The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #102738 Message #2086359
Posted By: Grab
25-Jun-07 - 09:14 AM
Thread Name: young folk tradition undermining folk
Subject: RE: young folk tradition undermining folk
Re the money, it depends on what's a living wage for the people involved.
Sure, £1200 is a lot of money. But let's say for the sake of argument that the group had five people in it - now we're talking £240 per person. Being realistic, they're likely to be averaging 3 gigs a week at best. That equates to £37K a year, out of which they also have to find petrol money, hire someone to run sound and lighting, and provide and maintain their own instruments, PA and lighting rig (or hire them). If they're doing much better than £30K after all that, I'd be surprised. Now that's a decent wage, but it's not exactly exceptional as far as skilled, trained work goes - compare it to what someone with a degree in engineering could get, say, and it's not so hot. It'll pay your pension and let you get a mortgage on a cheapish house outside of the southeast (assuming your partner works too), but it'll damn sure not put you in a mansion with hot and cold running groupies. :-/
Now do the same sums for £400 for 3 people. £130 a gig per person, 3 gigs per week per year, equals £20K a year. Subtract petrol and other expenses, and they won't be on more than £15K. That's OK for young people living in a bedsit or a room in a shared house, but it wouldn't pay anyone's mortgage or leave anything for savings.
Graham.