Even on a shoestring budget, bands can't afford not to sell out every show

Most touring costs are upfront, but what an artist takes home depends almost entirely on the number of tickets they sell each night.

The band makes money off of tickets, but doesn't take home the full ticket price; the venue usually takes a 20% (or higher!) hall fee to host the show, and may even take a portion of merch sales. Income increases for each ticket sold, but so do expenses.
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