Non-metal fans sometimes make the mistaken assumption that those who enjoy heavy metal are angry and violent individuals. But this could not be further from the truth!
Metal musicians are immensely gifted individuals. Many have amassed fortunes worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Bands such as Slipknot make their living by staging thrilling live shows for fans to experience.
1. Touring
Touring is a huge part of what most bands do to earn their living; yet how much money do they actually make from it? Unfortunately, this question can only be answered with precision when considering all aspects of an artist’s income and expenses. However, let’s break down a typical tour budget for mid-size metal bands to give an indication of how much it takes to become professional musicians.
Let’s examine how much a band makes from selling merchandise, which includes items like T-shirts and posters at concerts. On average, bands sell approximately 10%-20% of their inventory during each concert – this amount can quickly add up if performing multiple gigs consecutively.
Next, let’s consider how much a band spends on travel expenses. Travel is often expensive for metal bands as airfare, hotels and other costs add up quickly; also consider that venues frequently charge opening acts an opening act fee that can eat into ticket sales and merch revenue.
Finally, we’ll examine other expenses associated with touring such as food and hotel costs – these expenses can add up quickly and decrease a band’s income significantly. Furthermore, taxes or performance fees associated with performing can further strain finances of a band.
Tragically, metal bands don’t typically make enough money from their music to live off of. Even if they become widely popular and sell out stadiums regularly, it is unlikely they will ever be able to rely solely on it as a source of income.
Before embarking on their dream of becoming rock stars, metal fans need to accept this truth before diving headfirst into becoming musicians themselves. So before getting those pentagram neck tattoos or diving in head first into this dangerous and addictive lifestyle!
2. Merchandise
No metal band can make enough money from merchandise sales alone to cover the enormous expenses they must invest in recording, production and touring – which is why most bands also take on additional jobs outside their music to help pay the bills; otherwise they would spend much of their time waiting around for gigs without making much profit from them.
Some bands can make a living from music, though it is rare. If your band finds a record label that believes in and backs you, they may give a percentage of revenue generated from shows, album sales and merchandise sales as royalty payments to you as part of their investment in you and will take on risk by investing their own capital into producing albums, printing t-shirts and promoting it themselves.
Even the most beloved metal bands can sometimes struggle financially, forcing some of its leading members to turn to other careers or find full-time employment elsewhere – Peter Lindgren from progressive death metal giant Opeth for instance has earned two degrees and now works as a business consultant.
As an independent death metal band without a record label or manager, it can be hard to ascertain their income. They usually only make small money from selling merchandise; other sources of income, like full-time jobs and performing gigs on weekends will likely need to supplement what merch sales generate.
Some death metal bands are more successful than others, but it is important to remember that it takes years before any band can claim to have “made it” and begin earning full-time wages from music. Even when successful bands start making serious cash from their performances, touring constantly is still required in order to continue bookings and build their fan base.
3. Recording
No matter the nature of your band or genre of music, recording probably won’t yield significant profits. Even metal bands with solid fanbases don’t make as much from album sales alone compared to touring expenses and record label fees; most money comes from touring revenue.
Recording sessions require hiring both an engineer and producer who will help your band achieve an amazing sound, and make the recording process simpler. Recording can be expensive so be sure to plan and save up for this expense before recording begins.
Death metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by fast, brutal rhythms with themes often depicting violence or the supernatural. Originating in the mid 1980s with bands like Carcass, Cannibal Corpse and Napalm Death gaining widespread acclaim for their extreme sounds and violent lyrics, Death metal has since evolved to encompass numerous offshoots such as melodic death metal and technical death metal genres.
Death metal music usually features distorted guitars playing at multiple speeds and fast, aggressive drumming. Additionally, death metal often features low-pitched growling vocals with lyrics related to death, disease or Satanism. Death metal can often be played loudly while accompanying stage stunts such as fire breathing, bloodshed and gore for added effect.
While some death metal bands have found mainstream success, many others do not. Megadeth was founded in 1983 by former Metallica member Dave Mustaine and its members have amassed an estimated net worth of $25 Million with Mustaine and David Ellefson being responsible for most of it.
Morbid Angel, As I Lay Dying and Hate Eternal are also prolific death metal bands with large followings; these bands generally tour 10 months out of the year with massive followings but need other sources of income since music doesn’t pay that well yet.
4. Labels
Death metal remains a dominant subgenre of heavy music, and as such there are several niche record labels specializing in it – Thailand (Brutal Productions), Mexico (Iron Blood and Death Corps), Chile (Nihilistic Holocaust) and the US (Comatose Music) are some examples. These record labels specialize in signing bands that specialize in brutal death metal as well as other extreme styles like black metal, grindcore and thrash metal.
These independent record labels may not attract the bigger metal titans such as Napalm, Nuclear Blast or Metal Blade; but they still manage to make a solid living off of the bands they sign. One such independent death metal record label that thrives is Brutal Truth Records founded by metal guitarist Steve Green; it exclusively represents bands he considers great such as Xibalba, Atrocious Abnormality, Lust of Decay etc.
Additionally, he represents other extreme music acts including Amon Amarth, Dying Fetus and Crown the Empire on his label. Recently on MetalSucks he gave an in-depth breakdown of what touring bands typically make each month and what their expenses entails.
Note that these figures only apply to professional metal bands who perform more than 10 months a year and do not cover non-musical expenses such as hotel rooms, food or airfare – nor taxes which can take an enormous chunk out of any pay packet.
Derek Brewer is well known in the metal scene as the manager of Outerloop Management, handling day-to-day affairs for Dying Fetus, Veil of Maya, Crown the Empire and Volumes among many others. Recently he gave some thought on why Thy Art is Murder likely do not earn such low wages and offered some insight as to why that may not be accurate.