Recently, a lot of metal artists have been speaking up about how financially difficult it is for bands/artists to be touring right now. However, this is not a new issue.
While the likes of Fear Factory‘s Dino Cazares and Devin Townsend are struggling with financial issues when it comes to touring right now (while we are in the midst of a pandemic and inflation rises), the touring life for other artists has been rough as hell for awhile.
Two bands who have had it really rough are Sworn In and Miss May I. Over on Twitter, Sworn In member Tyler Dennen shared the following post:
“oh fun fact, Sworn In Band LLC has grossed well over 2 million dollars in its lifetime and we as members, performers and song writers saw MAYBE $7,000 each TOTAL from 2012-2018”
That is wild – for each member of the band to make that over the course of six years… that sucks.
Another brutal story comes from Miss May I’s Levi Benton. Some time ago, Miss May I went on a festival tour with Avenged Sevenfold; by taking part in a festival tour, one might think that a band would make a lot of money.
But per Benton, what the members came home with after that tour was dismal. Benton replied to Dennen’s tweet and shared the following about that tour:
“Yo! Did a whole summer festival tour with A7X and came home with $400 each. I feel this to my core. Starving artist is a real thing.”
Obviously, this is in no way A7X’s fault, but that of the financial and business structures of the modern touring system.
For what artists provide hundreds if not thousands of people a night while on tour, they should be coming home with a lot more cash. It’s understandable that profits have to be split up (if you have someone making your merch, they do deserve to get paid); but for the artist at the end of the day to come home with so little… holy shit. That’s just sad.
What do you think should be done to help out these artists? Do you believe that the music touring system is broken?
'It's gotten way worse': Devin Townsend Speaks To How Badly Inflation Has Hurt Touring Artists
Fear Factory Guitarist Dino Cazares Says The Cost Of Touring Is Making It 'Impossible' To Make Any Money
oh fun fact, Sworn In Band LLC has grossed well over 2 million dollars in its lifetime and we as members, performers and song writers saw MAYBE $7,000 each TOTAL from 2012-2018
— tyler dennen (@tylerdennen) January 19, 2023
Yo! Did a whole summer festival tour with A7X and came home with $400 each. I feel this to my core. Starving artist is a real thing.
— Levi Benton (@levibenton) January 19, 2023