Earning Money in the Touring Industry

Richard Cadena
Jul 6, 2015
2 min read

“How much money does the job pay?”

That's a legitimate question, especially if you have financial obligations (who doesn’t?) and people who depend on you for their livelihood. But is it the most important question you can ask about a gig, project, or position?

There was a recent article in Billboard magazine called “How Much Does the Guy Who Rolls Blunts on Tour Earn? A Breakdown of Touring Biz Jobs."

Billboard followed the money to determine who's pulling in the largest (and smallest) paychecks in the industry: from the tens of millions in equity awards reaped by Apple executives to a radio-station mascot's minimum wage.

When it comes to touring, the numbers ranged from a high end of $3.3M to $30M for a headlining act, down to a low end of $100 per day for a driver if you don’t include groupies who are paid in “tickets, backstage passes plus occasional hotel and travel,” or “drug holder/blunt roller.” I think it’s fair to say that we would all like to be at the high end of the scale and live a pampered life with first-class travel and all the perks, but not everybody is prepared to meet the requirements of the top jobs in the business. How can you increase the odds of moving up the organizational chart?

Each job has its own unique requirements. All of these jobs require specialized skills, knowledge, understanding, or talent. And the more desirable the job, the more competitive they are. There are also strategies you can use, like where you choose to live (Nashville or Nowheresville?), who you choose to associate with, and your desire and outlook on life.

The best thing you can do to move up the ladder of success is the train yourself, study, work hard, and learn your craft. But always remember the words of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Money isn’t everything.

Here’s a breakdown of the touring positions listed in the Billboard article:

Tour Manager — $2.5k to $10k/week

Tour Accountant — $1.5k to $6k/week

Set Designer — $25k to $50k/project

Site Coordinator/Advance — $10k (plus on-site days)

Stage Manager — $500 to $5k/week

Production Manager — $1.5k to $8k/week

Lighting Director — $3k to $5.5k/week

Spotlight Operator — $200/gig

Backline Crew Chief — $2k to $3k/week

Sound Engineer — $1.8k to $3k/week

Video Animator — $1k/minute of footage