Ok kiddies, here's the news since you've been on the moon: I've changed careers!
I had to finally walk away from live music. It was an incredible 10 years that I'll always cherish. Unfortunately the music business continues it's corporate spiral towards maximizing profits and minimizing expenses. How did this effect me? I've made less and less money since 2008 as tours end with nothing to take their place. The bands that have survived are playing fewer shows and cutting production costs to the minimum. I had to jump ship.
The current trend in live music is for promoters (and/or record labels) to send new bands to small clubs and big festivals, skipping the 1,000 - 10,000 seat venues entirely. Veteran bands play either stadiums or tiny theaters, depending on notoriety. Huge chunks of the map are ignored in an effort to streamline tours. The year-long Monsters Of Rock World Tour days are behind us. Shows that used to require 4 tour buses and a dozen 53-foot long semi trucks are now handled with a Ryder rental truck and airplane tickets. Today bands do 3 week hops from one region to the next, hitting only the most profitable venues. If you don't sell out a venue, you skip it next year.
Bands, labels and promoters know that exposure now comes from TV and the internet, not local radio or venues. In the old days a tour might expect HALF of every venue's ticket sales to be walk-ups (people who purchased a ticket at the box office moments before the show) who may have had very little exposure to that band's music. People would often come to see a live show to experience new music. That rarely happens today. Most tickets are sold weeks in advance for today's tours, being purchased almost exclusively by existing fans. Promoters/labels know what they're going to make from each show within a few days of the start of every tour. Even the merchandise sales are estimated with an extremely high degree of accuracy. It was amazing to see how many tours sold out their merchandise on the last show of the run. Perfect estimation.
Unfortunately all of this efficiency and streamlining comes at a cost. Shows are smaller, shorter and feature fewer theatrical elements. Larger chunks of the World are forgotten by tours in favor of the guaranteed big money making venues. Opening act positions are being handed over to DJ's and comedians in an effort to save space and pay fewer people. Fewer people play, fewer people hear the music and fewer people are employed.
I hope it changes.
Until it does, I'm making money as a Multimedia Engineer! I've got 2 studios & 3 offices to manage for a group of judges and lawyers who write laws for governments. I'll be traveling all over the country (and possibly the world) overseeing a team that makes videos about each law that is written. The videos are then used as training tools for most law firms in the country to help promote the understanding and use of each new law.
Whatever, I get benefits.
