So we’ve read Jack Conte’s article about how much money Pomplamoose lost on tour. (Read here)

I’ve defended the bands’ salaries. (Part 1). I’ve defended the hotel costs. (Part 2)

I still have to ask, how does a month tour netting $136K lose money?

The devil is in the details: venue capacities and ticket prices.

* * * The Numbers * * *

Jack said they projected the tour would cost six figures. I think the numbers (venue capacities x ticket prices) weren’t in their favor considering the production costs.

If we consider the capacities of 23 venues (I’m leaving out the festival gig) and the average ticket price of $15, there isn’t much profit room left with a six figure expense.

* * * Tickets vs. Guarantees * * *

A band at this level is usually getting guarantees, not simply door deals.

But let’s assume they did a door deal for 80/20 with the venue. If they sold out every venue for the average ticket price (12200 tickets X $15) their cut would be about $140-150K. That would have left Jack and Nataly with only merch sales as their personal income.

While an oversimplification, it’s apparent that this budget wasn’t in their favor from the beginning of planning.

* * * Renting Light Production = In the Red * * * 

It cost $26,450 for production rentals, equipment rentals, road cases, and the van rental.  The rentals are one of the reasons this tour didn’t profit.

The tour could have used the venues’ lighting systems. The tour could have brought one crew member rather than two for most of the tour.

This tour deserved to have it’s own sound engineer. (They have a complex set list), but it’s not uncommon for the sound engineer to work as the tour manager when doing 400-800 capacity rooms. (I saw Kris Allen’s soundman work as the tour manager on Kris’s fall tour.)

$26K is an expensive cost of fees for 24 gigs.

* * * Merch Sales * * * 

Maybe the merch sales weren’t as high as they had estimated.

$29,714 divided by 24 gigs = $1238 a show (I wonder if venues took a cut before this.) About 62 folks spent $20 on merch at each show.

* * * Final Thoughts: Making It * * * 

Some folks and bands saw Jack Conte’s article as whining.

I didn’t see it this way at all. Maybe the loss was a choice of investing, but his main theme is what’s important:

Jack was responding to the question, “How does it feel to have made it?” Doing music for a living is about saying we are “making it” by working hard every day.

Playing music is also about looking at your yearly totals, not simply one month. It’s the forest from the trees.

At the end of the year, Pomplamoose is an incredible successful, independent set of musicians. They’ve diversified how they make money. They’ve probably learned some things about national touring. They’re reminding us to continue “making it” when it comes to music and art.

(Part 4: Oh! One more thought: another perspective)

 

 

 

 

 

Have you read Jack Conte’s article about how Pomplamoose’s tour lost money? (Read here)

Then, did you read my part one? (Read here)

OK, let move on…

* * *
Misconception 2: The hotel costs were extreme

OK, dear DIY bands and punk bands. I get it. I’ve done it, too. I’ve slept in my car while on tour, especially if a gig wasn’t well attended. I usually sleep at friends’ places while on tour too. I keep my hotel costs to a minimum on tour.

But this isn’t a sustainable way to take a professional band with hired guns on the road.

You shouldn’t hire six people to go on the road, and expect them to sleep on a couch or in the van! It’s OK when a band decides to do this as a team.

But bands, we need to get decent rest to avoid getting sick on the road.

Oh, you think Pomplamoose should have stayed at friends’ and acquaintances’ places to save money? Asking a friend to house eight people is a pretty heavy request, especially when your band is showing up at 1 AM or later.

I let touring friends stay at my Ann Arbor house quite a bit, but I couldn’t house eight people.

So the hotel costs aren’t extreme. They were mostly necessary.

* * *
$17,589 for hotels and food. Let’s break this down.

28 nights on the road = $628.19 a night for lodging.

Four hotel rooms a night. that’s $157 per hotel room and some food costs.

That’s not very extreme costs when you are touring through major cities.

Maybe a band could cut some of these costs down, but we are talking about $20 here, $40 there. This is a tour with $150K of expenses.

When I’m touring, I often seek out those $50 rooms off the highway. I’ve also stayed at some really bad hotels, that I wouldn’t ask my session players to do.

(Part 3. The Numbers)