Chapter 1 The Live Music Industry Today
You obviously have an interest in the music business and so could not have failed to notice the fantastic changes taking place in the industry. Every other day there seems to be a newspaper or magazine article reporting that CD sales are falling, record companies are in financial free-fall and that artists are relying on their concerts to make them money. The Sunday Times went so far as declaring October 7th 2007 as “the day the music industry died” [i], citing “There is no money in recorded music any more, that’s why bands are now giving it away.”[ii]
In fact bands are not giving away their music entirely for free. Live music is very much in demand by music fans and although recorded music may be given away and used as a ‘loss-leader’, every band and artist should be aware of the potential financial benefit of concerts and touring. The figures speak for themselves: in the US alone, concert ticket sales in 2007 climbed to a record $3.9 billion, up 8% from $3.6 billion in 2006.[iii] The top-earners in the 2006 Rolling Stone magazine survey of the richest musicians noted “The vast majority of artists in our Top Thirty made the bulk of their cash on the road in 2006. Album royalties pale in comparison. Mariah Carey, who had the year’s best-selling CD with The Emancipation of Mimi but didn’t tour, is nowhere on the list; 50 Cent, who had the year’s second-highest-selling album, landed at Number Nineteen. In contrast, Neil Diamond’s Rick Rubin-produced album 12 Songs sold fewer than 500,000 copies, but he still hit Number Six, earning $44.7 million – thanks almost entirely to an extensive world tour.”[iv]
On a smaller scale, independent bands such as Gov’t Mule tour regularly and since 2004 have grossed more than $600,000 alone from recordings of their shows that fans can download direct from the ‘Mule Tracks’ website (figure 1.01). Although they have sold over one million albums manager Stefani Scamardo says “We definitely make more money from downloads than record sales.”[v]
Figure 1.01. Gov’t Mule’s ecommerce site.
It is not just a question of cash. The perceived increase in the importance of concerts and touring for artists has had a massive effect on the nature of the music business in general. Live Nation, the concert promoters who did not even exist 5 years ago, have signed U2, Nickelback, Shakira, Jay-Z and Madonna to ‘360 degree’ deals that see the artists and Live Nation share revenue not only from concerts and touring but from the recordings and artist merchandise. In signing these artists Live Nation has directly challenged (and acquired artists from) the established recorded music giants such as EMI, Universal and Sony.
There are other examples of the continuing dominance of live music. I have worked with unsigned and independent bands who sell out 1000 capacity venues, spreading the word on the back of solid touring and online activity and all without the backing of a record company or even any physical record sales. Young bands, signed or not, are touring from the beginning of their careers, increasing numbers of venues are hosting live music and more people are directly employed in the live music industry.
These are obviously exciting times for anyone involved with live music. Are you going to be part of this fast growing industry?
So you want to work in the live music industry?
You will see from the examples at the start of this chapter that there is enormous potential to find yourself an exciting and financially rewarding career in live music. The industry is growing and with that growth there is increasing structure and stability. Yet, compared with recorded music or retail, the live industry is comparatively small. And like most niche industries, it is hard to break into, find work and establish yourself.
In my work as a band tour manager I receive a lot of enquiries from people wanting insider hints and tips on how to get jobs and a career in the live music industry, usually along the lines of, “I wanna be a roadie; take me on tour.” This worries me slightly because obviously the image of “roadies” in most people’s minds is of a group of people so unskilled that anyone can suddenly become one (figure 1.02).
These emails also share the same frustration: there seems no recognised career path and little or no qualified information on how to gain and keep work in the live music industry. The overall feeling from people not currently engaged in the industry is that the barriers to entry are immense and once you have made the entry into the industry you face even more hard work. I agree. I have witnessed so many crew (and musicians) really mess it up for themselves by being unprepared, unprofessional or ignorant.
It always strikes me as being a shame when artists and crew act that way – surely this is the dream you have been working towards? Why throw away the chances of a lifetime by being unprepared?
Figure 1.02. Roadies – it’s not just a matter of dressing in black and hanging around with rock stars.
Be prepared – get the answers
Being on-the-road is not a case of simply hanging around with pop bands; to be effective and to keep your job you need to be skilled, professional, selfless and compassionate. You are going to be dealing with insecure and worried artists, artists who are sometimes completely out of their depth in the concert environment. You cannot be seen to panic when things go wrong. You are paid to make sure things go right every time the band sets foot on a stage. You will be part of a large professional team, working independently and with limited access to the band members. You will definitely have very little opportunity for socialising with the band or hanging around in glamorous situations.
It is true that years ago bands would employ a general “roadie” who would shift cases, set up gear, and generally take care of everything to do with the stage. (Today, that role is still applicable to some bands, especially in the early days of a band’s career). That kind of road crew person does have a lot of contact with the band they work for; this kind of a crew person will get seen with the band at social events. I suppose the image of this kind of familiarity excites potential road crew people. They see the ‘roadies’ having direct contact with the band, living on the same tour bus and staying in the same hotels, even the same hotel rooms, as band members. The life looks glamorous and makes potential road crew people excited. This excitement is slightly misguided, though. Today’s live production industry is made up of highly specialised people who are working with equally experienced non-road personnel (figure 1.03).
Let’s go and meet them.
Figure 1.03. Road crew are experienced and dedicated professionals.
[i] Sandall, R. (2007) The day the music industry died [online].The Times. Available from: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2602597.ece [Accessed 25/01/2009]
[ii] Sandall, R. (2007) The day the music industry died [online].The Times. Available from: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2602597.ece [Accessed 25/01/2009]
[iii] Waddell, R. (2007) The Year in Music & Touring 2007: Touring – Bumps In The Road.
Billboard – The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment. 119:51. (p. 62, 64, 66, 68
[iv] Hiatt, B. (2206) Rock & Roll: Richest Rock Stars 2006 – Tour Giants Dominate Biz. Rolling Stone. 996.p. 9-10
[v] Goodman, F. (2208) Making Money When CDs Don’t Sell. Rolling Stone. 1053 p. 22, 24
