[ker1227]

After watching the streaming video of the barton recreation, I take back every negative thing i have ever said about DSO. They have definitly stepped it up lately. The Morning Dew was RIGHT ON. Im still waiting for the saterday night to come on! Also, any idea about how much these guys make?

[smokestacklitng]

That was without a doubt a totally sick Morning Dew, they nailed that show imo. DSO totally rocks. They don't make much though, that's for sure

[strumminsix]

I've had some conversations with a few guys over the years since I knew them from the Chicago scene and sadly they don't make rock star money.

Even more sad is their pay is disproportionate to their talent and commitment.

[Rev_Roach]

is the video still available anywhere?

hopefully this cornell show will hope boost their ticket sales in the future, but i cant see them selling any significant merch or records. thats just a fact of playing someone else's songs.

[Crowhead]

They don't make much money. We need to help them keep the bills payed so they can keep on keeping on.
Go to their web site and get some stuff.
I highly recommend the DVD "Live at the Fillmore". They cover May 5th, 1977. They do a fantastic Scarlet-Fire on it.
The t-shirts don't suck either.

[hobbsy]

I agree DSO are totally money.....However, i haven't seen them in five years and I'm surprised they're not making much. When I started going to DSO, I was paying $10-$15 no kidding. Now it's $30-$40 plus parking sometimes. That's generally about as much as any other jam band is charging so I'm surprised they aren't making much. They have to be doing way better than when they started and they practically tour non-stop. Plus merch. sales gotta be up too. So I'm not really buying the fact that they're poor. And let's not forget they are a cover band, a super f-ing sweet cover band, but a cover band nonetheless. Sorry for hating a little, I guess it just stings that I gotta pay so much to see them anymore...

[strumminsix]

Let's play it high that cover is $20 a person...

Average medium capacity is around 500 tickets.

That's $1000 for the show.

That's $200 a person for a single drummer no Donna show.

Add with "Donna" and 2nd drummer and that's like $140 a night.

But we haven't included the "overhead": sound guy, stage hands, bus (rental, gas, insurance), lodging, food, a tech guy, etc...

Let's assume that merchandise and additional cash from the venue covers the "overhead" that still doesn't put a lot into their pockets especially when you consider that they cannot have other jobs and need to have a "home" when they take time off and also that they do not do this 7 days a week.

Cover band you say, sure. But more than that they are entertainers.

[jck_strw]

Let's play it high that cover is $20 a person...

Average medium capacity is around 500 tickets.

That's $1000 for the show.

$20 x 500 people equals $10,000, not $1000.

[BlobWeird]

yeah man definitely 10,000 not 1,000. And im sure they make enough to get by. I mean they have a deep passion for dead but if they werent makin it they wouldnt struggle like that. Like they are on a constant tour just about so why would they go through that? I wouldnt. If they werent makin it they would just go smaller and start playin more cafe's and bars. So sure they arent makin bank but they make enough to get by and then some.

[hobbsy]

Let's play it high that cover is $20 a person...

Average medium capacity is around 500 tickets.

That's $1000 for the show.

That's $200 a person for a single drummer no Donna show.

Add with "Donna" and 2nd drummer and that's like $140 a night.

But we haven't included the "overhead": sound guy, stage hands, bus (rental, gas, insurance), lodging, food, a tech guy, etc...

Let's assume that merchandise and additional cash from the venue covers the "overhead" that still doesn't put a lot into their pockets especially when you consider that they cannot have other jobs and need to have a "home" when they take time off and also that they do not do this 7 days a week.

Cover band you say, sure. But more than that they are entertainers.

Wonderful entertainers certainly. But $20 is playing it low. I haven't seen them under $25 for five years. But maybe that has something to do with Phoenix and they play cheaper elsewhere. And I bet they don't get paid as straighforward as that. Do you think they get a flat rate? A percentage of the sales? Perhaps A percentage of the liquor sales too?

[strumminsix]

Let's play it high that cover is $20 a person...

Average medium capacity is around 500 tickets.

That's $1000 for the show.

$20 x 500 people equals $10,000, not $1000.

D'oh! Sorry.

Now I feel like an ass and a half.

Gotta go cry. BRB.

Funny I was thinking of this thread on my ride home today and two things came to mind. #1 my math was wrong and #2 I wondered how many venues they play at that sell 500 tix.

[ker1227]

Who thinks the band members(maybe minus "donna") make 100K+. When you think about how much they tour, i cant really imagine them making less than that a year. I could even beleive 500K. And to me thats rockstar money. My dad is a pretty well known tap dancer and says that the top dancers can bring in 30K+ a show and thats not even broadway. My point being that if the tap dancers make that much, dso has to be doing fine. Plus who knows how many priceless benifits (playing with bobby and other famous musicians). Plus I cant even imagine dropping that first D chord on Morning dew and going into the intro with thier sound system. And not to mention that john got to play jerrys tiger. I could go on. And for the record, i dont know how the do this if it is rented or not, but their tour bus is much nice than ratdogs

[tigerstrat]

Let's play it high that cover is $20 a person...

Average medium capacity is around 500 tickets.

That's $1000 for the show.

$20 x 500 people equals $10,000, not $1000.

D'oh! Sorry.

Now I feel like an ass and a half.

Gotta go cry. BRB.

Funny I was thinking of this thread on my ride home today and two things came to mind. #1 my math was wrong and #2 I wondered how many venues they play at that sell 500 tix.

They don't simply split their share per bandmember like many bands might who are comprised of just the bandmembers traveling together in a van; DSO are a pretty large organization with lots of overhead: an entourage of crew and organizational members like roadies, sound, merchandise & management people etc., lots and lots of gear in huge road cases and a truck to move it, plus a huge deluxe touring bus/RV which doesn't lease or fuel on the cheap, and all the other expenses of the road. So yeah, they don't make rockstar money per member; they play a LOT of gigs and travel very far in order to make what probably amounts to a pretty modest living. I have yet to see John for example playing an $8000 custom-luthiered Irwin replica. In fact, his whole rig is fairly modest compared to many I've seen posted either here or at Gearheads/gratefuljams. No vintage blackface Fenders or McIntosh MC2300's. His preamp is still the same red-knob 80's Fender that he had when he and I were bandmates in local Chicago bands in the early 90's.

But modest as it may be (and they probably still make more than I do), at least they are making a living playing Grateful Dead music! Never quite paid the bills for me and 99.99% of the rest of us.

[shakedown_04092]

I've had some conversations with a few guys over the years since I knew them from the Chicago scene and sadly they don't make rock star money.

Even more sad is their pay is disproportionate to their talent and commitment.

HEY Nick!!! You're BOBBY! Hooooooraaaaaaaay! Sweet avatar! I can't wait 'til I get to 900!

[pfarrell615]

no offence to dso , but going around the country playing dead tunes aint a bad way to make a living, also original bands make rock star money, how much do Elvis impersonators make?