By George Pirounakis
People think a ticket is a direct line to the band’s pocket. You hand over 30, 40, 50 quid/Euros/whatever and the band walks away rich.
Wrong.
That money vanishes into a chain of costs before the artist even smells it.
The venue takes its rent, bar percentage, security and staff. T
he promoter covers marketing, sound, light, local crew, catering, hotels, flights, vans, backline and insurance.
Ticketing platforms add their magical “service fees” for doing nothing.
Then the government skims its VAT.
By the time all of this is sliced up, what’s left for the band is usually a fixed fee that was agreed months ago. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s embarrassing, but it’s never that full ticket price you imagine.
Fans love to scream about “expensive tickets,” but the band doesn’t set most of those numbers. They don’t see your service fee. They don’t touch your VAT. They don’t pocket the overhead. What they get is whatever was negotiated on paper — and often it’s only just enough to keep the show on the road.
This is why so many acts depend on merch. The shirts and hoodies are the only place they can actually control the margin and take something home after everyone else has eaten. The ticket keeps the lights on. The merch keeps the band alive.
So next time you think you’re paying the band with your ticket, think again. You’re paying the machine that makes the gig possible.
The artist is just another line item in the middle of it all.
- George Pirounakis is a merchandise and tour manager based in Thessaloniki, Greece. He is co-founder of OneTwoSix Hardcore Clothing, and is currently on tour with Hatebreed.