Most concertgoers do not realize how merch really works.

A band does not just show up, carry in boxes, set up a table, and keep every dollar.

There is a whole business side behind it.

Merch sales still involve state and local sales tax.

It is not just cash changing hands.

Somebody is responsible for paying that tax, whether it is the artist or the venue.

Then there is the financial split.

That is where the hot topic comes in.

Venues or promoters taking a percentage of merch sales has become a big conversation with fans online.

But not everything is treated the same.

CDs, DVDs, vinyl, meet and greets, and VIP experiences can be separate from regular merch.

Those may go straight to the band or be handled as a different business piece.

So when fans buy a shirt at a show, there is more going on behind that table than most people think.

Taxes.

Splits.

Venue agreements.

Tour deals.

And a whole lot of business behind the madness.

#HeresTheDealPodcast #MerchSales #BandMerch #ConcertMerch #MusicBusiness #TourLife #ConcertProduction #VenueLife #PromoterLife #LiveMusicBusiness #BackstageStories #ConcertStories #MusicIndustry #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

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Lollapalooza 1992 at Starplex.

Ministry hits the stage, and Max tells Jeff they are going down front.

Right into the pit.

By the time they get close to Al Jourgensen, everything is already coming apart.

People are ripping rows of seat cushions and chairs loose from the cement and passing them over the crowd.

The pit is chaos.

Bodies moving everywhere.

Bones flying from the stage.

Ministry doing what Ministry did in 1992.

Then a kid comes up beside Jeff and asks him if he can knock them around some.

Jeff is 6'4.

This kid is maybe five-foot-nothing.

So Jeff gives him the old shiver with the elbow, and the kid drops.

Then he pops right back up, high-fives him, turns to his buddy and says, “This guy’ll knock you on your ass.”

That is a very specific kind of Lollapalooza memory.

Ministry at Starplex.

Seats getting ripped out.

A pit full of madness.

And one kid who just wanted the full experience.

#HeresTheDealPodcast #Lollapalooza #Lollapalooza92 #Ministry #AlJourgensen #Starplex #MoshPit #IndustrialMetal #ConcertStories #90sConcerts #RockHistory #LiveMusicStories #BackstageStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

Like, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.

Follow & Connect:
Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx
Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownen

Here’s The Deal YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealok

Here’s The Deal Podcast Website
https://heresthedealok.com

Buy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables
https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.com

Get an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card
https://medcardsmadeeasy.net

Concert & Event Production Services
https://bakerboyspro.com

Buy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil
https://bakersremedycbd.com

Touring is expensive before the band ever plays a note.

The conversation starts with the difference between a bandwagon and a tour bus.

A bandwagon is basically an RV setup for bands, usually with a trailer.

Even that can run $3,000 to $5,000 a week.

And that may not include a driver.

Then you move up to a real tour bus, and the cost jumps fast.

Around $750 a day.

Plus driver.

Plus mileage limits.

Plus fuel and insurance.

If the bus company is out of Nashville, you may also be dealing with union drivers, hotel rooms, food, and daily travel requirements.

Then scale that up.

Ten buses.

Sixteen semis.

A crew of 100 people.

Now you are talking massive money just for travel and transportation.

Maybe a quarter million dollars a week.

Maybe more.

Tour life sounds glamorous.

But behind the scenes, it is logistics, money, miles, and a whole lot of moving parts.

#HeresTheDealPodcast #TourBus #Bandwagon #TourLife #MusicBusiness #ConcertProduction #RoadCrew #TouringBand #BackstageStories #LiveMusicStories #ConcertStories #RockAndRollStories #MusicIndustry #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

Like, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.

Follow & Connect:
Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx
Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownen

Here’s The Deal YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealok

Here’s The Deal Podcast Website
https://heresthedealok.com

Buy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables
https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.com

Get an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card
https://medcardsmadeeasy.net

Concert & Event Production Services
https://bakerboyspro.com

Buy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil
https://bakersremedycbd.com