Shawn Mendes fans were disappointed last summer when the singer announced he was canceling some shows to focus on his mental health for the second time in 18 months. He announced the news via Instagram.
“I’ve been on tour since I was 15 and to be honest it’s always been difficult being on the road away from my friends and family. After a few years without a road I felt ready to dive back in, but that decision was premature and unfortunately the toll of the road and the pressure caught up with me and I reached a breaking point. After speaking with my team and healthcare professionals, I need to take time to heal and take care of myself and my mental health, first and foremost.
Mendes was not alone. Justin Bieber, Santigold, Lindsey Buckingham, Sam Fender, Wet Leg, Lady A, Disclosure and Arlo Parks have also canceled tours, all citing burnout and mental health issues.
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A British band called Yard Act were at Stansted Airport waiting to leave for a European tour when singer James Smith decided he just couldn’t go on. When he voiced his concerns, he discovered that the rest of the group as well as their crew felt the same way. So they went home.
There are more too. What’s going on? A lot, as it turns out.
Live Nation, the world’s largest promoter, predicts that 2023 will be a massive year for live music. After being sidelined by COVID-19 for two years, the artists are hitting rescheduled dates from 2020 and 2021. Meanwhile, new tours are underway as the music industry attempts to return to the normal. The constraints have been so enormous that things seem to be falling apart.
Here are the issues.
Inflation is crazy
It’s the root cause of just about everything. Like everywhere else, inflation is hammering acts on tour. With so many artists on the road, it’s harder to rent gear, so prices have gone up. So many roadies and technicians have left the company that there is a labor shortage. If you can find someone for your visit, they ask for more. Gasoline for the van and trucks is more expensive. Booking a plane ticket is difficult and expensive. Hotels are more expensive. In the UK, crushing energy prices have places asking for government help. Many of them might not survive the winter. It could be worse than COVID.
Animal Collective, a successful mid-level American band with a solid following, has decided to cancel a European tour due to “inflation, currency devaluation, inflated shipping and transportation costs, and even more”.
Some artists who performed makeup appointments did so with budgets in place in 2019. The prices have risen so much in the meantime that when they returned home they found that they had in fact lost money playing a series of sold-out dates. Arooj Aftab, a Grammy-winning artist, has been on a big tour with a large audience still returned home with tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
Then we have the case of Cassandra Jenkins, a singer-songwriter who tried to cut costs by touring with just two other musicians instead of a full band. When his plan reached a promoter, he threatened to cut his fees. At the same time, we have to keep in mind that the developer had its own inflation issues.
COVID is not over
Although we want to pretend that COVID is behind us, it is not. Acts are still getting sick, forcing them to cancel shows.
Because margins are so tight and costs so high, canceling a few shows can tip an entire tour into the red.
Too many shows and the tickets are too expensive
It’s not your imagination. The average price of a concert ticket is higher this year. Promoters and sites impacted by higher costs are passing things on to fans. After the Astroworld disaster last year, insurance coverage increased. People have to decide if they want to spend that kind of money in an environment where the artist might cancel the gig.
Higher ticket prices also mean people can afford to attend fewer shows. Stories about Ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing” model don’t help either. (Here is an example.)
The strong US dollar
The more the US Fed raises its interest rates and the more economic and political uncertainty accumulates, the more the US dollar rises.
Since much of the concert industry operates with US dollars, non-US performers often find themselves facing higher foreign rates. For example, Canadian artists who want to tour America must pay a series of fees before being allowed to cross the border. Every time the loonie goes down, it adds more costs and stress.
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Brexit
This is a typically British problem. Before the UK left the EU, acts could freely travel around the continent without having to deal with customs and visas.
Not anymore.
Between the time spent crossing Europe and the money spent on paperwork, UK deeds are crushed. And the recent pound crash didn’t help either.
The need to keep spinning to survive leads to exhaustion and despair
For many artists, streaming doesn’t pay the bills, so performing live has become the primary source of income. There’s growing pressure on artists to play more and more dates just to pay the bills.
The result? Burnout and breakdown.
Something has to change. Garbage’s Shirley Manson went public with concerns that sounded more like a plea for help for artists everywhere. She points out that if the live music scene collapses, everything collapses. If a band with a Garbage history and profile is in trouble, I can’t imagine what it’s like for artists who haven’t been so successful.
The best news at this point is that we’re heading into the Christmas holidays, a three or four week period when almost everyone goes home to rest.
Will it be enough for artists to get back to it in 2023? Unless inflation is brought under control, the US dollar falls, Brexit is resolved, Putin admits defeat in Ukraine, and everyone starts earning more from streaming, probably not.
To fear. To be very, very afraid.
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Alan Cross is a broadcaster with Q107 and 102.1 the Edge and a commentator for Global News.
Subscribe to Alan’s Ongoing History of New Music Podcast now on Apple Podcast or Google Play
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