indie bands, the price of gas and touring
LoveLikeFire
I’ve read a few articles lately about how the price of gas is crimping many bands’ touring activities. I’m not surprised given that for a band to get from Portland to San Francisco and back, a round trip of 1,266 miles, a decent van loaded with equipment and band members might get 12 miles a gallon. That’s 105.5 gallons of gas. At today’s prices in Portland that would be $4.35 per gallon = $459.00. If your guarantee is any less than $800 then it doesn’t make sense unless you can throw together a tightly focused tour within the region and ensure you get good guarantees. As we know that’s next to impossible.
One solution - go back to the days when musicians would band together and travel by bus. Share equipment, play short sets each, have fun. Not being able to tour hurts everyone.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 am
Dave–I think this whole gas thing could bring a resurgence of regionalism like we had in the 70s and 80s…the “Chicago sound” and the “California sound” sort of thing could return in a big way if bands are forced by the economics of touring to start playing closer to home more often. Chicago is perfectly suited for this as we have Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan so close by, but I feel for groups stuck all the way down in Austin or deepest Florida, the Dakotas, etc…who don’t have access to the potential live audiences outside their home state due to vast stretches of highway. Hell, even playing in OKC from Dallas would be punishing from a gas standpoint.
And yeah– I love the notion of getting three bands together in a bus, Road Warrior style and hitting the trail. Funny–we all laughed at that movie (The Road Warrior) at the drive-in when I was growing up, but now it seems that the gas is the deciding factor in all this after all. What we need now is bands who also have a sideline in alternative fuels technology. Souped up solar-powered tour van = Magical Mystery Tour.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:16 am
[...] entry at Pampelmoose.com on the high price of gas affecting indie bands is also quite relevant to anyone planning a book tour or a bit of travel writing. The energy [...]