My coworker has been in this band for a few years. After a gig, he never mentions how much money they made. The only thing he mentions is how many people showed up. I believe the thing that keeps him going is simply fan interest. So I assume just showing up to a gig - and bringing some friends - means a lot, to many musicians. And buying merchandise is icing on the cake.
My late wife was a small-scale musician who sometimes played local bars & clubs & weddings.
The standard joke from a bunch of years ago was:
Q: What do you call somebody who hauls $1000 of gear in a $500 car 50 miles to be paid $25?
A: A musician.
The numbers are bigger now, but the ratio remains … unpromising.
I’ve had several discussions with members of bands pretty big to smaller - mostly in the bluegrass/oldtime vein. My understanding is that you have to be pretty big - think Hawktail or Rhiannon Giddens - before you start to make decent coin. And almost all of those folk have multiple side gigs. They are not just in this one band supporting a decent living.
Anyone less prominent than them is really not making much from their music. They do it largely because they love it, and are willing to accept the financial constraints that come with it. Not buying a lot of new luxury cars, living in lavish homes, etc. I asked one guy in a Grammy winning band why they don’t have a fiddler, and he straight up told me, “The checks split better 4 ways than 5.” He teaches college music, has private students, and does session work. And lives pretty modestly.
I’m just a working stiff who happens to have a well-paying job requiring no real special talent. Just making widgets. I’m often sorta embarrassed when I talk and play with these amazingly talented worldclass artists, and I realize I earn several times what they do simply driving a desk.
Or they have a fine fulltime gig and do music as a side gig. I know touring and recording artists who run construction firms, work as engineers, teach college…
Next time you go to a Madam Radar gig, estimate how many folk are there, and multiply by the cost of your ticket. How many t-shirts/CDs are they moving at $10-20 a pop? Then check out how many miles they drove after yesterday’s gig and how many more they have to drive for tomorrow’s…
It is a tough life that does not come close to paying these folk what I personally believe they ought to receive.