how much money do big 'indie' bands make, cause i have no freakin' idea.

Are bands like Interpol or Modest Mouse rolling in it, or what?

This article doesn't really answer your question but I thought it was quite interesting.


Ad earns Scots band big rewards

A little-known Scottish band is reaping financial rewards after one of its instrumentals was used in a series of American TV adverts.
Looper have so far earned £500,000 in royalties from a simple electronic track which has become the signature tune of copying company Xerox.

The band, based in Glasgow, was originally formed by Stuart David, a founding member of Belle and Sebastian.

The tune, Mondo 77, has also been used in films, including Vanilla Sky.

Stuart David said: "It started off in the Vanilla Sky film because Tom Cruise was a fan of the song and they were playing it on the set. After that I think Xerox picked it up from there.

"The four of us have been able to live on this song for the last five years."

The band are currently working on an album which fans will be able to download from their website for free.

"Our main ideal is giving the songs away free to people. Because we can make money from the films and adverts that takes care of having to make money from it," Stuart added.

He said: "We don't sell any records anymore.

"I am pleased that Looper didn't take off in a big way - it's not good for you in the long run, I don't think.

"I can only think of two or three fans we've ever heard from off the back of the Xerox ad."

He added: "It (Mondo 77) brings in enough money for us to have been able to treat it as being our job."

I'd say there a handful of "indie" artists who make quite a bit of dough these days. If they reach the 200,000-500,000 album sales mark and reach Pollstar's Top 50 tour list they have to be doing all right. I believe both of the artist you mention have done at least that, as have Bright Eyes/The Faint and My Morning Jacket.

Read this.

Rock bands can make some cash these days. Not many other kinds of indie artists do.

Some friends of mine bought a house recently with their indie rock earnings. Albeit, it was a modest house in notoriously cheap Montreal. Before that they had been living in a two bedroom apartment which featured the smallest kitchen in the entire world.

By no means are they rich though.

Huh. I remember another friend of mine--years ago when his band was really popular in Canada---telling me how annoying it was because poeple would talk to him as if he were rich just because his band was known. The reality was he was living with roommates in a tiny apt and saving his pennies all the time.

Oh... indie rock careers! Reading Steve Labini's article made me happy to be taking a break from that world right now.

it beats working in the coal mines even if they don't get paid what they should. the dudes i know in successful bands have some dough.

they get paid in pussy.

this made me real bummed. Glad I stuck to restauranting.

and beer.

Ah... to be a straight, female musician who's allergic to beer.

(We did play one show in all those 10 years where the venue had a full-on kitchen and the owners of it showered me with: espresso, never-ending mixed drinks, a massive veggie burger & salad, and pot---all on the house. It was sweeeeeeeet.)

female musicians can get all the cock they want.
but it's nerdy cock that you have to aproach first.

but you could have it if you wanted it.

ha, i always loved playing gigs at joints with kitchens.

my observation on this subject is that the best way for a band to make money is to tour. selling records is great and all but its not a real great money making source.

and it seems like a lot of bands have taken this strategy to heart, a strategy I'll refer to as Phish-anomics: To wit: Phish never cared for shit how many albums they sold and frankly probably regretted even signing with Elektra in the first place. But by being a relentless road band who really cared about running a streamlined business, they were able to make tens of millions of dollars. Now, bands like Pearl Jam are able to basically do the same thing because they have recognized that they can do whatever the fuck they want to in terms of studio albums and side projects and still sell out arenas whenever they decide to tour.

The Wilco manager guy illustrates this point perfectly in that fake documentary thing they made saying basically: "We make enough money on the road were we can afford to buy this record back and sell it back to someone else"

I think with touring and licensing, indie bands have a shot at making money. Atleast they can quit their days jobs for a little while.

What you do is tour your ass off with your 200,000+ selling CDs for those 4 or 5 years that there's actually interest in them, go ass wild living it up while you are still able to pack that 500+ person venue (ideally you will be in your mid 20s-early 30s when all if finished), then settle down and get a real job. Chances are, nobody cares about you after 5 years anyways. But at least you have stories and reflections. In the meantime, you can keep selling your music via the Internet to those 50 people still interested in you.

Most of the independent musicians I know have day jobs.

Yeah I was hearing about a guy from a semi-prominent indie band having a job at a music store and he had to facilitate the arrival of some corny mainstream rock band and it was sheer torture - or something. I forgot the name of the band.

Well if they can't tap random ass during their day jobs, they can hit it afterwards.

I'm sure Interpol and Modest Mouse are rolling in it.

For most bands touring clubs, touring is a losing endeavour, but one that is necessary in order to sell records in those markets.

Yail, you're talking about a band that still sold 6 figures despite being a touring band, one that at the same time had no problem selling out 15000 seat arenas. For the average independent band, these concepts are a little further than being within grasp.

Unless a record blows up like Arcade Fire's has, most independent musicians are making very little off physical sales. I think if an artists sells a minimum of 20000 units continentally, they're doing pretty well on an independent level. You would be surprised how few of your favourite releases can do a number like that these days, though. Artists who were selling 50000 units 5 years ago are now doing half that.

Good income comes from music licensing, to ads, shows, whatever. A relatively unknown band can sell a piece for use in a BMW ad, and make an amazing amount of money that they'd NEVER see otherwise. I don't think they can be faulted for that.

Exactly. Indie rock is the current fad. It's about all that's selling independently. It'll be a different case in a couple years. Trip hop is going to come back in a big way ...

point well taken, j. but i think that phish got to the point where they could sell out 15,00 seat arenas and effortlessly move six figure units of their records more on the basis of the fact that they were willing to invest what they were doing in their live show as opposed to some marketing campaign by Elektra.

I think that the Drive By Truckers and My Morning Jacket are two other bands that have made their life on the road and are now reaping the benefits both critically and creatively.

<--- yup.


...or rich parents who give them trust funds.

Sorry to admit this here but of all the successful indie rock bands I know (on a personal level), I can't think of ANY that don't include rich parents in the equation somewhere. Seriously. Maybe one band out of the six big ones I know, and they are the least successful of the bunch.

Over x-mas dinner one year (I've told this sotry before but not this part of it)... I had a conversation with an older woman (in her 70s) about her friends' sons' band. We were talking about how hard it is for indie bands to make it and she cited them as an example because, as she put it: "Their parents have supported them for over 10 years and they are only now starting to make money at it andbe able to support themselves".

Turned out she was talking about Blonde Redhead.

For sure. Phish would gross millions of dollars in a touring year (say 50 shows) regardless of whether they had a new record in stores. Or a record in stores at all. Completely admirable. They were an empire. Let me see if I can find my high school essay on The Economics of Phish, and the counterculture economy of shakedown.

Speaking of which, some boob on Phantasy Tour is reporting that Dionysian Productions has MSG booked 10/27 and 10/28/06 ...

And you hope that Trey dies of a heart attach before then, right?

Yeah, it was sort of a revelation to me a few years ago to read an article on Pearl Jam comparing them to the Dead because of the freedom they afforded themselves by being a succesful touring band.

i've heard a few people in bands say that the merchandise they sell while on tour, not necessarily an evening's pay, is what helps them a lot. and that is why i always buy something from a band that puts on a great show.