How much do artists get paid for festivals?

Have you ever wondered about how much artists get paid for performing at festivals? Some artists will spend months crafting an unforgettable headline set, whereas others will be performing a routine set as part of their tour, so not all is equal. But what are the average earnings of a music festival performer and a festival headliner?

Now, there are some important terms that you might want to know before we dive deep into the whole breakdown of how much do artists get paid for festivals. All artists have their fixed rates that they charge to perform at a festival. In the music industry, it is commonly called a “festival fee.”

The festival fee can be reconsidered and adjusted based on the number of people registering for the event, the location of the event, the artist’s available time slots and much more. After looking over all the factors, the agents then provide the promoters with a “starting price.” If both the parties strike a deal, the agent then proposes the offer to the artist and then it’s up to them to approve/deny the event.

There is no doubt that artists receive the majority portion of ticket sales, but when it comes to bands, the prices of tickets witness a significant change. It is so because, the bigger the band, the more crew members. And a solo artist might have all the profit to his/her self, but with a band, the proceeds need to be split among many people. Hence the fluctuation in prices.

It should be noted that it isn’t just the ticket prices that matter. Agents need to consider many more factors before striking a deal. This majorly includes:

Venue capacity

One of the most important elements that the agents prioritise is looking at the total venue capacity. This in turn would help them know the approximate number of enthusiasts located in that particular country/city. Keeping the ticket price and the number of people it accommodates in mind would further give the agent a rough evaluation of how much revenue they can expect out of ticket sales.

The Festival

Another significant aspect that makes the agents not think twice is the popularity of the festival. The bigger and famous the festival, the more revenue they get to make. Big festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza would any day be given priority over small/ not-so-famous festivals. You will be shocked to know that Coachella incorporates about 125,000 people and the festival’s tickets are ranged from $449 for general admission, tier-one to $1,049 for VIP tier-three.

Sponsors

Sponsors are one of the key elements that agents keep in their minds to check for. It is surprising to note the importance of sponsors for some artists/bands. It is so because the artist/band would not prefer to work with a company/sponsor that they do not typically go along with or have a prior grievance with.

According to various reports, an overview of how much some of the most popular artists make per festival can be determined. Here are some well-known artists, bands and their typical fees.