Sabaton 's lead singer , Joakim Brodén , explained to Andrew Haug Radio how many bands are selling out shows but still losing money because of the pandemic.
Numerous tours were postponed rather than canceled, as this would have required issuing refunds and reselling tickets for new dates. This period also brought inflation, which meant that the original ticket prices no longer covered the current total costs for the bands.
“Many bands have tours with tickets sold out long ago that have been postponed. These tickets are sold with a special calculation in mind, which is our costs, and that's what we need to be able to put on shows. So, that's also the reason why many bands, even if they sell out a show, lose money because of the increased costs.”
“It’s a struggle for many bands. Fortunately, we’re not at risk of going bankrupt, so for us it’s more of a situation – thankfully – where we’re not really making much money, but we’re also not, on the other hand, on the verge of extinction,” commented Joakim Brodén (transcription via Metal Injection ).
Many bands, however, have not been as lucky as Sabaton. Due to the financial losses incurred, there are limitations on international performances, for example. In more extreme cases, such as the metal band Irist , crowdfunding campaigns are launched to recoup the money lost on tour.
In an interview with Chaoszine , Negal , vocalist of Behemoth , not only agreed with the current touring landscape but also advised people not to form new bands: “The world is overloaded with bands, records and albums. There’s really no room for anything. There are only seven days a week. There are too many tours out there. There are too many shows. People don’t have, and will have less and less money. So all the tours are suffering. Do you really want to put another song on another album that nobody’s going to pay attention to? No, you don’t want to do that” (transcription via Blabbermouth ).
Check out the full interview with Brodén below:
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