As record sales keep slumping for bigger acts and concert money becomes more essential to funding artists’ lavish livelihoods, curiosity leads one to ponder how much our favorite acts pull in per show. Can reliable ticket-buyers cover a debut dud? Is a concert check worthy of the sleepless grind? Do bottles of Ace line the dressing room when Jay-Z comes into town? How about home-fried hookers when Uncle Luke makes the rounds? Well, with the exception of the last few, most questions regarding musicians’ incoming funds from shows can be resolved from a neat little website called Pretty Polly.
Found when checking dates for Heartbreak Drake’s upcoming college tour, the website of this full-service booking agency for college campuses casually lists prices and availability for almost any artist you can think of. Drizzy, for instance, will incur $75K-85K per during his upcoming Away From Home Tour. But he’s “hot,” though. An outdated (yet Grammy-award-winning) veteran such as Coolio only commends $20K, which is the same amount relative newcomer Asher Roth brings in and spends on beer afterwords.
There are even certain artists – like Rihanna, Green Day and Taylor Swift – who don’t have a set price, opting instead to flash the expletive listing of “Big $$$” to keep insignificant pocket-pinchers at bay. To a certain extent, these numbers tell a lot more about the popularity contest these artists are submerged in than any amount of radio spins or YouTube play-counter ever could.
If you feel like peeking on your favorite artist’s pocket-game for yourself, head over to Pretty Polly and peep the Artist Availability section. If you’re lazy and want to know now, here’s a map to the paper trail of a few familiar faces.
Akon – $75K
Brother Ali – $7.5K-11K
Flo Rida – $30K-40K
Juelz Santana – $25K – 30K
Keri Hilson – $25K-30K
KiD CuDi – $40K
Ludacris – $65K-80K
Lupe Fiasco – $40K-50K
Mike Posner – $5K-10K
Rick Ross – $30K
RJD2 – $8K
Snoop Dogg – $75K
T-Pain – $65K-75K
The Cool Kids – $10K
The Roots – $50-60K
I might have missed his listing but I heard Ja Rule charges $399.50, but that requires two red do-rags and extra relish packets for each of his meals.
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wow, always wanted to know this. We make anywhere from 40-200$ these days and thats after paying a lot of dues doing free shows. Usually on our level you make what the door makes after the sound guy gets paid (usually 100-150), and then you split with the other acts. Even a lot of “bigger acts” have to do the same.
But our live shows just got a lot better so thatll go up hopefully. Come check this vid of me playing Changes by Pac on piano while rapping at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1k1gLFq-qw
i do dead presidents, doo rags and big poppa too.
oh and Imagery plays the drums while singing and rapping
i would gladly pay keri hilson 30k to speak into the mic
this is how artists should have always made their money along with radio spins. CDs should have been like 4 dollars.
ignite mindz…. really? you owe me 2 mins of my time back.
All American Rejects: 100k. white teenage women–the one that truly decides whether an artist make it or break it, smh.
T-pain seems to be getting bread for his shows. I wonder if this is before or after D.O.A dropped on him.
show money is fasho money. the grind is hectic but it’s the best. some of my best memories were from the road while road managing Pac Div and shooting photos / video with the Cool Kids
LMFAO @ 50′s BadMan
Another great website to check out is Concert Ideas…Its a better search site. A very polished search engine.
http://www.concertideas.com/
I’ve been planning and producing concerts for about 7 years. And to see some of the checks cut for some of the acts….All I can say is “wow”.
Like Chuck D, told me a while back, “The music business is booming, but the record business is not. To make it in the business today, you have to put in your work on your road show. That’s whats going to keep you laced.”
A lot of colleges use these sites (middle agencies) to book their shows, where the middle agent get a 10% kick in. And a lot of artist enjoy doing college tours, more than they do venue dates.
#1) College Show=Jump Off University
#2) Guaranteed-All Inclusive Money *don’t have to measure you cut by ticket purchases
#3) YOU GET PAID ON TIME
These numbers are hella bloated because they are FOR COLLEGES. I used to sit on a board at a university that used to book acts. These colleges just have mad extra dough to spend and THEY ARE NOT WORRIED ABOUT A PROFIT. They don’t even charge the students to get in. They have money to blow. The artist’s management know this so they charge them out the as. As a DJ, and I’m not even well known, I routinely charge Universities almost 4-5 times more than I would charge a club.
Just because they say that’s what they charge I would do like Public Enememy and don’t belive the hype, this seems the same to me as rappers saying there “wrist wrappery” cost $100,000… If I called up Officer Ricky and told him I had $15,000 and some Popeyeyes you best belive his fat ass is taking the check…
Co-sign with 50′s Bad man
Sometimes I just envy deaf when i click on some of these links.
SMH I don’t understand it but Drake and 303 gettin these numbers and wow andy sam”burgh” (Kanye shurg Wayne shade slip and stare). I’mma go listen to Dizzee Rascal and wait for a year for CIV and go to them clubs and listen to niggas blowin off in french and British accents. America is retarded wit the college tours. London son!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I might have missed his listing but I heard Ja Rule charges $399.50, but that requires two red do-rags and extra relish packets for each of his meals.
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Ouch. LOL.
Great stuff Beware. I was wondering the other how much artists are charging nowadays. Pretty crazy this guy Drake is getting that much per show. Won’t hear me knocking the hustle though.
Juelz Santana’s face in that pic PRICELESS!!!
hey hey hey Juelz’s face was priceless lol but for real dog payin for them fools nah Bloc Party hellz yah Dizzee duh Weezy I did so really do local clubs in London is where its at America dont run clubs right
also the lack of rapping american rappers actually do live is minimal they just let prerecorded audio that they listlessly go over then make the fans fill in dudes in the UK and Europe and very few big names like BoB Wayne now no 08 Kanye do it so its like you might as well go to a club in America hahahahahah get local live talent you loosers (not Americans in whole just club owners)
Shocked how “affordable” the Roots are.
wow obviously England is better cause noone is frontin cause dey know it true lol lol SMH at your American pride
i say we all chip in a G and get a Roots show
Is Free Willy mentally retarded?
I agree with Dirk. I’ll drop a G to book the roots.
Rule’s still overpriced
MY $85K TEAM:
DJ Green Lantern – $5K
B.o.B – $10K
J. Cole – $12K
Little Brother – $8K
Keri HIlson – $35K
Clipse – $15K
fuck all u rule haters he prolly get more than all them dudes, hes worldwide
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