ARTISTS ARE MAKING OVER A MILLION DOLLARS PER PERFORMANCE

Is this not why we aspire to become rock stars? Is this not what every aspiring musician dreams about. We all want it, but when we see the numbers we think, wow, is that person really worth that? Somehow we never think about this even when we are paying those $100+ for tickets until we see the headlines.

There are two factors I see that would justify such a number and they cannot be separated in my opinion.

1. Musical/visual performance –
A performer must be an exceptional artist in their craft, whether its an individual or band. Whether they are a vocal or instrumental performer. They should be damn good at what they do. In this day and age too many musicians are famous but not very good musicians. Pop culture relies more on image, social media saturation and even (dare I say) notoriety. Their show should be entertaining. The visual and artistic value of the performance should be exceptional.

2. Headline power and ticket sales –
Some artists by the nature of their star power will generate more ticket sales than others. This can be influenced by many factors, new releases, popularity in social media, chart performance, previous performances and music videos just to name a few. Venue and event organizers rely on the artist’s popularity to generate ticket sales. So if the sales are in the millions the artists should get a proportional amount of that pie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another reason why the amount is so high is a result of what organizers, sponsors marketers will pay just to have these performers make an appearance (not even perform). For example Rihanna earns up to $100,000 just to attend parties and runway shows. The Rihanna brand is so valuable, fashion houses want photos taken of her in their front row, and they are willing to pay big for that association. Why do you think so many artists are branding their names on fragrance, clothing and whatever you’ll dish out your hard working money on. It not only make more money for them on the side but it also increases their money clout for performances.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here (via Priceonomics) is a leaked list of what some performers made per performance. There are a few things to keep in mind when looking at this list. These are only the asking price. Many will go down after negotiations. The amounts are also before expense. That can increase the price. There are many artists making money in this range that are not on this list. Also on this list are artists that are not musicians.