I Found Out How Much Money Touring Country Musicians Make + I Am Stunned!

It's easy to assume that side musicians who tour with major country artists are making a great living — but as it turns out, in many cases, that is absolutely wrong.

In a surprising video posted to his YouTube account, Nashville-based musician Nicky V. shares the hard truth behind the fantasy that fans have for what it would be like to work the road with their favorite bands.

In the intro to the clip, Nicky — who has previously earned part of his living on the road with acts including '90s hitmakers Shenandoah, as well as playing recording sessions — says he's spent two years talking to his fellow Nashville musicians, trying to compile a range of numbers that are otherwise not publicly available.

According to the musician, what side musicians earn on a country tour varies extraordinarily in regard to what era of country music those artists had their biggest success.

• Major '90s artists like Shenandoah tend to pay $300-$500 per show day. There are some outliers both above and below that pay, with some paying as much as $1500 per show, though that's rare.
• Some acts will put a sideman on salary, but you have to make yourself available whenever they call. That can allow a player to earn a salary and still work side gigs that don't conflict.
• '90s artists tend to provide nice hotels, meals, etc.

Nicky V. calls the early 2000s a "great decade" in terms of how well those acts pay, since the music industry was still flush with cash at that time.

In addition to musicians on those tours getting "taken care of" in pretty luxurious travel, lodging and more, they can earn significantly better money.

• He estimates musicians on those tours can earn $450-$800 dollars a day on show days — once again, with outliers both over and under that spectrum.
• In that echelon, there are also side players drawing salaries of $65,000-$85,000 per year.

The truly shocking part of the video is when Nicky V. addresses what side players make on the road while playing with more contemporary arena acts that are playing to tens of thousands of fans right now.

Though he acknowledges those gigs "look great on social media" and can ultimately lead to other work, they can pay each player as little as $150-$200 per show day.

That's because streaming has taken away so much of the revenue that used to sustain artists' bottom line when they were not on the road, meaning they have to slice the pie in smaller slices in terms of live revenue.

The musician hastens to add that some of the really big contemporary arena acts pay $500-$600 per show day, but they are outliers.

• Some acts offer a major pay increase for top-notch Nashville studio players who are willing to work the road, but many of those players don't want to, since they can earn a better living playing Nashville sessions and go home to their families at night.
• Others offer half-pay on a travel day when there is no show, while others pay out just one fee even if the gig requires a travel day and a show day — meaning you get one day of pay for two days of work.

Overall, Nicky V. points out that the highest levels of musical skill that land people high-profile gigs is an "elite skill set" that does not come with elite pay, unlike almost every other industry on Earth.

That's a large part of why he decided to come off the road and launch a website called NashvilleTracking.com, which offers A-list Nashville studio talent who will record your demo in pro-level audio and arrangements without you having to come to Nashville to record.

For more details, visit his website.