How Much Do Singers Make Per Concert? ( Thousands or Millions? )

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Singing at concerts is a big business, what people tend to think is that most of the money will go to the singer. The truth is that most of the money from the concert will actually go to the recording label, and the singer is paid for the actual profit made by the concert.

How much a singer makes per concert depends if they are a lead singer or a backup singer. Backup singers earn around $500 per concert while lead singers earn around $2000. Depending on how famous the band or the singer is will impact how much they earn, it is not uncommon for famous lead singers to make $100k per concert and their backup singers to make around $10k.

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Most people think that singers make millions of dollars per concert, however, this is far from the truth. Usually, concerts are made and paid for by the recording labels, which in addition to making the actual concert will pay for the entire event, plus promotion and hiring the staff. This all costs a lot of money and that is why you only see big names in the music industry doing concerts usually.

There are some singers in bands or solo singers who actually make their own concerts, however, these are fairly small and localized to one town. Another aspect that takes a significant cut out of how much a singer makes per concert is the actual licenses and fees which will have to be paid upfront before the actual concert. Making a concert is a team effort, first, the record label selects which singer will perform, usually, they do not look at the actual talent of the singer but at the money-making potential.

Once they have decided on which singer to use for a concert they will make an in-depth plan on how and where the concert will take place. Usually, a couple of weeks before the concert, they will start promoting it on radio and TV shows. Oftentimes this requires the singer to go to different radio and TV shows in order to promote the concert. As you can see the concert has not yet even begun and everybody is already working and being paid.

Earning money from a concert is very different from earning money from a song, as the concert is a one-time gig and the song could potentially make money for years after its release if you want more information on the subject check out my article How much do singers make per song? ( The Honest Truth ). Generally speaking, most concerts make a good profit and the singer will also have a good sum of money at the end of the concert.

However, there are some concerts or even festivals that flopped hard, due to mismanagement and incompetence. Check out the story of Fyre Festival, to see how a luxury event with villas turned out to be a festival with UNICEF tents and virtually no singers or DJs showing up.

How Much Do Singers Make Per Concert?

The amount that singers make per concert can vary greatly depending on factors such as their level of fame, the size of the venue, ticket sales, and the overall financial success of the event. Established and popular singers who regularly perform in large arenas or stadiums can earn substantial amounts per concert, often in the range of hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. However, for emerging artists or those performing in smaller venues, the earnings can be more modest.

The fee for a concert performance is typically negotiated between the artist and the event organizers or promoters. It may involve a guaranteed base fee, a percentage of ticket sales, or a combination of both. Additionally, singers can generate income from merchandise sales, VIP packages, and other ancillary revenue streams associated with their concerts.

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How Much Does A Lead Singer Earn Per Concert?

Singers who sing in a band and are in the position of lead singer tend to make the most amount of money. This is fairly normal as the entire band is relying on the lead singer’s voice. There are a lot of bands who have changed their lead singers for one reason or another and some of them have virtually destroyed any potential success which they may have had. The problem is that the lead singer is what makes the band popular, while you can change almost any of the musicians and almost nobody will notice, this is not true for the lead singer due to their unique voice.

Some bands have an equal share of the money, however, this is fairly rare because as soon as the lead singer realizes that he is irreplaceable, then he or she will end up asking for more money from concerts and any other events. Some singers who want to leave the band for one reason or another they will ask for a much higher cut or simply a lot more money, at this point either the band accepts it or the lead singer walks. Another big revenue for singers, other than concerts is from social media sites and YouTube, if you want how much they actually make with YouTube then check out my article How do singers make money from YouTube? ( In 9 Easy Ways ).

How much singers make per concert depends on two factors:

  • New singer: New singers do not get such a big a cut of the earnings or the profit of the concert. Simply put the recording label does know that as the singer is fairly new and it will be hard to rely on his or her name to gather a big enough crowd to make significant money. Generally, speaking new singers perform at concerts between the main gigs, and they can earn anything from $300 to $2000, anything above this sum of money is most likely highly situational on other aspects than the singer itself.
  • Established singers: Here is the big money, most established singers make more money per concert than the average person in their entire life. Taylor Swift, for example, earns around $1 million per concert and Adele around $500k and Pink made over $100 million with her concert tour called “Trauma”, not bad for just a couple of hours of singing. As for how much money they actually get entirely depends on their contracts with the recording label and as these are highly confidential we can not make a good estimate. As for how much Pink makes per concert, it is hard to say but the estimate is around a couple of million dollars per concert.

How Much Do Backup Singers Make Per Concert?

Beginner singers who are talented actually start off as backup singers for some established singers, if they are lucky. Sometimes these do have contracts with the recording labels although not always. Generally, speaking backup singers do not get an actual percentage of the earnings from the concert, rather they get paid a set fee. This set fee will depend almost entirely on the lead singer’s ability to attract people, simply put some singers are more popular than others.

For backup singers who do not sing for very well established singers, the payout per concert can be as low as $150, on the other side, being a backup singer for someone like Adele could earn them anything between $3000 to $8000. Most established singers do have backup singers, for example, Taylor Swift. As for how much Taylor Swift’s backup singers get paid the answer is around a couple of thousand dollars per concert.

How Much Do Singers Make Per Original Song?

Generally speaking, most singers who perform at live concerts sing their own original songs, however, this is not always the case. If the singer doesn’t sing his or her original song then their profit will decrease even further as they will have to pay royalties to the original creators of the song. If you want to know how royalties operate and how singers make actual money then check out my recent article How to make money by singing ( Top 27 Methods ).

In case the singer performs their original songs then the payout will be significantly higher as there is no added cost of paying the royalties.

How Much Does It Cost To Set Up A Concert?

One of the biggest factors when it comes to how much money a singer makes per concert is the actual cost of the concert. While most people think that a concert can be simply put together by a couple of people and a simple stage this is far from the truth. Project managers have to plan everything in detail, like how will they get the stage to the location, who will assemble it, how many toilets will there be needed, who will be in charge of the security, and what are the costs of renting out the place where the concert will be held.

Concert Logistics Takes A Big Cut From The Singer’s Earnings

Most people forget about concert logistics, but these can quickly add up and lower the amount of money that a singer makes. Large trucks have to be rented to haul the stage, busses also for the sound engineers, engineers to make the stage and even hotel bookings if for each member of the staff. All these can add up faster, on the other hand, concerts that do need a large amount of money with logistics tend to make a lot more money in profit due to the singer.

Live Or Playback Concerts Have Different Payouts For The Singers

Live and playback singing is paid completely differently at concerts. The truth is that not all singers sing live and they usually do not have an entire concert based upon them, rather they sing as part of a concert that has several singers and bands performing one after the other. Generally speaking, most singers who do not sing live are paid a set fee, and this can be anything between $500 to a couple of thousand dollars.

On the other hand, singers who do sing live at concerts are paid a lot more, sometimes even a percentage of the ticket sales, this even happens if the concert is a mixed one which means that more bands and singers will sing on the stage.

Singers Get A Percentage Of The Ticket Sales

Singers who have concerts rely on ticket sales to make money, generally speaking, they have two options when it comes to the profits of ticket sales. They can either choose to make a large concert where thousands of people could be present or smaller concerts with fewer people. In the case where the concert can have thousands of people the tickets can start from around $50 and in the case of the VIP tickets, these can be around $500.

In case the concert is for a smaller crowd the cost of the ticket can be extremely high, generally speaking, these smaller concerts for established and famous singers start around $500 and go up to several thousands of dollars. While this money isn’t going to go right into the pocket of the singer, but after calculating the expenses of the concert they will still remain with a good amount of money from the ticket sales alone.

Marketing For A Concert Is Expensive

Big names make big money, it is as simple as that. On the other hand, record labels will pay a lot of money for promoting the concert especially if the singer is famous. As the record label’s main goal is to make money it will want to attract as many people to the concert. Some record labels also think that even a mediocre singer can make a good amount of profit provided that they pump enough money into the promotion, although this doesn’t work always.

Hourly Rate Of Singers Performing At A Concert

There are some singers who take an hourly rate, although these are relatively few. The hourly rate of a singer at a concert starts around $10,000 for smaller singers and for well-established singers, it can start at above $100k. Generally, speaking these tend to happen at festivals where concerts of individual singers last one or two hours. As the festival has a lot of concerts that attract people they do not want to pay a percentage of the actual sale as they will not make any profit by doing this.

Touring Concerts Are Big Business

Most established singers will start touring the country or the world at some point during their careers, either in a band like Kiss or solo. Once they have the logistics figured out and the expenses for the first concert paid then there will be no more need for additional investment as the sale of the tickets for the concert will make the necessary cash flow needed for the tour. As for how many touring singers make per concert it is hard to say. If you are wondering how much Kiss makes per concert, then you might be surprised that in total their latest tour has made over $200 million, which makes Kiss earn per concert around $10-20 million.

The actual sum will differ from one city to another and it will be also impacted by media coverage and promotion. Oftentimes less established singers will not have enough money to pay for the tour and also pay for the promotion of the actual concerts. In this case, some of them will rely on promoting themselves for free on social media and by being present at radio shows.

Singer’s Revenue And Taxes

Let us not forget that no matter how much money singers make they will still have to pay taxes like everybody else. Although I am not an accountant and not familiar with how much famous singers actually pay but it is safe to say that it will probably be around 30% of their entire revenue. This, of course, will also depend on the state where the singer lives, simply put some states have higher taxes than others.

Key Takeaways

  • The amount singers make per concert can vary greatly depending on several factors, including their level of fame, popularity, venue size, ticket prices, and other contractual agreements.
  • Established and highly popular singers can earn significant amounts per concert, ranging from thousands to millions of dollars, especially for large-scale performances or tours.
  • Lesser-known or emerging singers may earn lower amounts per concert, particularly when starting out, and their earnings may depend on factors such as the size of the venue, ticket sales, and their negotiating power.

FAQ

How much do artists make from a concert?

The amount of money artists make from a concert can vary greatly depending on various factors such as the artist’s popularity, ticket prices, venue capacity, and expenses. Top-tier artists can earn millions of dollars per concert, while smaller or emerging artists may earn a smaller fee.

How much do singers make per song?

The amount singers make per song can vary widely depending on factors such as their level of fame, the success of the song, their contractual agreements, and the revenue generated from the song’s sales, streaming, and licensing. Singers can earn royalties and performance fees for their recorded songs.

Who gets paid the most for concerts?

Some of the highest-earning performers for concerts include globally renowned artists, top-level musicians, and bands with significant fan bases. The earning potential for concerts is influenced by factors such as ticket sales, tour scale, merchandise sales, and sponsorships.

Do singers get paid to perform?

Yes, singers typically get paid to perform, especially for live shows and concerts. Singers receive payment for their performances based on various factors, including the artist’s popularity, the size and scope of the event, ticket sales, and contractual agreements.