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Live music

Saying goodbye can be big business

by Stephanie Hughes
Dec 1, 2023
The band Kiss will play what it's calling its last ever show this weekend. This kind of farewell tour can also be good marketing.
Kiss performing in Krakow, Poland in 2019.
Nashville69, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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My Economy

Arena tours leave little to trickle down to this indie Iowa venue

by Livi Burdette
Sep 11, 2023
Smaller stages want a slice of your entertainment budget, but blowout events like the Beyoncé and Taylor Swift tours are eating them up.
Tobi Parks, owner of xBk, above, says the joy in operating an independent venue is helping her community discover new artists.
Courtesy Lucius Pham
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My Economy

Independent musician says the touring industry is a “rollercoaster”

by Richard Cunningham
Aug 8, 2023
Sarah King, an independent musician, is currently on tour. But the steps getting to this moment have been challenging.
Independent musician Sarah King is touring on her own, a more financially viable option than touring with a group.
Courtesy Arielle Thomas Photography
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Live shows are back. But the economics behind them aren't great.

by Justin Ho
Oct 28, 2022
Many musicians rely on touring for revenue. But they are facing inflation, supply chain problems and a lot of competition.
L7 performs in Los Angeles in January 2020. This year, the band is selling a pre-show experience to defray costs of the tour.
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for The Art of Elysium
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As small music venues close in Nashville, some see erosion of Music City's culture

by Paige Pfleger
Jun 10, 2022
Some spaces that have provided a stage for up-and-coming musicians over the years are in jeopardy because of the booming real estate market.
Artist Tristen Gaspadarek performs a farewell show at Mercy Lounge, which recently closed in Nashville.
Paige Pfleger/WPLN News
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COVID-19

Summer music festivals start comeback tour, with some pandemic tweaks

by Mitchell Hartman
Jul 8, 2021
After most events were canceled in 2020, there are still questions about how comfortable concertgoers may be with crowds.
Bands and festival organizers are bringing back live music audiences this summer, said industry consultant Karen Allen.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
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Bands are small businesses, too

by Andy Uhler
Jul 1, 2021
When the pandemic hit, Western swing group Asleep at the Wheel lost 75% of its income. So it cut expenses and applied for federal relief funds.
Ray Benson and Katie Shore — then Katie Holmes — of Asleep at the Wheel perform in 2014. Because the band is a small business, it received a PPP loan during the pandemic.
Karl Walter via Getty Images for Stagecoach
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COVID-19

"Things Come Around" for rock band Guster after a year of canceled tours

by David Brancaccio and Daniel Shin
May 7, 2021
Adam Gardner, guitarist and founding member of Guster, talks about how the pandemic changed life for touring musicians.
Despite canceling its remaining 2020 shows, Guster eventually did one socially distanced concert last summer and captured that experience via a short documentary, "Things Come Around."
Justin P. Goodhart
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Live music is coming back, but shows will look different

by Jasmine Garsd
Apr 26, 2021
Limited audience capacity and higher ticket prices are some of the changes concertgoers can expect this summer.
Bad Bunny on stage in Los Angeles in 2018. Presale ticket purchases for his 2022 tour set a record on Ticketmaster.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Hundreds of small music venues are struggling to stay open

by Erika Beras
Jan 11, 2021
Live music venues have largely gone dark during the pandemic, along with the economies of many historically vibrant music scenes throughout the country.
The closed Roxy nightclub and music venue on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. With many performance venues shuttered, musicians have fewer opportunities to develop their sound.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images
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