The post-COVID live music scene: There’s some good news and some bad news – National | 24CA News
For virtually two years, COVID-19 noticed to it that there was no reside music. Tours stopped, roadies misplaced their gigs, venues suffered, and assist workers had been laid off. But as soon as COVID restrictions had been lifted, the trade got here again to life, albeit with a non-insignificant diploma of problem.
For instance, Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley advised me that once they returned to the highway, they needed to do it old-school in a van as a result of no tour buses had been out there. Most had been parked for almost two years and weren’t roadworthy but. Supply and demand jacked the costs of any rental company that did have buses out there and people had been taken by acts who might afford it. Sum’s buses ended up going to Metallica.
There had been different issues. Many roadies who had been thrown out of labor left the trade and didn’t wish to come again. Finding sufficient sound and light-weight tools to hire was onerous. Many venues didn’t survive the lockdowns and had completely shut their doorways.
But this summer season has seen a return to The Before Times. Concerts and festivals have been packed. And at the same time as Taylor Swift and Beyonce are getting essentially the most consideration for hoovering up lots of and lots of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in field workplace income, different acts are doing nicely.
On his present tour, Drake is enjoying in entrance of as many as 34,000 individuals an evening and just lately grew to become the primary rapper to earn over US$5 million for a single present. Ed Sheeran’s BC Place gig on Sept. 2 attracted 65,601 individuals, breaking a 2009 document held by U2 set throughout their 360 Tour. The Weeknd broke attendance data in London by bringing in over 160,000 individuals over two nights. A swing via Australia noticed 120,000 be a part of him for 2 nights in Brisbane, near 250,000 over three nights in Sydney, and someplace north of 150,000 for 2 reveals in Melbourne.
My house market, Toronto, has seen unimaginable demand over the summer season with acts routinely backing 17,000 individuals into Live Nation’s Budweiser Stage. And woe to anybody attempting to get round downtown on an evening there’s a live performance at Scotiabank Arena, particularly when the Blue Jays have a house stand at Rogers Centre.
Live Nation and AEG, the world’s largest live performance promoters, are seeing document revenues. One estimate says that reside music income in Canada will hit someplace round $1.3 billion with a projected annual progress price of over three per cent. The common spend by a Canadian concertgoer is approaching $200.
So all’s good, proper? Mostly, however …
Just like each different sector of the economic system and society, the reside music trade is coping with rising prices, increased insurance coverage premiums, increased rates of interest for financing excursions, servicing money owed left over from COVID-19, airfare and lodging wants, and different monetary pressures. There are tales about porta-potties being in such excessive demand that some festivals have been underserved. And there’s loads of opportunistic gouging, too. Someone despatched me an image of an peculiar service car parking zone in Seattle that was charging $120 a spot for a Taylor Swift present.
Running a small-to-mid-sized venue is more and more troublesome as a result of there’s a restrict to how a lot operators can scale issues. It’s far simpler for Live Nation to juggle rising prices than it’s for a 250-capacity bar that desires to function reside acts. These challenges are mirrored not solely in increased ticket costs however will increase on what we now have to pay for parking, concessions, and alcohol at reveals.
Which brings me to Gen Z. These younger followers born between 1997 and 2012 are the lifeblood of so many reside scenes. They appear particularly delicate to purchasing booze at gigs. Reports are that they’re consuming much less, placing a giant kink into an vital income stream. Young followers are both pre-drinking earlier than heading out or choosing a few edibles earlier than going to the present. Many are pursuing a extra straight-edge life-style, eschewing alcohol and medicines in pursuit of higher psychological well being. Since smaller venues enormously rely largely on bar gross sales for survival, there’s trigger for fear. And how are you going to fault Gen Z for imbibing much less of the demon alcohol?
Fewer gross sales on the bar have created a brand new drawback: merch cuts.
An vital income stream for artists is the sale of T-shirts and different memento ephemera at reveals. Because these gross sales take up flooring house, venues demand a reduce of gross sales. To compensate for increased prices and decrease alcohol gross sales, venues are demanding that they get extra of a style. It’s no longer unusual for a highway supervisor to fork over 15 to 25 per cent of gross mushy good gross sales (T-shirts and the like) together with extra vig on issues like CDs and vinyl. These charges are sometimes negotiable, however likelihood is the artist will find yourself paying one thing to the venue.
Jeff Rosenstock, an American singer who’s been on the highway for a lot of the summer season, is aware of this all too nicely. He’s been documenting how a lot he’s needed to fork over for merch cuts.
It’s actually onerous to take sides as a result of each the small-to-medium-sized artist and the small-to-medium-sized venue are battling inflation, elevated rents, a soar in taxes, and better labour prices. Bigger performers additionally should pay these charges however it’s actually simpler for a Taylor Swift to roll with the modifications than it’s for a punk band travelling from present to point out in a 1977 Ford Econoline van and current on leftover hotdogs scavenged from 7-11.
There are different points afoot. Dec. 31 is the deadline for repaying Canadian Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loans. Many venues throughout Canada had been relying on that hand-up to outlive via 2020 and 2021. The Canadian Live Music Association is anxious that a few of its members gained’t be pay again these loans in time. If that occurs, then what? Meanwhile, governments are additionally making noises about chopping again on the sum of money they get to the humanities sector. That will inevitably influence the reside music trade.
High costs are right here to remain. What lies forward? Let’s study that.
Fans can have to select between saving up their cash to see a giant act or utilizing that very same money to see a number of smaller reveals. Music residencies are additionally gaining popularity. Instead of artists travelling the world to achieve their followers, extra are opting to arrange in a given metropolis and have followers come to them. If, for instance, you’re a Canadian fan of U2, your solely present choice to see them is to pay large American {dollars} for tickets to their residency on the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas. Plus fork out more money for airfare, resort, and meals, after all. Other acts are prepared to play in venues like casinos. At least two main Ontario casinos opened new efficiency areas this 12 months, a pattern that we’re seeing throughout the continent. Again, this places the journey burden on the fan.
Back on the artist facet, there’s the rising lure of enjoying company gigs. This has no bearing on the typical live performance fan and is mostly restricted to well-off acts who’re completely happy to take a few million {dollars} from some tech bro to play at an organization retreat. But such paydays generally create a nasty scent if phrase leaks out to the fanbase.
So the place will we go from right here? How far can acts and promoters push us? Inflation and rates of interest are prompting everybody to take a look at their discretionary spending. Entertainment is often one of many first issues that will get reduce.
Again, the massive acts, the massive venues, and the massive promoters will most likely find yourself doing simply high-quality. But what in regards to the little man? I suppose we’ll see.
— with information from FYIMusicNews.ca
