How much money a band receives

[Calippo Tecks]

Hey, like the title says, how much money does a band receive, what I mean is a band like Dark Tranquility or Behemoth , I really want to know this so please if you ever heard how much bands like those earn pls tell me, I'd really like to know! It is kinda important to notice when a band can actually live of his own music, instead of going to work, u probably understand what I mean.. Thnx already (my english=crappy, sorry)

 

[Warheart666]

I'd say they would get the pay of an average job, maybe slightly higher, but definitely nothing special. But you get to live the life of a rock star, enjoying your job and all that cool stuff

 

[TheDarkProject]

I think most of the bands on labels like Century Media or Nuclear Blast don't earn enough to live off. I know some or all of Dark Tranquillity mentioned having day jobs a year or two ago. The same for Katatonia. Dimmu Borgir said in an interview a couple of years back that the 2 main songwriters could just about live off the band but the rest didn't.

 

[Barking Pumpkin]

I think most people who have real musical skills though do make a living off of music, regarldess of whether or not they're able to make enough off of just the band to live.

 

[Calippo Tecks]

Ok thnx guys, that was also what I was thinking about, even Dimmu Borgir??? That's insane, because like everyone knows they sell like hell. I was kidna wondering because I was on a fest here in Belgium and I noticed there was a big difference between groups that are very well known and those that are also well known but just a bit more underground and between those two is a huge ammount of earning difference I guess, so now I see I'm right. Warheart666, I think the same way of it, i'd rather have a bit less money and play in a nice band and tour arround then do a stupid job and earn a bit more money!

 

[Thornmoon]

Bands draw income from several sources.. CD sales, touring, selling of swag, etc.. I think I read somewhere though that bands earn a majority of their money from the sale of swag (t-shirts, etc.) when on tour. On average (not 100% sure about this) bands normally make about $1 (for US sales) per CD sold. Maybe not even that much. Not sure about elsewhere in the world. That's why I always try to get something at the concerts I attend.

 

[BlackMetalTyrant]

The guys from shadows fall say that they still have day jobs.

 

[abrasiverock]

I think it is safe to say that unless a band is drawing 1,000 people almost every night on tour, they are not making a living on it.

 

[Calippo Tecks]

I guess playing local and come as far as possible with your band on your own instead of getting a contract could even get u into more money, now I know why my guitar teacher and his band produce their cd's by their own

 

[sumairetsu]

Here's how the music industry breaks down:

The writers of the tunes (music and lyrics) get paid quarterly, as required by law. They usually receive the statutory rate that is set by the government; however, that rate usually doesn't increase when the royalty rate increases, according to their signed contracts. Currently, the rate stands at about 8 1/2 cents per song for every copy sold. A band signed today will probably get the same amount in 20 years.

Now, some artists also get paid "mechanical" royalties, or the number of records sold. If you haven't sold enough records to cover the cost that is incurred in the promotion, distribution or manufacture of your record, you're not getting paid because the record company is taking that money to cover their own costs.

If you're not writing the material and not selling sufficient numbers to cover your overhead, you're not getting paid.

Some bands do well enough on tour to make up for the money they're not making in sales with merchandise and door covers.

 

[MetalLuci]

The guys from shadows fall say that they still have day jobs.

Very believable as I know a lot of well known bands do. I've heard the singer from Cannibal Corpse is a bricklayer

I would say sumairetsu summed it up pretty well as far as royalties for the songs go.

 

[ProjectedBlack]

I've been looking into starting a record label for my band and overall any band that is interested in a contract that makes good music. If that went well I could probably definately make a living off of it.

 

[chris-o-fer]

I've been looking into starting a record label for my band and overall any band that is interested in a contract that makes good music. If that went well I could probably definately make a living off of it.

as you probly know, there's alot more to it then that. and even if it all goes well, you still might have to supplement your income. unless your trying to distribute 'pop' bands that will sell a helluva lotta copies. but as a metal label, probly not.

also, regarding band payment i know that everything is varied depending on the band, experience, and where it's at. i was bullshitting with the promoter at at gig we did with napalm death, and he said they had like a $1,500 guarentee. per show. but remember that get's split how ever many ways. as for recording, sumairetsu is right on the money.

 

[Valgeir]

In general, very few bands make a lot of money. Even bigshots like Iced Earth don't always make enough to avoid getting a "real" job. My advice is, if you're in this to become a rich and famous rock star, either give up now or make a point of learning a trade first.

 

[7 Dying Trees]

After touring/writing and recording for almost 3 years I can honestly say that it is VERY hard to make a living out of this, and yes, pretty much the majority of band members need to get interim jobs. Downloading means less record sales and royalties (and even then, less than 1£ per CD sale goes to the band anyway approximately) and mostly nowadays the money is made of selling tshirts and tour profit (and even then, you have to cover the cost of techies, backline rental, shipping costs, transport costs and if touring abroad also the cost of work visas)

basically don't expect to get rich, maybe just scrape by. That's the state of it, and to do it you really have to love it as it takes a lot of hard work.

 

[AyrtonSenna]

well, more specifically;

a fairly well known underground metal band, has around a $500 to $1000 paycheck from live shows, but sometimes it's $0 too.

Bands that you have in your record collection make $1000 to $5000 depending on numerous things, local market factors being the most important. For instance, they will get paid more anywhere in Europe than say in the United States.

Arena bands like Maiden and Metallica make six figures from concerts pretty regularly.
Sharon Osbourne is quoted as giving Maiden $180k per night on Ozzfest, which is likely accurate.

Van Halen was paid $1 million from the 1983 US Festival in Los Angeles, CA, which I believe remains the world record.

A promoter in Los Angeles told me he paid has-been metal bands around $1000 to $1500 to play in various clubs.

For better or worse, there is no way to determine a particular band's income without seeing their books.

As far as musicians holding down jobs, I would think that in metal, all the bands from the United States, save the big ones like Slipknot and Metallica, have day jobs to support themselves/families.

 

[Brains for breakfast]

touring around is much easier when you don't have wife/kids to provide too

 

[The_Isle]

I was under the impression that it was the band that had to pay the label to get their records produced and marketed.

Record Labels are dodgy like that, using things like recoupable expenses to do bands down the hole. It's all about the contract.

 

[97reb]

And remember, a lot of people are working in several bands. I would imagine those that don't really want a day job, may have a band playing originals, but then have a band that plays the pubs doing cover tunes. A lot of musicians try to do jobs at gear shoppes and others at cd stores, that bricklaying job somebody mentioned would be a bitch.

 

[Vital Remains]

The guys from shadows fall say that they still have day jobs.

damn that sucks