The financial reality of touring indie musicians

MILES PARKS, HOST:

After two lengthy years of the COVID pandemic, summer season music festivals are again on. Followers are thrilled to have them again, and there have already been some standout performances which have generated loads of pleasure. you, Harry Types. Nevertheless it seems for lots of musicians, perhaps even most, the choice to play at festivals could be sophisticated. For up and coming artists, enjoying at a competition can contain much more than only a efficiency, and the prices do not all the time add up. Our personal Michel Martin spoke with Zach Schonfeld about this. He just lately wrote a chunk for Stereogum titled, “Why Are Musicians Anticipated To Be Depressing On Tour Simply To Break Even?”

MICHEL MARTIN, BYLINE: Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us.

ZACH SCHONFELD: Thanks for having me.

MARTIN: So that you wrote this piece after an indie band shared their expertise of enjoying on the very well-known music competition South by Southwest. Might you simply inform us a bit of bit about what occurred?

SCHONFELD: Certain. The piece was impressed by an ongoing discourse that is been taking place within the music group, notably in indie rock and impartial music basically. There’s this indie rock band referred to as Wednesday. They’re from Asheville, N.C. They’ve launched a number of excellent albums over the previous few years. They’ve garnered some vital acclaim and a small however passionate fan base. And in late March of this yr, they posted a thread on Twitter mainly sharing their bills and revenue pertaining to a tour by the American South, which culminated with a sequence of reveals at South by Southwest in Austin. And what was stunning concerning the numbers that they shared was that they really did not make a revenue on this tour. Their web revenue was -$98.39. So they really misplaced cash total on this tour. And so they additionally – I believe a number of members of their touring get together ended up getting COVID in some unspecified time in the future on account of the tour.

So this was form of a bleak state of affairs for music followers and for fellow musicians to seek out out that this comparatively profitable and form of buzzy indie band wasn’t even capable of break even, you recognize, on this tour. And it sparked loads of discourse about simply, you recognize, the overall indignities that bands are anticipated to endure simply, you recognize, with the intention to go on the street and carry out music for individuals. Lots of people who’ve by no means towards actually romanticize, you recognize, this, you recognize, concept of musicians simply form of slumming it and saving cash wherever attainable. And that is not sustainable for touring musicians.

MARTIN: Nicely, what position do festivals play of their careers? Is it the concept that festivals are nice for followers, however they’re horrible for the individuals enjoying in them until you are the headliner?

SCHONFELD: So in the midst of reporting this story, I used to be a bit of bit shocked to find out how little cash bands receives a commission for acting at South by Southwest showcase performances. I used to be instructed that showcase artists are provided a registration package deal which supplies them entry to the convention, showcases and artist-only areas, and home artists are given the choice to obtain a money fee, which is simply $100 for a solo act or $250 for bands. And that is only a laughably small sum of cash for bands who’ve traveled a protracted distance to carry out at South by Southwest. That is not almost sufficient cash for it to make monetary sense. You recognize, bands aren’t touring South by Southwest as a result of it makes monetary sense for them. They’re touring due to the hope of being a breakout act and attracting a brand new viewers or a supervisor.

MARTIN: But when it does that, hasn’t it carried out its job? Are you saying that it truly would not try this anymore?

SCHONFELD: I’d argue {that a} very small proportion – a really small proportion of the bands who carry out at South by Southwest may, you recognize, get the form of publicity that may make their efficiency price it. However that is an outdated, antiquated – I believe, you recognize, this very notion of publicity is an outdated, antiquated trope that has been used for generations to form of justify underpaying not simply musicians, however, you recognize, any form of artist in a capitalist construction.

MARTIN: OK. I believe some individuals would argue, nicely, being an artist in this sort of tradition is difficult. It is all the time been exhausting. It is a blue-collar job, frankly. You recognize, individuals might imagine it is glamorous as a result of they’ve – lately, you recognize, loads of musicians, not all, however loads of musicians, like, they’re massive in vogue, and so they have their very own, you recognize, fragrance traces or they’re into, you recognize, all these different aspect hustles which might be actually the enterprise. However at its core, it is a blue-collar job. The query I believe some individuals would have is like – forgive me; right here it comes – why ought to we care?

SCHONFELD: You recognize, I believe what you are saying, that it is a blue-collar job, that is an fascinating approach of placing it, as a result of I believe that the online results of the precarity of touring is that the bands and the musicians which might be capable of endure this precarity, you recognize, the bands which might be capable of go on the street and tour are principally bands from a rich background, you recognize, bands who’ve household cash or some form of, you recognize, secondary supply of revenue. I believe the musicians who’re truly from blue-collar or working-class backgrounds, they don’t seem to be capable of make it work anymore as a result of they should, you recognize, work a full-time job. And it is exhausting to depart a full-time job for 3 months at a time to go on the street.

MARTIN: Is it affecting the music? Do you assume it is affecting the sorts of music, the number of music that we’re getting?

SCHONFELD: You recognize, I do not know. That is fascinating as a result of, you recognize, on one hand, it is so troublesome to make a dwelling on the street this present day. However on the similar time, it is also really easy to document your music at dwelling and distribute it on-line at a low value. And, you recognize, you are almost certainly not going to make a dwelling from it. You are not going to make any cash from it. However individuals have all the time been drawn to creating music, you recognize, as a result of it is what they should do, as a result of it is what they’re keen about. And so the boundaries to recording music and self-distributing your music on-line are decrease than ever earlier than, and that is definitely a superb factor. However the capacity {of professional} musicians to truly, you recognize, generate revenue and make a dwelling from their artwork is harder than it is ever been. And that is the unhappy factor.

MARTIN: I assume you’ve got talked about this with different individuals within the discipline, like music writers. Do you thoughts if I ask you, what are a few of these conversations like? Do you contemplate it now – I do not even know how you can put it – one thing, like, of an moral dilemma, whether or not you go to those festivals or not?

SCHONFELD: That is an fascinating query. I believe music journalists are very keen about supporting the artists that that we love. And typically the best way to assist the music is to go to a competition. And typically the best way to assist the music is to go to a live performance, you recognize, that is taking place in a neighborhood membership with a crowd of, you recognize, 18 individuals and, you recognize, perhaps write concerning the present, perhaps tweet concerning the present, perhaps purchase loads of merch and purchase data and CDs from the band to assist them immediately. There are loads of other ways to assist musicians, and I believe music followers must be engaged with supporting the musicians that they love as immediately as attainable.

MARTIN: That was freelance music author and editor Zach Schonfeld. Zach, thanks a lot for speaking to us.

SCHONFELD: Thanks very a lot for having me. Transcript supplied by NPR, Copyright NPR.