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playing the percentages

Although it's far too long ago to remember all the details, I do remember large venues that insisted on selling all the tickets and then charging up to 30% of the gross for hire, plus security, plus box offive charge, which started to be added to the cover price back about 1980 as I remember.
Before that I would usually only pay 5% commission and try to sell through record shops.
If you start to work out how many people are on a tour, and I know this varies a lot depending on the country as for example, here in OZ bands don't usually tour with a PA as distances are too great it's easier to hire locally whereas in Britain a band takes the PA and lights with them.
But just take 6 people with a PA, 6 with lights, a couple of caterers, say 10 people across 2 bands plus maybe 8 personal roadies for the 2 bands, staff from the promotor to work the show and you quickly come to a figure where you are paying 40 or 50 people to travel around, and this isn't even for HUGE stadium gigs.
Just in terms of hotels and food, let alone the costs of travel itself, that starts to get expensive. 5 gigs a week... now add half to all your costs to cover the off days.
If there is a day off, those expenses still have to be paid.
Just add a "wage" for each person and you start to add up the costs.
Its a big gamble unless you sell well in advance and know your gross for the show.


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