If you look at the top 20 tours of the current decade (2010’s, that is, ranked by total ticket sales, with some artists making the top 20 list with more than one tour), we don’t encounter an artist whose first hit occurred in this century until we get to One Direction, who came in at number 6 with their 2014 “Where We Are” tour. Other than that, though, we don’t see a twenty-something band or performer until we get to Taylor Swift, who came in at number 14 with her (appropriately titled) 1989 tour in 2015.
While touring has become the primary revenue generator for the music business, it’s been clear for some time that much of that engine is powered by so-called legacy artists, such as Paul McCartney (number 7 on the list); Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters (number 2); AC/DC, who make the list twice, at number 3 and number 19, in 2008 and 2015, respectively; and Metallica, who anchor the list at number 20.
And don’t even get started on where the money’s coming from for the triple-digit ticket prices these acts command. In 2015, an Eventbrite-funded Harris poll found that 44 percent of baby boomers (ages 51 to 70) who attend live events said they attend more events now than they did a decade ago. When they have to choose between going to see Boston for 15th time or paying for a full set of dentures, guess which one they’ll be likely to choose.
Paying Tribute
But there’s a kind of alternate universe out there that may provide some support for what is otherwise an unsustainable economic engine in the long run: Tribute bands — often reduced to punch lines in the past — have become huge revenue generators in their own right, commanding fees that can go well into five figures for a show by one of the leading lights of this musical demimonde. And these performances can be as economically legitimate as they are esthetically authentic: tribute-band performances pay royalties on live performances through fees levied by performing rights organizations (PROs) like BMI and ASCAP on venues. In the U.K., tribute bands send a PRO a list of every song they will play, which is used to calculate a licensing fee. On average, about £1 (about $1.30) of every £15 to £20 ticket goes to rights holders, of which about £0.03 gets to the original artists.
The tribute-band phenomenon can be traced back to 1977 when Beatlemania opened first in Boston and then on Broadway. The production’s tag line, “Not the real thing but an incredible simulation,” became ensconced in the culture, right up there with “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” It also created a vast pool of Beatles knock-offs as the show developed various touring versions. Some of those performers continue to do Beatles-tribute performances to this day. It also set the stage for a tribute-band explosion.
More Than A Feeling
Tribute bands serve a variety of other functions besides just entertaining those who cannot see the originals. In some cases, they serve as a kind of minor leagues for the big stars. For instance, in 1995, vocalist Tim Owens went from lead singer of a Judas Priest tribute band to the lead singer of Judas Priest as he replaced its departed frontman. They can also act as sort of goodwill ambassadors for the artists they’re paying tribute to — live performances are just that: the artist has to actually show up and perform, but tribute bands can satisfy the demand to some degree. As the old AT&T commercial used to warble, “It’s the next best thing to being there.”
They also have a purpose beyond simply filling in for deceased or disabled former rock stars. A new generation of tribute bands is already shadowing newer artists. “Only One Direction,” a One Direction tribute group, was performing within months of One Direction’s first album release, based mainly on the buzz the group, backed by Simon Cowell, had been generating on the X Factor television talent show.
An Incredible Simulation
The tribute-band universe has developed its own infrastructure. There are a few agencies that handle these performers on a national basis, often staffed by tribute-band members. And considerable overlap has developed between the worlds of originals and tributes over time, including when it comes to the production side.
Brent Meyer, CEO of Music Zirconia, one of the leading tribute-band agencies (and the most wryly named — zirconia are ersatz diamonds), is a member of StrangeLove, a Depeche Mode tribute band. Meyer says that StrangeLove uses the same sample libraries the original band uses, provided by DM’s 1982-to-1995-era keyboardist Alan Wilder. “We also re-created several key stage sets from popular DM tours and our costumes and even keyboards reflect those eras, as well,” he told me. “Our FOH/tour manager, Scott Fairbrother, used to work directly with Depeche Mode’s Andrew Fletcher on some side-project bands Fletch developed for his own record label, Toast Hawaii.”
Meyer says that StrangeLove has put over 3,000 hours into backing-track production and sound design for their project, something the top tribute bands will do in order to more precisely replicate the originals’ records on stage. In fact, Music Zirconia built a recording studio and a rehearsal space at its San Diego-area office to help its tribute artists hone their live sound to a sharper edge. And the company recently opened a location in Austin to help book what Meyer says has been a steadily increasing number of tribute acts into all sorts of venues, including Native American-owned casinos in rural areas underserved by more traditional entertainment touring, which have become a staple of the circuit. All of which creates even more opportunities for sound, lighting and video professionals, some of whom are veterans of the original touring artists, or at least their contemporaries.
“Most of these acts are regional — they go out and do weekends all year long — and that’s attractive to people who are ready to not be on the road constantly anymore, including FOH engineers,” he explains.
But when it comes to the big question — as many of those big legacy artists get ready to head off into their sunsets, who will replace their ability to generate ticket sales? — Meyer is optimistic. The three biggest tribute trends at the moment are Prince, David Bowie and George Michael, all recently deceased. However, they’ll join tribute bands to artists like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, demand for which rarely flags. In other words, as the core of the era of music’s greatest touring artists begins to flame out into a dark star, there is an army of replicas ready to give music fans a taste of what once was. Not the real thing, but an incredible simulation. And if you close your eyes, it might just be enough.
