Sydney band Foley opens up on just how much it costs to put on a show

Everyone loves a concert, right? Whether you’re seeing your favourite artist for the first (or fifth) time, or you’re standing in awe watching your new, undiscovered obsession, concerts are a truly magical, communal experience — no matter how expensive those tickets are.

But, regardless of how much you’re paying for a ticket, the artist is forking out so, so much more to put that show on in the first place, and Auckland-bred, Sydney-based pop duo Foley stopped by MUSICbible to let us know just how much putting a show on can cost.

Using a 3000-person capacity venue as an example, Foley’s Gabe said, with venue hire and production costs, we’re looking at a cost of up to $100,000 just to put the show on at all. Therefore, for the artist to break even, those tickets would have to be around $33 just to break even, and they’d have to sell it out. But that also doesn’t factor in where that money actually goes to, and all the people whose livelihoods depend on it.

That being said, Gabe makes an important distinction: “Every artist of every size will be putting as much as they can into a stage production, artistry and vibe of the show.”

“Every artist that I know,” Gabe said on the latest episode of MUSICbible, “would also willingly lose money to do a good show to a good audience. So it’s like, sure, tickets are $40 now when they used to be $30, but the cost of actually putting on that show has risen way more.”

According to Ash, the other half of Foley, this is what makes it crucial for concertgoers to buy tickets as soon as possible as opposed to waiting until the last minute.

“Because people buy so late, you’re taking a lot of risk putting on a show. A lot of promoters or artists can't actually take that risk because they worry about not being able to pay the venue, or the session musicians, or the opening act. If they don’t sell tickets at the start, they might have to cancel the show.”

On top of this all-important breakdown, Foley opened up about their new single ‘Honey’, the difference between Australian and New Zealand crowds and which country truly gets to claim Crowded House as their own.

Stream the full episode below.

Stay tuned for more episodes of MUSICBible over the coming weeks, with guests like Mansionair, Anna Lunoe and more.