Zach Bellas Featured in Business Insider
How musicians really make their money — and it has nothing to do with how many times people listen to their songs
Oct 19, 2018, 2:59 PM
Read the full article here: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-do-musicians-make-money-2018-10
‘…In reality, it's more complicated than that, and an artist's financial success often comes from revenue streams outside of streaming or downloads.
"Where number of listens comes in handy is in the algorithms and in social proof," Zach Bellas, a professional musician and founder of SMB records, told Business Insider. "If an artist's song gets some attention in its beginning, the algorithms will suggest it to others, and as the view and play counts rise, it will gain more authority and social proof in people's minds, creating a cycle that pushes the song further into the top searches and suggested tracks."
But, as Bellas noted, "artists have always made the bulk of their money from live performances and touring." And for big names in the industry, the numbers back this assertion up.
Consider, for example, U2, which made $54.4 million and was the highest-paid musical act of the year in 2017, according to Billboard's annual Money Makers report. Of their total earnings, about 95%, or $52 million, came from touring, while less than 4% came from streaming and album sales. Garth Brooks (who came in second on the list), owed about 89% of his earnings to touring, while Metallica (ranked third) raked in 71% of their earnings in the same way.