How Much Does it Cost to Book a Concert?

You've heard a lot of talk lately about concerts at Metra Park.  It seems like the lack of big name acts coming to Billings is the only thing the Gazette writes about anymore.  For a long time, the Flakes have talked about how expensive and risky it can be to book major artists.  Now there's a new article that demonstrates just how pricey it can be to bring your favorite band to town.

The website priceonomics.com just published a list of the fees charged by many major acts from all genres of music.  According to the article "How Much Does it Cost to Book Your Favorite Band?", these figures were obtained from a major booking agency and represent asking prices from third party companies when they enter into negotiations with a promoter or venue.  It's important to note, these rates are negotiable and often tend to be a lot lower.

With that in mind, booking concerts ain't cheap.  For example, the article says that Big and Rich, who are co-headlining the Headwaters Country Jam next month, ask $100k per show.  Want to bring Blake Shelton to town?  He'll ask for $250k.  Carrie Underwood and Rascall Flatts want $400k to perform.  And Tim McGraw, who's coming to Metra Park in July, wants $500k for a gig.

Keep in mind, the promoter is on the hook for those fees regardless of how many tickets they sell.  If people don't buy tickets, the artist still gets paid.  Plus, those prices don't include the cost of renting a venue, hiring a road crew to set up the event, and promoting the concert.  Now we know why Metra Park has been hesitant to gamble tax payer dollars on booking big shows.  Because they should be.

Here's where you come in.  According to the article, it would cost Mark between $150 and $200k to hire Sheryl Crow to play his birthday party.  Sadly, that's just too rich for Mark's blood.  So if we can get 150 listeners to pitch in $1,000 a piece, Mark would be a happy man.  Send your checks to:

Mark Wilson's Sheryl Crow Fund
c/o Cat Country 102.9
27 N. 27th Street, Suite 23
Billings, MT 59101