls telling me I should ‘just do it for the love’. Well, let me reflect with THIS: let’s say you were a very happy, professional bricklayer. And did so for almost 40 years, only to find that, in your mid-50’s with no education and practical job experience, your trade was GONE.
What would you do? You can’t eat experience. And cool stories don’t pay the rent.
It’s OVER.
I am a 50 yr old self employed floor sander and long time guitarist, sometimes even paid musician. My skillset/ education included mechanical fitter,grave digger and aforementioned floor sanding and refinishing. My father never wanted us to enter the trade as he saw trends dictate work load and ultimate earnings, I can't possibly expect to keep doing this much past 65 and having had a working life dedicated to pretty much donkey work, I will hope to settle into a little country house and shovel shit for a living as there will always be demand for someone willing to deal with that. Regards from the not quite great Southern land
No trolling here. 😢
@@l.baughman1445 thank you
@@brucehayes7251sad😢
Buy merch at gigs! So important if you can. If you can't get to the tour, buy merch direct from the band. Use Bandcamp. Boycott venues who take a cut of merch sales, unless they allow the bands Inc support to take a cut of the bar takings for the evening.
I still don’t want to spend £30 on a t-shirt! It’s mad what bands are forced to do now.
@@sticksman1979 nobody is forcing you. Just that merch is usually an income stream that the band gets to keep a high proportion of
Much like the health industry, music only benefits the monopolies that control the outlets. The burden can’t be on the fans with ticket prices being what they are. After you pay $400 for a ticket and another $100 for food and beverages, why would you pay an extra $40 on a t-shirt? Instead of expecting fans to pay more, there has to be a change in the way contracts are written. Maybe even new and enhanced legislation to bring balance and protect the artists.
@@taniaoconnell4627 we are talking about different things. I'm talking about buying the merch of local or struggling bands. Or maybe the people who can spend 20k could sit a row further back and buy every merch item for every band they could afford to see for a whole year? I'm not asking for people to be further out of pocket, just to give what they can. Intervention beyond that would be nice, but it doesn't really feel forthcoming in the immediate future.
Also, as more bands are having to truncate or completely cancel tours, merch and direct music sales is going to keep these bands alive.
Yesterday I gave my mates 12yo boy his first guitar and amp. Totally worth it to see him so stoked, and the kid found an awesome tone really quickly. I think it’s good for the future to get kids into music. As for helping the current crop of artists, I think buying merchandise directly from the artist is one of best ways to offer support.
what about paying for music?
My 19 year old son is a metalhead. He's writing songs with a couple of other guys and they smash it. It's legitimately good, interesting, and clever stuff. He gets very down because it's so hard to break into the industry and now we have an industry where once you're in on the ground level, you might be struggling to eat or have a place to sleep. Then you have the mega-pop stars and the difference in what they take home vs the people that inspire them is, quite literally, astronomical.
I've told him he needs to work hard at social media, TH-cam, etc. because the glory days of "send in your tape and get signed by a label" are all but over. Too bad he wasn't a teenager in the 90s like I was. Thanks for bringing this to light. It's frustrating to see so many amazing musicians barely get by. Cheers!
So glad you are addressing the crisis which affects almost all people working in the arts industries, starting with the creators up to technicians, roadies, publishers, etc. I am convinced people will finally reemerge from this rock-bottom low with more resourcefulness and creativity, but as a journalist, I am deeply disgusted with the rotten system and the people at the top shamelessly deceiving and dividing the public with their false narratives. And the media is playing their game.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist. But it's almost like they want us to be slaves , eat sleep work repeat. Oh wait if I can cancel my Netflix subscription a domt go out for a coffee once a week it will change my fortunes no end.
@@thechunkyone7118 It's like they want a world without art or music, just an endless vista of office blocks and corporate lingo because they're dead inside.
@@thechunkyone7118 I have cancelled Netflix and drink mainly Aldi freeze dried crap, this means I have money the run my amp, which heats the music room. The fact the rest of the house is freezing means I practise more and get better quicker - win - win for everyone except my neighbours. If it gets really cold I'll start playing the drums.
@@mucho_macho Diviseness sells magazines and articles. At many news outlets, even the publicly owned broadcasting systems, journalists get said to find a 'certain spin angle' on their topic. It's a clear interference with objectiveness.
@Mucho Macho Main stream tv watchers need to cut the umbilical cord! pronto!
So many musicians I know (including myself) eventually have careers in arts management, with creative musical endeavors becoming part-time "after work activities". After 20 years, I just recently walked away from music entirely, and am focusing on visual art works, as it was becoming more and more stressful not getting gigs. Covid-19 killed sooo many careers that I know of! Also, universities rarely discuss with their students the reality that a majority passing through its doors will end up teaching music rather than making a living being a performer...it's almost robbery in a way. Love you Justin, you are doing good things....
Oh, I should mention I am a classically trained musician....and these are musicians that are very good at what they do!
So many musicians I know, including myself, are on Universal Credit and have to beg and jump through hoops at the job centre every 2 weeks to try and avoid bring pushed into a shit job stacking shelves in supermarkets
We also have to survive on very little money to add insult to injury
I saw Wishbone Ash a couple of weeks ago- packed venue, about 500. They played for a solid 2 hours for a ticket costing just £22.
Great value for money.
Not a great value for them.
That’s about £1000. By the time the band paid all their costs of getting to the venue etc and then paid various people and the venue got their share, the band is probably paying to play and made no money that night.
@@georgecaplan11 probably about £11,000 so perhaps if they were performing close to home, and depending on other costs they might not actually be losing money, but they aren't going to make a living with those numbers. Hopefully they made enough back in the days when people bought albums and they don't have worry too much about that.
@@georgecaplan11only about a £1000 if they were charging £2 per ticket. A factor of 10 out.
£11000 for a couple of hours doesn’t sound too bad. Depending how much they were charged for the venue. Even if it cost them a bit over half the gross for their main costs that would still leave over £5k which would be over £1250 for the evening. That could work out more per hour than many people get per week for a full time job.
As a self employed musician I will, without any further info on this issue (before watching the vid,) say that if a rando streaming himself sleeping on "twitch," is making some cash from it, then if you have music worth listening to you can make some type living from all the now available forums for us.
It's getting better for creators overall, even if the economy is going to shit. We had less resources to get "out there" before and the economy has been wavering since forever. We've historically have had a harder time than many other professions, this going way further back than WW2.
Beautiful music, once out there, does what it does and it has always been that way.
The Darkness is "making it" because you guys are absolutely fantastic, inspiring musicians with beautiful songs and the drive to do it with your heart and put your whole ass into it. I am inspired to do better every time I hear your music with your current (hopefully forever on now) lineup it's an effect that is rare in other bands, each one of you is absolutely amazing in what you do from every single angle.
It's very clear why bands that have (also historically) half-assed their hussle and/or music output will suffer.
For sure support that which deserves support. Yes some fantastic musicians might be struggling, but I don't think that's "news" as it's being wrapped up here.
Go to local shows, if you can make it to the show, at least buy some merch. Most local musicians will be happy to get your call asking for a tshirt and a cd. Put a like and leave a comment in their TH-cam vids if they have them. And, as always, if you love it help perpetuate it. Share, cover and give credit, talk about them, hype hype hype!
So much love to you Mr. Hawkins ♡
Litterally just had a conversation with someone after my show last night that after more than half my life I started applying to regular jobs in hopes to actually getting ahead again. I play in 2 weekend coverbands and try to maintain a working man's gig schedule and I feel like it's impossible to be taken seriously in society. Creditors will never take risks on the self employed either so there's no way to build a family on it. Thanks for all your content to help the days go by better
I've been playing as a side gig for almost 40 years, and it's done well for me cash wise. I can't imagine trying to make it a living in todays environment, because even if you make it nobody sells records anymore. My hat it off to those of you with the balls to give it a shot.
Music is so important to our mental health and society in general, and we need to protect it. About a year ago after a decade of being digital, I started buying physical cds and vinyl again (one of each where I can), and buying merch, anything I can to get money into artists pockets. Not going to lie, it rips my undies that so much money is being thrown at “mega” pop stars like TS, Harry, Adele, even BTS, while other artists are really suffering, because to me they’re part of the machine (despite the odd virtue signal) and so part of the problem. I love the ingenuity Justin’s shown with Patreon and TH-cam, and others with podcasts and kitchen discos etc but all the smarts in the world can’t beat the machine unless everyone’s on board. Same for the power and petrol conglomerates, they have so much of a hold on the world we “forget” they are the biggest polluters and abusers, and effectively hold our futures in their hands. That’s a whole other Ted Talk…lol.
Hey Justin I'd be interested in an episode about how you guys are not much affected by the current economics. You mentioned "the last 2 years you and management have worked hard and created "businesses" to make things secure for you now." Would be interesting.
It’s terrifying enough just to think about the current climate as it stands, without thinking about the impact on arts and culture. It’s a difficult situation to navigate as a listener, as many fans are getting out priced by the cost of tickets to events. I think supporting local acts and giving directly to artists where possible is the best thing music supporters can do in the meantime.
and the Tories are cutting money for arts and culture
It's not terrifying. The pendulum will swing back. Good times follow bad times and so on. Keep yer overheads low and you'll make it through.
I think Spotify is the problem. They don't pay small artists much at all. That's why I still buy CDs, go to shows and buy merch to ensure that the artists I love will be able to afford coming to my city on tour. If you love music, spend money on it. Its as simple as that.
From the numbers I saw a couple of years ago, youtube payouts are much worse than spotify. Most bands and small artists will never recoup the cost of making a music video.
Lars was right all along.
spotify (it's policies) is the death of music
Hi Justin, I play in three bands in central California. One of which has been doing a nearly year long “tour”, traveling around California to play shows every weekend because it would be monetarily impossible to take a week or two off of our jobs. We’re a 6 piece group from a rural community so the thought of a normal tour seems so far out of reach considering groups with less members, coming from heavily populated areas are struggling this much, even operating at a loss.
Keep writing, writing, writing and never give up! Never never never!
I feel for all those young people who don’t spend several nights a week enjoying live music like we did. But as a 53-year-old, attending a good show these days is even more precious to me. I hope your stability allows The Darkness to keep up live touring. Giving fans live music therapy is a truly noble service. That said, I sure hope booking a 2023 show at Jergle’s in Pittsburgh makes sense to your wise managers!!
I remember when going to see a live band was cheaper than going to the cinema! We used to count our money to see which it would be that night band or movie - band won most of the time because we were skint (obviously alcohol was included in each calculation)😂
I think I would prefer a "busker" to the pop music of today.
It's funny you say that as just before covid I stopped playing clubs and other gigs and started busking. More people hear me, I make a bit more, and I get to sleep at night instead of being in clubs. That helps with not being zombie-like at work. All the PBR I want and a cut of the door is not much pay.
Listening to a talented street musician is my favourite way to hear music. Someone who just sings and / or plays without a ton of equipment as you see so often these days. It’s direct, it’s honest and you can stay for as long or as little as you like.
Well done and thanks for highlighting this, same story here in Ireland, I'm working in multiple bands of multiple genres and industry levels at the minute just to pay the Bill's, one of the biggest problems is the institutions originally created to promote indigenous artists to a wider localised audience have completely failed, toilet roll substitutes like Hotpress will only give column inches to artists who's record labels have stuffed money into their pockets, the lazy journalism and gobshitery of "hey heres my college friends sons band" has totally robbed this country of any musical counter weight to the watery piss that gets all the air play but never makes a impact outside the island simply because its shite, everyone knows its shite, but around and around we go. I've released 6 albums over the past 20 years, the 7th one is on ice until I have time to finish it, I had a song in an irish movie that was number one in the Irish box office. I've had my music played on radio stations around the world, I've had the pleasure of playing in a band with robbie brennan (phil lynotts grand slam), I've recently had to turn down international dates in order to fulfill commitments to keep the cash flowing to pay the Bills, its soul destroying and probably time to call it quits. Time to get "a real job" and turn my career into a hobby. Reading that last line back just broke my heart. Thanks again for highlighting this problem, you're a fucking legend.
I'm a reasonably frugal woman as I'm the sole breadwinner for my household -- I make a very comfortable income -- I went to the grocery store yesterday to pick up a few staples....I'm not exaggerating when I say that I was *horrified* by the prices I saw. If that is happening to me, in the position I'm in, what the hell are these poor families who aren't doing as well as I am doing??
The fact that I have friends involved in the music industry who have had to close their venues or cancel dates they were planning to play (and in one particular case, having to sell a prized musical instrument in order to meet their monthly obligations), is enraging. It's all bullshit. I think I'm too much of a conspiracy theorist. 😂
Let's keep an eye out for each other and help where we can (and buy an extra bag of rice and dried beans next time you're at the grocers just in case).
Elections have consequences.
I'm fortunate, as well. I just spent 10 years living in a condo and in the past few years helped my neighbour and her young son with groceries and other things, because they were going hungry. Time's are really changing, and it's not good. I don't see it turning around anytime soon. So people, do look out for your family, friends, and neighbours.
Can't make money from record sales, can't make money through touring, in time the only source of revenue would be the gamble of merchandise, which is now also expensive to have printed.
I miss the 2005 gig scene, many gigs in small towns and we could sell t-shirts for £10 and still make a profit.
Hello Justin.
My grandfather was a tenor and entertained troops during the war.
It is so true that music is a form of therapy for mental health and hugely beneficial. Music is what colours the day. I’ve just discovered you are from Chertsey which is so close to where I am from. Walton on Thames. Your videos here are pure gold and you are actually a master of language and explain what you are talking about in a very accessible way.
I managed to get seats for your show next year with my slightly (!!!) Darkness obsessed sister and my 19 year old son. Thank you for being a voice of openness and honesty.
Great video and the subject is definitely something that needs addressing - one thing however there is a slightly buzz coming off your SM7B! Not sure whether its the mic or the mix, but just thought I'd highlight it!
I'm glad that The Darkness are on safe ground.🙏
I'll keep an eye on our local bands.👁
I feel for musicians but I've been late on my rent 3 out of the last 6 months. Times are tough for a lot of people. Rent, gas, utilities, food prices have all been rising and you are correct, they won't lower prices even if the market justifies it. Corporate price gouging is the cause, plain and simple. Unfortunately musicians suffer disproportionately because entertainment becomes a lesser priority when money is tight. Since touring has become the main source of income for many musicians this compounds the problem. The best thing to do is to vote the corporate shills out of office. They are the problem along with the legislation they pass that allows corporate greed to run rampant. Get involved.
These are the same people that said "learn to code"
Here's how i see it. I believe that there are too few people wanting to see live music on a weekly basis nowadays. Festival season is fine but each one is a one off in a particular week and mostly only top/successful acts are watched. Outside festivals there is too much other stuff for people to spend their time on on a daily /weekly basis such as 24 hour TV, 100's of 24 hour radio stations, streaming services, social media sites, gaming and just generally wasting time on phones. In my day ( here we go you say) there was nothing like that. in the 70;s 80's you bought albums, cassettes ( no CD;s yet ) and me and all the mates went to gigs every other week ( Greens Play House , Apollo ) and during the week we went to see bands at least every weekend and sometimes midweek in local pubs. There was no streaming, there was no TH-cam, Apple, Spotify etc, If you wanted music outside of your singles/album collection you got off your arse and went and found it. Nowadays its all too easy to access along with many other things to do so its lack of interest from the majority of the population as a whole who are lazy and do not wish to pay to see live music when it is at their fingertips when needed. The answer ? i don't have it but until easy and cheap access is switched off then prolific live music will struggle. Maybe a TAX is needed on the richest or top grossing acts/festivals in each country with the money going back to grass roots venues , pubs, clubs, universities. Maybe the musicians union could kick this off. ????/
I love your commentary, humor and I think this channel has the best video titles on TH-cam
Part of what sucks about a bad economy...the arts suffer first. My photography has slowed WAY down, so I can imagine musicians are hurting as well.
They got that one wrong. 90% are worried about being able to afford EDIBLE food :)
Birdseye Bluebottle Kebabs.... Coming soon 🤣
There’s always candy! 😬
Also always show love for the openers!!!
Not just musicians, Justin. A huge amount of the population is about to be dragged into a quagmire. I'm afraid 2023 is going to be a real eye opener for many people. And not in a good way. Scary times ahead.
Love your channel by the way.
Word.
This.
Energy, fuel, interest rates, inflation, unbridled government spending by out of touch overpaid elected lunatics on things that have nothing to do with supporting it's over-taxed citizens....not good.
I feel for anyone that is living paycheck to paycheck today. Also very sad for those that have saved their entire lives for retirement only to watch half of it evaporate in the last 2 years.
The way we consume music is generally pretty unethical, which sucks.
I don’t know what the answer is but personally I quit playing live a couple years ago and don’t plan on starting again, ever. It’s exhausting, shows barely covered gas and if you don’t drink, drink tickets are really lame. It cost more to go play shows than I was getting in return, which kinda killed the fun after a bunch of years. And on top of it all, with the access of technology, I feel like artists are responsible for so much more than their own medium. No longer can you be a good musician; you gotta be a guitar player, a producer, a graphic designer, social media marketer, video editor, web developer and with that we’re getting paid way less than I was 20 years ago with a keyboard and a MySpace account.
(I miss busking. Its a fun practice, and I know you’re joking, but I wish that was viable.)
Great content, I wish I had a solution but I’m glad to be a part of the collective conversation. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Justin.
Nice t-shirt Justin! Tervor’s guitar tone is completely unique but yet simple and effective.
Well said mate, a friend of mine, a brilliant trumpet player was reduced to dressing as as Tom the Cat from Tom and Jerry and busking on the tube. Since to get the best pitches you now have to Audition with TFL, they decided he wasnt what they wanted, and though they admitted he was really good, they refused him a pitch. He now serves drinks in a pub. Total waste
Nice T-shirt Justin! One of the very first death metal albums i heard back then. Got me into it.
In the last month I have been lucky enough to see The Darkness x2 , Southern River band x3, Steel Panther, Bruno Mars, Noiseworks and Hanson x3. It has literally been the best month ever and all thanks to the amazing musicians I got to see. I also play in a covers band and we have been super lucky to get shows most weekends. The world needs the joy of live music
Thank you for keeping the conversation going!
I've never been a professional musician, but I think life has always been tough for creative artists in any of the forms we consume. Back in the old days, artists, musicians, poets and many other creative types were sponsored by the rich to produce art, and as long as you could produce something they liked you were set.
Now the unholy trinity of the music industry, the audience and the media collude to deprive artists of their living through extreme monetization (the industry), freeloading (the audience) and exploitation (the media).
The answer is for musicians to withhold their music from platforms like spotify, apple, youtube etc, and use more sympathetic platforms like bandcamp (which myself and the Darkness do).
Until we stop giving it away for free people will just expect to get it for free.
Agree!
Cheers Peri!
The reasons you mention here is why I personally *don't* use streaming services, and go to a lot of grassroots shows. That said, I don't totally avoid TH-cam, but I like to think I dabble judiciously... and I will buy from Bandcamp links if something takes my fancy.
The overall ecosystem is so very important; feed too much to those at the top and the whole thing will collapse.
@@IthratCordwallis I have never used Spotify as a listener or a creator, for the very same reasons.
I am always amazed that so few of the people who say they love my music are prepared to pay even a little to support me. They do expect to get everything for nothing, with no thought to the years of effort and expertise that go into the music they seem to love so much.
Thank goodness for the few!
I know how it feels. I was a working musician before the pandemic, and am no longer. It was rough enough before all that. We all thought that once the pandemic blew over things would go back to normal LOL. One thing after another. I am grateful to have landed on my feet in a different industry, but I can't say I'm doing what I love.
See you on the ice 🤘
Almost as if it was by design...
@@scummediacensoredarchive8166 why tho
Clearly it was the guidelines and restrictions that acted as the catalyst for this situation which we currently find ourselves in, it's not as if it's just a complete coincidence lol. Why don't people listen when politicians and media across the world over kept using the exact same phrase "the new normal". Funny how they were all able to predict such a monumental shift, aye.
@@shermansadventure1151 Excuse me? Don't you want to own nothing and be happy? The solution is to Build Back Better.
@@subezdo Are you asking why the ruling class would want to increasingly strip away ones personal freedoms and privacy, funnel even more money from the populace and simultaneously keep them even more dependent on the system, isolated, fearful, despondent and unhealthy?
I wanted to be a musician but I didn't want to get ripped off and live in a van down by the river.
The "working musician" is pretty much extinct in Canada now, unless you mean a person with a regular job who also knows how to play music. Inflation, cost of housing, rehearsal space and gentrification leading to venues being knocked down for luxury housing have all but completely killed music in Canada.
Was anyone else thinking (hoping) Justin was going to bust out some classic Anthrax riff when he picked up the guitar in the middle of the video? :D
Here in Tasmania, Covid has destroyed the industry. Lots of good venues didn’t survive the lockdowns, those that did have tried to drop their pay rates, claiming a downturn in trade, despite alcohol prices going up! Fuel costs and flights have made touring almost impossible. I have had to resort to teaching to make ends meet :/
Congrats on the 3K subscribers. Saw that you were live as well! Awesome. Curious if the band have ever discussed doing tours like other legacy bands, one where you could focus on the bands catalog? I fantasize that you’ll do one some day for Last of Our Kind. Love that album and missed the original tour and figure I can’t be the only Darkness fan that would eat up hearing songs from past albums that no longer make it into set lists.
Justin, thanks for clarifying an aspect of inflation - certain prices are sticky. I recommend that all people call on their representatives to enact deflationary policies: reduce government spending or government indebted ness. Also, if your country has domestic petroleum production, encourage expansion! All of your poor musician friends and local folk will be warmer this winter. And your plastic plectrum might cost a tad bit less, while also employing working class stiffs. Isn’t that what rock n’ roll is about? Tribulations of working class folks?
There hasn't been a more correct assessment of this yet. Until yours, man. Thanks and awesome t shirt mate!
As a guitar technician, I have been doing a lot of pro bono work through Covid as my client base of pro players essentially became unemployed for 2+ years. Local venues have closed, tours were shut down, and in-person lesson teaching stopped during this nightmare. Still, being a musician doesn’t guarantee you a living, you might want to consider having a job during tough times.
As practically anywhere, the industry is the problem.
The money is there and the people are there. Too many in the food chain taking their cut. “Ticket sellers” are criminal at times! These hugely inflated resold ticket costs should be going into artists pockets to do the tours we all love to see
I can't find it, but there was a satirical article from the 90s about how future music would be rubbish because musicians didn't have to dig themselves out of grinding poverty and dusty garrets (think The Smiths), and could just live happy lives. Oh, well, history is a cycle. To be clear: I'm not all in for musicians suffering; you have my sympathies. I hope the current situation gets better.
An honourable topic sir ! We can feel your frustration with it.
I live for live music… and joke that I work exclusively to afford the tickets.
Your last two videos show the relationship of starving artists and fans. So it’s the middle faceless corporation that’s making it all so difficult… time for a revolution!!
Or is it too late … have the pop tarts of the world and their fans with a lack of originality finally won the battle?
Back to the fringe I go…
I’m a graphic artist, a little different type of artist. But I’d say lost a huge chunk of accounts during the Pandemic. May have to find other things to do… but I’m distracted. Your hat and “lighter” moustache looks great!! Thank you.
Loving your vids. My day's not complete until I see your daily ones ha. Love the Obituary Shirt too Justin. 👌
I am a real estate developer. Biomanufacturing facilities specifically. Private Equity puts up the capital to fund the project and we are paid development fees as the project is built and a promote on the back end once the buildings are leased and then sold or refinanced. That is a fair comp structure. Music should operate similarly.
I wonder if you could flush out your thoughts some more. I suppose I could sit down and try to overlay your real estate model on top of the music and just remodel and do it myself. But I would to hear your take on it.
In principle it sounds like what we think the record industry used to be like… The record company would give you an advance and take a chance on you and then you would “share“ in the profits. The problem is that the money that they advanced you was recoupable. And the percentage that they paid you was minuscule. and they had a very long list of recoupable expenses. So even if you sold a bunch of records… You still might be in Hawk to the record company. I’m not sure who in private equity would come up with a more generous model than that given the risks involved.
I mean, no one is developing a bio manufacturing facility on spec. So people are putting up money as part of a plan with a guaranteed return. Now there’s money in the music business. And there will be a return. But, You cannot bank on any one artist making money for you.
I think the problem is much bigger - everything is *so* expensive that actually attending events of any kind is out of reach to regular people who would otherwise like to attend live events. It's simply not in budgets to see live anything. I would personally love to go out to hear good music, but tally up the total cost for a night out, and nope. Depending on the area, sporting events and other cultural events are out as well. Just today I was looking at holiday outings for my family but the costs have tripled. It's miserable for everyone.
I only support artists I like (I buy records and artwork by these few bands) - and ignore ALL pop music. Biggest hurdle for younger bands is lack of venues that don't have a 'Pay-to-Play' requirement for performers. Covid killed off many fringe venues that were spawning grounds for new bands.....
Fan or not, and I am, anthrax is one of the “big 4” it’s hard to hear that they posssibly are having a tough time. Excellent perspectives as always JHRA!!
I travelled to the kk steelmill to a nwocr (new wave of classic rock) weekender to see my two fave rock bands of that genre..these wicked rivers and bad touch...my thoughts are hats off to a successful artist that's set up a cool venue up to give new bands exposure and also these new bands have tunes that are up there with my all time favourite songs ever....
Venues & "Promoters" have a lot to answer for here, the musicians do come last. Protecting margin is king, tickets go up and a lot, not all venues .... but a lot of venues, are taking advantage passing costs directly on to performing/touring acts who have to eat the general increase in costs across the board.
This is a worldwide problem, Australian acts really suffered and are either unable to tour or can only play limited shows, ticket prices are much higher than in 2019, while we're grateful The Darkness tickets were a reasonable $80 here, on the extreme end Guns n Roses are here and charging over $400 for some tickets, bands like Blink 182 andThe Corrs and MyChemical Romance are asking around $200 for face value tickets, people have to choose whether to go or not
Was having a bad day U made it better thxs again for riding again Justin
From Prescott AZ
For local gigging bands, practice areas are minimal!. We've all had a neighbour pop their head in and ask to turn it down!!! Aaaaahhh!!
I'm calling out from Calgary Canada...I promise to come see you when you come back...pleasssseeee? And do you think you could do a segment on aging Heavy Metal singers, cause they still kick ass!!! And you should be knighted
Everything's a f...ing joke... Our country, our society, our values. Life is like a cartoon now. :0(
Firstly, thanks for a great channel and your very humourous eloquence. Whilst I understand your points, Justin, if you look at why Anthrax struggle then maybe you could compare their output to Taylor Swift's. She has released FIVE albuns since Anthrax's last CD - that's five Taylor albums to zero Anthrax. You'd think one of those acts could afford to sit on their laurels and one take it comparatively easy. Anthrax are architects of their own demise to the point that their main songwriter has even deemed appearing in a glorified tribute band as being more important than furthering his own band's career. It's a pity too because their last couple have been absolute bangers! Keep up the great work.
its really really hard to have time to be creative when you are worried about putting food on the table and paying rent - all your time goes to working.. we live in a society that does not foster creativity but only cares about 'the bottom line'...or maybe we've become more risk averse, i dont know.
Thanks for doing this piece Justin and shining some more light on the cost of living struggles 🙏
It’s true that it’s become almost impossible to live purely from LIVE music since the start of the covid lockdowns. The current costs etc don’t help but that’s why one has to swallow ones pride and do whatever it takes to get by. There are plenty of delivery jobs etc. It’s not pretty and it’s not ideal, but it helps to pay the bills. I’ve been a working musician for almost 30 years but I’m not too proud to drive a van. It’s all about having a realistic perspective of the way the industry works and how things have changed… 🤷♂
two major insights could be part of the solution. 1. The music industry needs to realize too that the business we all are in (unfortunately) is the marketing business and not the business we´d like to be in. And we all need to be better at sharing my music and especially live music is more important than what we have all usually given it credit for (long explanation on this). and 2. This might not actually be the problem, it´s could be a symptom of a much bigger deeper lying problem - in this case a massive fear campaign we have experienced in the last 3 years, that have induced massive amounts of now proven unnecessary fear and confusion. And we know a confused and scared mind tends to say no and go for the save choices. Now who are benefitting an profiting from these things... politicians and certain big companies who profit from fear, control and scarcity. We need to get music back into being the solution to the opposite . Love, freedom and generosity. And stand up agains those who oppose more love, freedom and generosity. I´m putting my career in business and marketing on hold myself to go all in on sharing these messages through my music! Find my on twitter if you want to be part of this solution.
It sucks the greed has no ceiling and no edges to drip off. I feel it’s always haves have nots in every stage of existence now. The fringes is where the real cool music is anymore. Nostalgia will always bring in the bucks as it should cause it came from grinding, but to start and want to bring something fresh, your gonna have to be about the love of the music, or chase the trend. I do commend the touring acts and support if im in attendance, by buying merch. That’s a tough life when you know you have quality music that can compete with the bigs but no budget to saturate.
It would be interesting to to know the age demographic they surveyed for that 90%, I mean every musician I have ever met in life (47 years) has had a day job, the ones I knew that didn't have it together, they never starved to death either.
Might be time to cut down the costs and focus on the music and making the gig happen and not so much on the bells and whistles of a spectacle. I dunno, I'm just a musician that plays for the art and love of music and don't mind living within my means and working (like the rest of everyone else) to keep my head indoors.
I have worked on huge tours with all the bells and whistles and they were more headache than enjoyment, and I've done a ton of bar room gigs with nothing but a half-assed PA and those were some of the best shows to ever go off with the bands I worked for.
It's all in were your heart lies and what you expect from the unexpected for me.
As someone super interested in small local bands in my city this is not very surprising but still heartbreaking. Where I live even playing in clubs is difficult, clubs too want to know a band can bring at least x people willing to pay at least y for a ticket, which is understandable, venues suffered too from the pandemic. If you love music please explore your local scene and support who you like, even with encouragement if you can't afford more. Go to the tiny free underground gigs, engage on their social media, tell them you like their work etc., at least they'll know it's not all in vain and someone other than their friends and family cares. If you can afford more than that then buy the music you like on Bandcamp, leave something in the donation jar etc. Maybe I'm too oldschool but I'd rather buy the music I like and save it in my phone than pay for Spotify.
Musician and non-musician alike, we're all in the same boat. Middle-class working people are feeling the pressure just to get by; squeezing blood from a stone.
Amazing video Justin!
As a member of the “musician middle class” i can attest its been extremely hard. By musician middle class I mean I earn a living as a musician to the extent that I can reasonably call it a career but most of my livelihood is contingent on a very fragile ecosystem (evidenced by covid lockdowns). So i dont have emergency funds etc. As with many of my friends and colleagues, covid really messed me up and I’m still rebuilding. I was fortunate to have a supportive community and places to play outdoors to edge me along. That said when lockdowns ended and things went “back to normal” massive rental and costs of living increases that whiplashed back did cause me and many folks I know to move. Im very grateful I still have work, also being in nyc there is more work (id imagine) than other places. Mind you lots of my work is function gigs, my purely creative endeavors and artist work is usually just breaking even or taking a loss but I still do it because its spiritually important. At any rate, just sharing a personal anecdote and writing to share love to all fellow creators. The fight is hard so we need to show up for each other
Busking on tour is/was my favorite thing to do. Cant complain about being a professional.
Sad because many times when things are bad we look to musicains to help uplift us.
I love producing and performing, but I'm under no illusions that anyone wants to pay for what I do. I have the luxury of making exactly what I want, because (and only because) I'm not trying to make a living at it. Turning any creative pursuit into an income involves compromising artistic purity - if you want money, you need to deliver what people will pay for, not what you *want* to be paid for.
Culture has changed. People don't want to pay $30 for a CD or LP any more. Musicians need to embrace livestreaming, collectibles, Patreon fan clubs, merch and direct-to-fanbase engagement. People can and do pay for that stuff.
I work part-time in the nonprofit sector in the U.S. to be able to also pursue music part-time, and one possible solution I've considered is: any artist earning less than the national average wage* is eligible to apply for status as a non-taxed entity/"charitable org" and is then eligible to apply for grants/zero interest loans/federal subsidies to fund production and touring costs.
*not sure what the cap should be, or if there should even be one.
I definitely think our national, state, local governments and community should take a higher stake in their local music or art scene. No one likes to be in a place where creativity cannot thrive.
Thank you Justin we need music in our lives hopefully things will improve
Looks like your comments video was taking down from today 11/22/22. I was in the middle of it. Thought I would let you know.
Hello I am Kalvin Mauve. I have been in the music business for 20 years. During this time I have sold 90 albums. Each sold for one US dollar. However, I must point out that 85 of the 90 I bought as gifts for other people, who for some reason don't talk to me anymore. Unfortunately, as I have no manager, and only one side of my brain works well, I'm really disorganized, and four of these five albums I had to buy back from myself as I had misplaced the files. I am proud to say that it wasn't my mom that bought the one album. I am not sure about the mental health status of the person who did, however they are a professional piano player, so that makes me feel a tad better. Every cloud has a silver lining, except for a geoengineered one, they have aluminium ones
This is a consequence of austerity as well as the whole cost of living crisis going on right now. What we need is massive public works programs, and one of those programs could be to level up the recording studios and equipment in schools across the country, and provide publicly-subsidised gigs to keep artists performing (i.e. Tax those who aren't paying ANY Tax). This happened during the recession in the United States under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and we could do the same here -- shame we have two sides of the same coin who think anything other than showering money on billionaires is a waste of time.
Most musicians are suffering because of the ongoing issues with what's happened in the last few years. Definitely a tough ride. I was a full time gigging musician up until the plague hit. I ended up finding other stuff to do, but it wasn't easy. I am still playing music, but on more of a scaled back schedule. Just enough to pay for rehearsal space and pocket a little money these days. Hopefully it gets better for all musicians out there. Cheers Justin!
I have a friend who teaches guitar lesson and when the pandemic hit, he tried to teach online which was impossible so he closed down. He ended up getting a job below his credentials for the sake of surviving.
I'll bet a very high number of American musicians have at least one day job. In the USA, we get paid in drink tickets and exposure.
The world has been closed for so long, we are desperately craving live music, in my opinion we don’t need less tours, we need more. It’s how the small bands get discovered when they tour with big bands. If the smaller bands can’t afford to travel alone, partner up with other bands and start a festival!! Live music can not die!! We are all happy pay the ticket price, so long as we get a performance.
Artists vote for the people that brought you this economy.
Here in Toronto Canada, I see it too. I work in the road case industry and I haven't had a raise in pay in almost 3 years. We now have bars that are struggling to stay alive and ask for volunteer acts. The musicians have to "pass around the hat" to get any money. Back in the late 90s, I was playing in Sweden and I knew guitarists who were so poor, they had to use bread bag tags as guitar picks.
I got fired from a covers band last week. The band leader decided to reduce the line up & that keyboards 🎹 were not essential but the guy who had the PA system was.
Pete Townshend talked about the “robber barons” who will steal music from musicians (file sharing, then later streaming). “The artists will starve,” he wrote in his novella, The Boy Who Heard Music.
He did a speech at an art college in the 80s about file sharing, and most of the audience walked out.
ive always been willing to spend money to play music so I dont understand this..
Thats their fault for not having a plan B. I play music because I love it not because I expect it to pay my way.
In Detroit there's a yearly scholarship and residency offered to artists who can't afford school or any programs to help them make a career of their art, and I wish more places offered incentives for artists to keep the arts alive.
I'm in Los Angeles and work with young bands. The fuel costs of a group of musicians that travel a collective 100+ miles to rehearse, on top of renting rehearsal space are essentially non recoupable. Traveling to another market like San Diego or the Bay area is totally prohibitive when factoring travel costs. I realize it's a gamble but at this point there's not even a pot to win.
Eloquent, well versed and straight off the bat.
Musicians don't have a salary, it's up to the artists to find a way to get paid.
Most people will have to have a day job and living of art or music is just a dream.
It's joining the circus basically and trying to become an act instead of a roadie.
There are so many ways to be successful today and yet it is still hard as ever.
Your insight is amazing xx Hi from Australia
The equation doesn't end there though.... When everyone is suffering due to increasing cost of living; expendable income for the average person drops and things like music purchases, gigs tickets etc. are amongst the first things to get cut from peoples spending.
It would be nice to think that the hyper-wealthy artists from classic bands (we know who they are) are giving generously to this and other charities supporting musicians. I know that many do give generously to charities close to their heart. I hope that helping out fellow artists is one of them.
Prior to the pandemic, I was just getting comfortable doing a few live gigs and I'm an older dude I am also keen on helping organize and working on grassroots events. Nowadays my main part time gig is running a foodbank.
What's your opinion on buy-ons, Justin? I wonder how many people realise that support bands will have to pay high premiums to the headline acts, in order to get a "buy-on" on a particular tour? I know it's been commonplace for a few years now, with the nature in which music consumption has changed over the years and artists having to adapt. I was just wondering what your opinion was. Great channel mate; always very interesting and well articulated. Peace and love. Carlo 🎸