The Inside Scoop on Festival Payouts for Bands
Beginning to gig can be stressful. Exciting, yes, but undoubtedly stressful. This is especially true with festivals, which can have tens of thousands of people watching (and judging) your band.
If you’re going to be lugging around massive amp cabinets across who knows how many miles for something that could last several days, you’d probably like compensation. Your band is a business — not a charity.
So, how much do festivals pay bands?
While there is rarely a black-and-white answer for these types of questions, there is a staggering variance in the amount of money festivals pay their artists. Festival size, location, and budget determine how much money there is to go around. A band’s popularity and clout influence how much they can convince festival admins to pay.
To get a gauge on how much your band could get paid, read on. We explore several factors that, together, can help you put together an accurate estimate of your worth (in the eyes of festivals, that is).
Factors Behind How Much Festivals Pay Artists
If you’d like to know how much you could realistically get for performing at a festival, there’s a lot to keep in mind. Thankfully, there is no one mega-corporation running all musical events (although Ticketmaster tries). All types of people can start a festival.
However, this means that your payment is hard to predict if you haven’t already signed up. Together, we can make an uneducated guess by considering the following info:
Your Band’s Popularity
Your local bar band isn’t going to make Radiohead money at a festival. The reason is obvious — they’re (probably) not nearly as popular as Radiohead.
As unfair as it may be, festivals care about:
- Money
- Profits
- How popular their bands are
The reason “good music” makes it to number three is because it compliments considerations number one and two. Bigger bands can easily attract thousands of fans. Thus, a promoter may decide their work is done if they score just one musical giant.
No need for flowery and persuasive language if you have Metallica coming. Just announce, “We have Metallica,” and boom – marketing success.
The money saved on advertising helps festivals put aside a bigger budget to their headline act.
Festival Location
Where festivals are held is highly correlated with the administrators’ budgets. While it might be costlier to have a festival in an urban area, the potential ticket sales go up astronomically.
There’s a reason Lollapalooza has been going on for over 30 years now. Chicago’s Great Park is certainly not free real estate. But money isn’t much of an issue when a festival sells hundreds of thousands of tickets each year.
Of course, there is Coachella. This festival attracts hundreds of thousands each year to the desert of Southern California. However, the allure of its name is a one-of-a-kind exception that magically makes people willing to endure horrendous heat.
Festival Attendance
The more tickets a festival sells, the more money they have to give your band. For example, if a festival sells 100,000 weekend passes priced at $100 each, that’s 10 million dollars (not including concessions and merch). So while there are significant overhead costs to cover, there’s still enough to pay bands some remarkable sums at the end.
Unfortunately, high-attendance festivals are much more competitive. But you probably already knew that.
Ticket Price
More lucrative festivals charge a higher ticket price. Generally, the ticket price for a festival is significantly higher than the ticket price for a standalone concert. Weekend passes are common, allowing patrons to view as many performances as they please while the festival is in session.
High attendance coupled with a sizeable ticket price mean more money in the pool. This bodes well for bands looking to maximize their touring revenue.
But how much do festivals charge for tickets? It depends on many things, of course, but tends to be between $75 and $250 per day. For a weekend pass, it can be as high as $504 dollars.
If you’re just starting out, expect the lower end of the pricing range. Nevertheless, don’t think that you can’t make good money just because some super well-renowned festivals charge a bunch more. On the other hand, don’t expect to get the same payout as the headline act (unless that’s you, obviously).
The People Running the Festival
Festival administrations are run by people — for the most part. Because people are people, some will value your performance more than others. This is also true with festivals. Even if there are multiple people running the show, there is likely to be a shared culture between everyone.
Unfortunately, many people will undervalue your work if you don’t already have a huge fan base. Fortunately, there are people who can recognize a good band and are willing to pay accordingly.
As you research your options, be sure to seek the latter. This is easier said than done, but asking around can go a long way. If bands in your network have a largely negative opinion of a festival, it’s best to avoid that one — unless you play a completely different genre.
In any case, scrutinize the terms before signing an agreement. Calculate your expenses, including the value of your time, and make sure all your bandmates agree that the terms are fair.
Festival Sponsors
Love them or hate them, sponsors are a massive influence on your paycheck, especially those in creative fields.
The good news is that sponsors are pretty generous (if they know they’ll turn a profit, that is). Big names like Geico, Sherman-Williams, and The Y are just a few. If you see a name you recognize sponsoring a festival, chances are they have a sizeable marketing budget.
Take note of the sponsorships for each musical festival you assess. With a bit of research, you can look at their history. Are the company’s previous sponsorships generous? For this info, you can even look beyond music festivals (such as sports events) to get an idea.
Just remember that companies prefer to sponsor events that go hand-in-hand with their brand image. A company like Walgreens, whose image is all about health and happiness, is not an ideal sponsor for a heavy metal festival where pounding hard liquor is commonplace.
But a company that makes hard liquor? You can bet your you-know-what they’ll be primed to chip in a hefty investment — and up goes everyone’s paycheck.
Your Agent – If you Have an Agent
Nowadays it seems more bands prefer to handle things themselves. Plus, it’s cheaper.
However, having an agent is a powerful thing. A great agent will more than make up for their salary expense. Furthermore, many agents only charge if they successfully hook you up.
Festivals probably have promoters who are talented negotiators. If you aren’t careful, you can end up earning far less than you’d hoped. Fortunately, having your own agent ensures that promoters approach contract terms with more fairness. Almost always, an agent will increase the amount a festival pays your band.
Having an agent is a lot like having a lawyer. Sure, there are a few toxic agents who want to exploit you. But there are also several good ones who want to see your band succeed.
The Main Act
Last but not least on the topic of your band’s payment is the headline (or main) act. Most of the time, the headline act is an artist who is popular enough to attract people from all over.
The main act’s level of fame is a big factor. Oasis, Eminem, and Radiohead are known to have grossed $1 million and more for a single festival performance.
The bubble-bursting truth is that your band is very unlikely to pull in enough to retire from one show. However, if you play at a festival with a main artist who is making six or seven figures, expect to make several thousand. Again, nobody said landing a gig in such a festival is an easy feat.
How Much Festivals Pay Bands: A Realistic Range
Truthfully, you can make anywhere between pay-to-play (losing money) to being Lady Gaga and making $4 million per festival. But this is not a realistic answer for most bands.
Between $300 and $1500 is the typical festival payout for a non-famous band.
The lower end is not particularly glorious. However, the higher end of the range is respectable. If you perform several festivals per month, you can make some decent income. Unfortunately, it’ll be difficult to play this many without extensive time on the road.
The best approach is to attend festivals for exposure rather than money. Getting paid is important, but you’ll probably need to rely on other sources to be successful. When you’re not playing at a festival, seek out as many venue gigs as you can. Additionally, making some killer merch can more than double your revenue.
Conclusion
“How much do festivals pay bands?” is truly a “It depends…” sort of question.
Obscure bands will not make much, and sometimes festivals will charge rather than pay. On the other end, world-renowned acts like Lady Gaga and Radiohead make millions per festival.
A typical festival pays typical bands several hundred dollars. At the high end, they may pay slightly over one-thousand.
To ensure success, researching festivals is everything. If you can afford it, an agent will negotiate on your band’s behalf so you get paid what you’re truly worth.
But don’t stop at festivals. Playing frequent small gigs, selling unique merchandise, and getting paid through streaming services form a complete income strategy for your band.
