Breaking Down the Dead and Co at The Sphere | How Much Money Does It Earn?

[@Michael-Girdley]

Enjoy watching these business breakdowns? Check out the (other) best business I've ever seen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2S8lmemiManZrs

[@lombardosconcessions5930]

lotta incorrect info there bud. First of Billy isnt there anymore and tickets can be had for about 100 bucks

[@Michael-Girdley]

Good catch on Bill. I'm stoked that the prices have come down since we made the video.

[@garryr486]

@@Michael-Girdley, I would argue the talent issues also. Oteil is arguably the best bass player on the planet. He would be missed. Mayer is a great guitarist, but there;s dozens that are as good or better. Jeff is world class as well.

[@bsmitty3976]

Ticket prices are coming down on resales, but not the face value

[@nowiknowuryder]

What a. Idiot

[@ahuramazda32]

@@bsmitty3976ticketbastard prices

[@trappedindc8678]

Bill Kruetzman hasn’t been with the band since 2022

[@tjpullum2967]

Wrong dude

[@GroovinWithAPict]

He left the band before the 23 tour and is not making ANY money off this residency.

Came here to say just that!

[@ericbenjamin487]

"Was and Forever Will be one of the Grateful Dead"

[@markntexas8265]

​@@GroovinWithAPictI thought he had some health problems glad to see otherwise

[@ericbenjamin487]

what is the point of answering a phone call in the middle of a podcast? Put it on pause.

[@arthurmulhern]

I've followed you on Twitter for a while. I knew you liked bikes. I had no idea you like the dead too, right on man. I know that the Dead benefits ticket price-wise from LOTS of their fans being well of age to have seen Jerry live. let's be honest you aren't exactly young if you saw the dead even in the 90s and the boomers have lots of money. Its also worth pointing out that the Grateful Dead played 2,300 shows before this. (Not counting side projects since 1995) They weren't paid anything like that for them. They had managers who stole, venues that stiffed them, and every other problem musicians frequently have. They were pretty broke for much longer than you'd of been comfortable with. The Grateful Dead also had a fairly high mortality rate. Three of their keyboard players didn't live to see 40. So while it might be getting paid more than NBA guys now they built it for over 50 years first and lived to keep doing it.

[@christophermiller9125]

Right on. Still a lot of cash Which pisses me off that bob took the soundboards off the internet all those years ago

[@billbeliakoff5589]

Only Pigpen and Mydland died while still in the band.

[@reverendbarker650]

Band made a LOT of loot in the 90s, they out grossed Madonna one year. hell Keith and Donna had BMW's in the 70s and they had enough moolah to total them in an argument, the days where they were broke were pretty much over once they hit the late 80s.

[@SullyTheRetiredTankerYanker]

Well, when you consider that when The Dead played their first ever show in 1965, at Magoo's Pizza, they each got $5 and a slice and a coke. You've come a long way, baby...

[@Michael-Girdley]

I wish I got paid in pizza.

[@mykel8906]

🍕🍕🍕

[@katies3201]

I would notice if Oteil and Jeff were not there. And Bill hasn’t been there for a minute.

[@zendesign3704]

I know… how can he shit on Oteil and Jeff. This guy is willfully ignorant

[@cudaridgewines]

Enjoyed your KZbin on Rock Star revenues, insane. I guess it's time for them to cash in. A follow up would be great on how much the Producers, Live Nation/Ticket Master (monopolies) are making.

[@Michael-Girdley]

Thanks!

[@MrYatesj1]

Funny I got my tickets for under $200

[@Michael-Girdley]

Great that the tickets came down since the video was made!

[@artp33]

You got robbed

[@Snappedpea]

I’m super happy as a long time Deadhead. I have toured both Dead with Jerry and Dead and company. LOVE both. No complaints here. I’m not rich either. Maxine from Ontario, Canada ✌️

[@lombardosconcessions5930]

you're also basing your number on resale prices. The band doesn't profit on resale. Only initial sale. Those prices are listed on the cover of Dead and Company's webpage. Most expensive ticket is 400 bucks

[@EyesWideOpen77]

No he didn't. He was basing it on the face value of the tickets.

[@kimgrantsaris1944]

100%. Presale tickets I paid $195. Tickets right now on sale for $185. Those higher priced tickets are authorized presale by Ticketmaster.

[@jaym.5036]

In his spreadsheet, he used an average price of 250

[@janeburns7673]

Bob especially is one of the hardest working people in the world of rock. He was grinding out and killing it for Ratdog for as few as 900 people. Miss me with any talk about how they should not get paid. Lazy take.

[@Michael-Girdley]

Oh I think they should get paid. Decades of work to get to where they are today. Inspiring grind!

[@LMSlondon]

Well, there’s a lot Michael is verifiably wrong about - so I’m not sure anyone should buy this analysis. He clearly doesn’t understand what the Sphere is -- or the cost of content creation and production staffing that is required to operate it as the 22nd century venue/experience. The Sphere can not be described. Its an original a phenomena as early cinema -- I'm sure people at in the early 20th century had difficulty describing that too. He counts Kreutzman in the band who has been gone for over a year -- and J-Lo cancelled her tour due to poor tickets sales. People don’t smoke pot anymore. They do edibles and other drugs. Not much smoking in site. No hotdogs at the Sphere....great pizza though. I don't know of any artists getting food/drink concessions at venues. In my experience-- the bar is sacred -- only the venue operator gets that income. He mislabels what are considered good seats at the Sphere. You want to sit in the 300's and 200's -- you want to see the ''sky'' above. Ticket prices dropped a lot from the initial on-sale date. He has radically underestimated the expenses the band have lawyers, accountants, managers, agents, personal assistants, rehearsals, engineers, sound designers, lighting directors....and over 6 hours of original content created for this venue that the band cant use in other venues. His diss of Jeff and Oteil prove he’s got no musical ear. Both have added so much the sounds and direction of this band. Finally he’s an adult Taylor Swift fan - so it's likely he's a total dipshit. Or he just had bad taste. I think he’s misinformed or make poor assumptions about the deal. However considering it is crucial that MSG/Sphere get people talking about 'the Sphere experience' in its first months, and considering there are only a few artists that could fill this venue as a residency-- it is possible they cut this kind of deal. But I doubt it. Dead & Co. at the Sphere -- no matter what the deal was -- was one of the single greatest live events we've ever attended. The perfect marriage of art, myth and technology. GO EXPERIENCE IT.

[@Michael-Girdley]

I’m excited to go visit. Have you broken down your understanding of the economics in a video? Would love to see what all I got wrong.

[@trevinbski]

Guesstamations don't make for very accurate accounting...

[@FloridaDave_]

People don’t smoke pot anymore. They do edibles and other drugs. Not much smoking in site. " I was there; everyone was smoking pot, and security didn't do anything about it unless someone was smoking right in front of them, and they just told them to put it out.

[@MattKingTrainguy]

I scored three ttickets July 4,5, and 6th $100 ea... Greatest shows I've ever been to. and. I was old enough to have seen the dead in 92 and 93.. Its been a long strange trip.💀⚡🌹

[@NicholasSadlier]

I work in the live ents business and I haven't ever come across a situation where the artist or band takes all the ticket revenue - band, management, promoter and venue all get a cut in my experience. Artists can sometimes take a cut of the venue's own bar takings but I've never known a promoter who does not get a very big cut of the ticket price (also they have to book and pay for the venue hire and all destination / venue-based marketing.)

[@jmason61]

This is a good video, breaking down the business side of the music industry is fascinating to me & a LOT of others. I'm surprised that some of the later dates tickets are pretty cheap!

[@davemaiorino9017]

Missing a huge expense, the cost of renting the actual venue each night. The cost to rent basketball/hockey arenas in primary cities can cost over a million for just one night. So considering this is a one of a kind venue in Las Vegas I wouldn't be surprised it costs much more than one million per show.

[@Michael-Girdley]

Yeah, my research was that lots of times these venues like this one are tied into the ticketing companies, meaning the venue is often a loss leader. Even so, if they paid for the stadium, they're doing super well.

[@travlintexas3118]

I believe that Dead and Company is actually owned by John Mayer and his manager, Irving Azoff. The rest of the band is on a salary, Most likely a very good one, but the top money is going to John Mayer and Irving Azoff. This arrangement is the reason Phil Lesh backed out, and also made it possible to send Billy on his merry way.

[@buckdown2464]

no shit? id like to find out more about this

[@phildimotsis]

source?

[@perryolsen1370]

Stop making stuff up.

[@damnright4]

I paid $12.50 for my first Grateful Dead Concert at the Boston Music Hall in 1978..And all thru the 80s tickets were cheap or reasonable...Seems to be a big money grab now.

[@jonathanthomas5691]

that's $60 in today's purchasing power. Before last tour, you could get a lawn ticket to many shows for $60. Not trying to start an argument but just providing some facts. Obviously the Sphere is much higher but this is a new state of the art facility.

[@BAM5636]

Eh, most nights right now on Ticketmaster half sold and going for $170.

[@Michael-Girdley]

Glad to see Ticketmaster getting their due!

[@BAM5636]

​@Michael-Girdley Does that really matter to TM though? Undersold kind of hurts everyone involved, band as well doesn't it? TM is probably the least bothered by that in the end. They have a million other shows to promote and sell tickets for.

[@girdleymichael]

When i researched this, platinum tickets mean tm bight the tickets themselves and marked them up, like a scalper. so if they don’t sell them, they take a loss.

[@BAM5636]

​@@girdleymichaelSure I can see what you mean there and yeah, screw them for that. That said, how many of those tickets exist I wonder and if it really matters to them. I am not a hater at all but Dead and Co looks to have been overbooked for this by a lot at the moment. Which is kind of bad mostly for the Sphere itself really.

[@OspreyVision]

Watching 👀 any Dead show in the sphere on psychedelics is priceless 💯 Think about all the shows us Heads went to with the old school light show. This is another level. If we had the Sphere back in the 80s & 90s when everyone had access to Owsley the experience would've been legendary!

[@artp33]

Man no joke…a sound system that incorporates 167,000 speakers…and a 160,000 sf 16K resolution LED screen…😂😂😂 Just pop ‘The Grateful Dead Movie’ in and let it play….i would pay $500 to experience that before I dropped $50 on a Dead & Co. show…

[@GusMozart1]

No one had access to acid made by Owsley in the 80's and 90's, because he stopped mixing up his medicine in the early 70's.

[@reverendbarker650]

I find the frequently out of synch visuals very annoying , the size just takes away from focusing on the bands music, still with d&c perhaps that's sometimes a good thing.

[@daveyboy8907]

Billy got out and didnt want to sell out like Bobby..Phil was the smart one that called it quits after tbe fare the well tour like they all were suppose to. Fare thee well unless the money talks i guess.

[@Michael-Girdley]

The bands dynamics are so fascinating. Goes to show how money talks!

[@chastityelizabeth]

We paid about $1000 for 3 tickets per show. We are watching 2 shows. One show we are up close in the middle and one show we are half way up in the middle. We wanted two different experiences so thats why we have different seat areas.

[@justing42]

That’s insane

[@jayhawkjb]

Billy hasn’t been in the band in a minute. Quite a fan you are 😂. You’re missing the venue’s cut too. The Sphere is not hosting these pro bono

[@Michael-Girdley]

Yeah good catch on Bill. Worth digging into the economics of these big headline shows. They have so much power.

[@billbeliakoff5589]

My guess is that the venue is getting all the money from merchandise and concessions. At most likely $30.00 a T-shirt and $7.00 for a soft drink that's a nice sum.

[@artp33]

In his defense he said he was a fan of the Grateful Dead…not the Dead & Co. but Taylor Swift…wtf…must have been crushed when realizing a Taylor Swift ‘Workingmans Dead’ was an April Fools joke 😂

[@robertneighbors6116]

Keep in mind Taylor Swift earns 10,000,000 per 3.5 hour show. When she tours like she`s doing right now: how many shows in X number of cities are played? 4, - 5, - 6, -10. That means she can work 10 days a month with 20 days off each month and still pull down 100,000,000 a month. She`s also working on covering GD, starting with learning all the songs on Working Mans Dead. She`s smart enough to know to dig into the treasure trove that is the Grateful Dead`s songbook. The Dead themselves are fine with it. Her young fans, the Swifties will learn GD songs and the music, so it will be a large win for all concerned. She`s actually going to release her own version of WMD. It will be interesting to find out how that sells when it comes out.

[@douglasennis7291]

Mayer owns 50% of Dead and Company the other 50% is split 3 ways Weir, Hart, Kreutsman... Jeff and Oteil are employees. ijs

[@Michael-Girdley]

Interesting. Where was that reported?

[@adamdambrov2308]

I believe the band is in on the platinum pricing. There is profit sharing with TM. What stinks is that the best seats are no longer released to the public and the release of every single ticket is based on an algorithm that calculates a "market price." That is why only the worst seats are available when tickets go "on sale." Dump the junk and charge "premium" for the best seats. Make it appear that tickets are sold out and that these are reseller tickets and you have a brilliant marketing scheme combined with price gouging at its finest. Make no mistake, this is a monopoly at work and the bands are complicit.

[@tbrownell102]

We went to 5 shows and had great seats each night. The most we paid was $350.00.

[@oldskoolpautz]

Exactly what I said... A $$ GRAB!! and U forgot THIS is a Corporate Vegas Scham!! 🤠

[@earlbrackett6508]

this legalized scalping by Ticketmaster & Live Nation, and whoever else gets their foot in the door before the fans, must stop ! How can Dead & Co look their audience in the face after agreeing to 1. overcharge them 2. let a corrupt organization bone them without providing ANYTHING of value. These concerts should be boycotted, it's been going on far too long and concerts these days absolutely suck. If Jerry was resurrected then tix might be a bargain at $100. It's shocking to find out that they're making face value +. No artist is worth $1M a freaking night to play. When promoters are running band reunions then you know the show is about $$, and not music.

[@andrewlee7952]

If they don't have Jeff and oteil it wouldn't be the same. People would be bummed not having them on vocals. Hopefully Jay lane comes and let's bill have a break!!!

[@Michael-Girdley]

Definitely different.

[@justing42]

Jeff’s voice is terrible

[@kensaft1523]

@@justing42 awww be nice

[@andrewlee7952]

@@justing42 maybe but they have fun up there and that's what's cool about it.

[@EyesWideOpen77]

You forgot to factor in the GA tickets which are in addition to the 17,600 reserved seats. Apparently there are another 3000+ GA admissions.

[@cryptovision6547]

Lost me at "touch grey came out way after Jerry was gone" just clueless.

[@Michael-Girdley]

Did I say that about Touch of Grey? First, I love that song. Second, Jerry was clearly around for that song. So dunno!

[@woodystemms3799]

There's another expense that hasn't been factored into the equation: "performance rights". The vast majority of the Dead's most famous and popular songs were not written by the current performers. The estates of Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia must be compensated when their works are featured in large venues and/or by major performers. How many tunes at "The Sphere" shows were staples of Dead sets, but written by others? Any songs by Bob Dylan? Chuck Berry? Merle Haggard? Jimmy Reed? If so, be assured that proper payments were made.

[@zachleary108]

That’s not true. Only needs to be accounted for if released as recorded music. Anyone can play any song live at any venue without paying the song writer. Live music does not follow the same rules as recorded music

[@woodystemms3799]

@@zachleary108 If it's in public, there's the small matter of an ASCAP or BMI license. Either the venue pays, or the performer pays. Ask any bar owner with a jukebox or a stage.

[@zachleary108]

@@woodystemms3799 Wrong again. Dude, I worked in music publishing for years. Sorry but you don't know the difference between mechanical and PRO licenses. Large venues get blanket PRO licenses. from all the major organizations like ASCAP, etc. They are nearly free and rarely enforced for live music. It's kinda a formality in a way. Legal requirement yes, but it's never ever enforced for live music. Hence you can walk to any bar and see a cover band and no bar owner is paying anything. Or take JRAD, they don't play the GD any money for being a GD cover band, nor do the venues they play. Same went for the GD, for instance the only money they or any venue they ever played that went out to say Bob Dylan has been from mechanical licenses via record sales. They have never paid a dime to him for any song played live (and that is a fact.) Live music is just not a money generator for royalty pay outs for the song writers. TV is different for sure, I just mean actual live concerts.

[@woodystemms3799]

@@zachleary108 Thanks for clearing that up.

[@Zappah]

Imagine thinking anyone can just replace Oteil and Jeff

[@vapor9699]

Imagine Pigpen being replaced, imagine Keith Godchaux being replaced, and imagine Brent Mydland being replaced. Imagine all the people. They are great, but they are replacements.

[@ohhansel]

Imagine Phil Lesh , arguably the best bass player of all time, being replaced. Imagine people paying close to $1,000 to see the grateful Dead without Jerry Garcia. It's more about the experience than the music nowadays.

[@vapor9699]

@@ohhansel all for people getting to see a fraction of what I did in the past, but their was a past that was far superior.

[@chrisshortall5267]

You conveniently forgot Jerry​@@vapor9699

[@chrisshortall5267]

I think Phil could easily replace Otiel

[@chood6618]

Sorry dude but the band does not dictate ticket pricing nor do they get 100% of face value of a ticket and Ticketmaster is a complete rip-off. Bill kreitzman is probably not getting anything from these shows since he has not played with them since 2022.

[@LincolnCleak]

Interesting breakdown. I think you may be underestimating the cost of putting a show together for the Sphere particularly the visuals package. Sphere Studios must charge a bomb for creating that plus there's just a lazy $2.5b to recoup on the construction of the Sphere. No doubt Dead & Co are making a fortune but no one is leaving a show disappointed. I originally was going for 1 night but went to 3. Paid a huge amount for tickets but totally worth it IMHO.

[@artp33]

I miss Jerry

[@robertgroff2105]

When U2 played there it was reported they made 4 million a show, Also the Sphere charges what ever their they charge, so your estimate is way off...

[@EricWmUpdate]

I'd play for like a million.

[@JazAcrossTheWorld]

The venue is simply called Sphere, not The Sphere. Also the top levels are not sucky seats. They’re one of the best seats in the house !

[@mgmargate]

You have no idea what this venue is. Do a little basic research or better yet visit the venue.The best seats in the house are up top sections 403-407.The lower bowl seats you have to crane your neck to appreciate the spectacular graphics.

[@BillKinsman]

Last chance to see anything even close to the real Grateful Dead, but it is not even close. Nostalgic

[@Michael-Girdley]

Indeed. All we have now are the recordings of those days.

[@RichardVarner-dj4xy]

I just got 2 tickets for $365 level 406 so it isn't that bad. Yes they go much higher.

[@templetonrules1]

I was in 406 for Phish and felt like I was in the best seat in the house. You'll love it up there. The only venue where farther away is better.

[@Michael-Girdley]

It’s great the prices have come down since we did the video!

[@mcformica]

I was in 405 last night. 400 center is definitely the place to be. What a truly memorable experience.

[@perryolsen1370]

The regular tickets if you're not down low, which you don't need to be cause I imagine you'd have to look straight up to see a lot of the visuals, are 180 and that includes fees. And that's not resale and it's not ones that weren't sold right before the show. I got mine way in advance. Those are the cheapest ones but the seats were fine.

[@matthewfrechin1484]

There’s 18,000 seats and 20,000 general admission standing room in front of the stage. So your numbers are off. A total of 38,000 people can fill the sphere.

[@artp33]

$700 to see a mediocre Grateful Dead cover band…I find that hard to believe…

[@DeadbaseXI]

Nice work... 2 things. 1 - Kreutzmann's not on the bill this tour (replaced by Jay Lane, of Primus and RatDog). Also Jeff and Oteil definitely do need to be on the tour - Jeff has played with every post-Dead incarnation these past 30 years, and Oteil's been in D&C for a decade. Finally, if tradition stands, all of them get paid the same (at least in the GD that was the case)

[@Michael-Girdley]

Yup good catch on Bill.

[@photoslum]

According to Fare Thee Well- they do not get paid the same. Contractually, they may not even all be in the band. For example, again, according to the book, a lot of friction happened during further and other incarnations when Bill and Mickey were to be paid less as musicians and not band members. Apparently, Phil and Jill had something to do with that.

[@IronPig_75]

There was a lot of talk about the shares last year when Billy bailed out. Because he’s still a full member, I think he’s due money anytime they play as Dead and Company. There was also a lot of conversation about Jay, Oteil and Jeff who are not official band members. So they probably don’t get full shares. It’s pretty interesting and I don’t have the answers, but it came up around the time of the announcement that Billy wasn’t joining the final tour.

[@nowiknowuryder]

Love the inaccuracies in post & comments

[@artp33]

@@photoslumI believe this is factual…IMO all acts post Jerry…Phil should have gotten 40% and the rest sprinkled amongst everyone else😊

[@Rockandrollgeerage]

What's more incredible then the Sphere is a grown man that listens to Taylor swift...im blown away

[@phildimotsis]

yeah no, there's no way they're cutting Oteil and Jeff out of an equitable split for the band, those dudes are critical members and I can't imagine they would put up with being paid any less than any other member of the band.

[@LandinK-l1y]

A Taylor Swift fan... Makes sense

[@Michael-Girdley]

She’s great too!

[@vpking77]

No, and I mean no one will ever make what Taylor Swift does from touring. She is only 34. Even if she eventually marries and has children. She will probably do 3-4 additional massive tours like the one she is on now by the time she is in her late 40’s. Taylor is estimated to be worth a billion already. I don’t know if she can sustain this level of success but when you are selling out shows all over the world. Selling albums at a massive rate. Doing commercial endorsements. Acquiring a real estate portfolio. Would anyone be shocked if she eventually is worth $2.5-3 billion dollars. Those numbers could be low, Rihanna is worth well over a billion from her beauty line and most people don’t even know it. Why wouldn’t Taylor Swift follow the same blueprint. Dead and Company have done very well with their Sphere residency. But would love to see a breakdown of Swift’s gate receipts and merchandising.

[@OspreyVision]

Nice breakdown 🤙

[@Michael-Girdley]

Glad you liked it!

[@robberzon]

I’m sure your other money videos are good but this one truly sucks. Why am I seeing this

[@Michael-Girdley]

Haha sorry to disappoint.

[@drboogienobama4999]

I wish you would have gone into the tax aspect of expense as that's going to be the big one. I have always been curious as to how they avoid the massive tax hit us mere mortals have to face.

[@Michael-Girdley]

Lots of ways to generate tax losses without costing yourself money. Real Estate is commonly a path to do that.

[@logansportmyers]

How loud was it? I have hearing issues and can't handle loudness.

[@Michael-Girdley]

I haven’t made it but am rethinking my decision!

[@memoriesformyfam]

Goooooo!!!! it was the best experience of my life and I didn’t even know anything about the band I seriously only went because it’s my brothers favorite band and this was seriously one of the best nights of my life!!!!!

[@bigbass7050]

Your numbers are wrong. They may or may not get money from beer sales etc , that depends on the contract.

[@Michael-Girdley]

Yeah, I'm pretty clear I have no direct knowledge of the contract. Just made assumptions after speaking to an industry insider on how it all works.

[@donaldsloan7330]

I saw the "Grateful Dead" when Jerry was still alive. Since he passed, it ain't the same. Also not the same without Bill Kreutzman. I think I paid about $25 for my ticket the last time I saw them.

[@Robert-kz7pu]

A healthy Mayer is better than a sick Jerry.

[@macverishe3480]

Personally, and its each owns opinion on this stuff (art is subjective), but I love Jerry's playing style (at all eras), being a guitar player myself, and without Jerry it doesn't sound the same, Mayer is very bluesy and it comes through in his playing, don't get me wrong, now I love blues & Mayer is a great player (but I don't like his flavor too much), but its such a different style that it doesn't do it for me. Going to get blow-back here, but Jerry was the dead sound and you can replace any of them except Jerry.

[@littermonks]

THANK YOU!

[@chefpatrickmould6423]

The Dead is not getting any Hot Dog money. The concessionaire of record is sharing revenue with the venue not the band. Also the venue/promoter probably gets a cut of the merchandise as well!

[@billbeliakoff5589]

I've been a Dead Head since 1980 and have had no desire to see Weir,Hart, and Kruetzman in a tribute band to themselves.

[@Rockandrollgeerage]

Too bad for you. Bob Weir has grown into some of the best performances of his career. It's not the Grateful Dead, it's Dead and Company and it's one of the best bands on the road today.

[@billbeliakoff5589]

@@Rockandrollgeerage I've seen Bobby solo several times and agree that he's grown. Nothing against Mayer and Burridge, but seeing someone other than Jerry on guitar and Phil on bass is just wrong.

[@naomiradtke]

Welcome to Bill Kroitsman in Hawaii! Relax & Enjoy

[@shimmy0825]

Saying Oteil not being there and no one would know is top 10 all dime dumb things I’ve heard

[@pigpen9333]

I wonder who does the graphics for the Sphere and how many people are on the payroll for that? Overall I would think that your estimates are probably twice of what these guys are bringing in

[@Michael-Girdley]

Still good right?

[@gopackgo4036]

Correct. There’s all sorts of unaccounted for expenses in this analysis. Dead and coins not going to pocket much from merch or concessions, the venue and promoters need their cuts. The average ticket price is also far too high. Also, no musician in dead and co is making 1 million for 18 shows, that would be highway robbery. It’s not even pay like Grateful Dead, but it’s not that uneven either.

[@MountainWeeklyNews]

Good luck getting tickets after this weekend…

[@Michael-Girdley]

The videos look amazing.

[@samiam7342]

I saw them once and they were NOT even remotely good as the Grateful Dead.......Overpriced, overhyped, overvalued....

[@obowurx6625]

No shit? They’re not as good as the original band with Jerry during the 60’s? Far out… wouldn’t have guessed it News flash: seeing the original band is no longer possible, so you take what you can get. I’ve seen them 3 times and they put on a great show.

[@iangriffith5471]

Tickets weren't $700. I went to 5 and it was roughly $200 a piece.

[@aspenroofing8525]

You might be good at math but you don't know squat about the Dead. If you think nobody would miss Oteil and Jeff you are dead wrong!

[@angelinainhollywoodland9023]

OK here was my experience you were right about the last night I will say last night of the sphere with the Grateful Dead you know dead and company was you couldn’t touch it for less than about 3500.00. I booked through SeatGeek. I got my single ticket. Pretty good section 107 seat 32 four $187 on the second to the last day, Aug. 9. I only booked like four days before. Seat geek transfers the ticket to Ticketmaster. It was awesome. It went off without a hitch. I had an awesome time. The Sphere itself, btw is a star unto itself as well so this is kind of a doomsday video. If you know what you’re doing, you can always find a deal. Cheers.

[@otbjh7870]

I'm not interested in the economics of the Vegas residency. Regarding D&C the band. Oteil's vocals on "China Doll" and "Comes A Time" are mindblowing. The Jeff Chimenti/John Mayer back and forth instrumental jams are most tasty.

[@maxwelltarpleyyoung6598]

definitely not a 25pct each split . but its a remarkable thing nonetheless.

[@perryolsen1370]

And I got mine about two months ago which is when youtube says this video was posted.

[@lombardosconcessions5930]

Chemintis been on keys longer than any member of The Grateful Dead keyboardist. Been playing with bobby since the early 1990s along with new drummer Jay Lane. You're info is very ignorant.

[@thespaundrummer1176]

Doesn't JM take 50%?

[@alidabirnia2882]

Face it, it sucks. It's so bizarre, even comparing 68 to 74 grateful dead to 95 dead, no comparison. So, what is this? It's nothing like the grateful dead.

[@carolhenry-l8i]

Your either in the Dead or not it doesn't matter what they make its the music if you can figure all that out you yourself should be bankin, dont ruin a good time ARE YOU KIND

[@2010RSHACKS]

Selling the same set list over and over… music is dead

[@perryolsen1370]

They don't play the same setlists. They have plenty of songs.

[@2010RSHACKS]

@@perryolsen1370 yeah, That was just rumors that they would be repeating setlists at the sphere residency, which luckily turned out to be false

[@stagecoachrobbery]

I don't think you know how Ticketmaster works. 'Official Platinum' are the bullshit scaling priced tickets that 'adjust with market value'. These usually account for about 10% of tickets and are always the last tickets available because they are always more expensive. They didn't sell 18k tickets for $700 each... Actual tickets for these shows were about $180 or so. I know because I was there.

[@reverendbarker650]

Compare this to the way Phil priced his shows and selected his venues. I cannot condone this sort of shit , as soon as the band started playing stadiums a lot of the fun went out of the shows. it all became about money and Dead and co personify that ethos.

[@somanyroadss]

Bobby can't sing or play anymore. It's horrible to watch. Let Oteil or John sing more. Bobby has turned into a disgrace

[@Michael-Girdley]

Well, old people are going to be old, so I give them respect for their situation.

[@perryolsen1370]

He may have lost a little on his fastball but although Mayer's playing seems to have improved to an elite level and is good at mimicking Jerry's style, his singing really isn't right to fill in Jerry's spot. Someone compared it to Stevie Ray Vaughn which I thought made sense. I still absolutely love the shows though and had my mind blown watching them at the Sphere.

[@markntexas8265]

You have to look at failure rate and brand equity especially with a 56ish year brand history i mean these guys were so bad at business (excluding JM) Jerry had to tour 365 to support his heroin habit. Weir is pretty sharp but i believe for the longest they had 100+ people on the payroll. Also what cut does van zandt (whatever the guys name is) that wrote the lyrics for all there songs get?

[@kmpnw]

They created an experience.

[@thomasmazur6916]

That's why I don't go to concerts. Last time I was at a concert was in the 80s.

[@Rockandrollgeerage]

Too bad for you. I paid around $300 for my ticket and the Sphere was the best concert experience in over 600 concerts. I am not a rich man, bur this experience I will never forget. Absolutely amazing. I already forgot about the $300.

[@davidfarrugia7646]

Tickets for the pit are like 150 -200 bucks

[@maryvlockman]

Dude you missed the boat, the Dead were it, and then you would know who is killing it now on guitar. Jerry is irreplaceable, but there are guitarist who bring it naturally, not having to work quite so hard to bring it home sort a.

[@robertbob980]

I wouldn't go if it was FREE

[@Michael-Girdley]

Why not?!

[@tdk74]

They made 25 mil per show it’s been widely reported. Next time go on cash or trade rookie

[@RobinBirdsong]

So.. tickets are not $700.. every seat is good.. and your “research” is embarrassingly false. Great vid 🙄

[@Michael-Girdley]

Agreed. It’s interesting how the prices have come down since we recorded this.

[@RobinBirdsong]

@@Michael-Girdley Ahh.. well that makes much more sense! 😅 I was so confused because I thought this was just made in the last couple days! 👍🏼

[@MrJohn-yz9px]

While interesting, your math is a bit fuzzy. In the beginning you state that the promoters offer the band 100% of the face ticket value, and the promoters will make their money off merchandise, concessions, and other venue related revenue. But in your final figures, you give ALL revenue to the band, and nothing for the venue or promoters. No doubt DeadCo is making serious cash, but The Sphere and Live Nation are not charities.

[@James-gd1nr]

125 million versus 5 dollar hit of LSD really

[@FirstNameLastNamescar]

Custy . $1.00 only thing with out inflation .since Woodstock.

[@donaldagronsky6435]

I went to 2 shows $550 all in. At least 100 of that was taxes and Ticketmaster fees. I'm sure they did well but your numbers are way off. And the shows were amazing.

[@flavomarginatus]

An overly simplistic analysis of the economics behind it all. I’m not saying that the my aren’t making bank, bit I don’t think that the “4 important” are making $25 million off of this.

[@lynnlee2282]

I don’t think you should use JLo as an example because she’s been having issues with ticket sales.

[@Michael-Girdley]

Yeah, for sure. Her tour just got canceled!

[@TyDeemer-z6u]

Who called you?

[@scottrobertson297]

This dude is a clown

[@Snappedpea]

TONS of cheap tickets leading up to each show on Cash or Trade and Vivid.

[@markc1669]

Lol, you enjoy the band you’re seeing, the sphere will 1000% enhance that experience…Well worth it for a “true” fan, unlike this guy..

[@aidanwood4628]

Uh people know who otiel and Jeff are dood.

[@JAMN2GD]

wiat. Why do we care about this? So start a band. Got in for less than 200. There are tickets to be had Expensive and stupid yes but its not me making it soooo..... Good for them.

[@JonathanDickson-w2g]

When Jerry was alive you could see show for 50$that was long time ago tho

[@IronPig_75]

I appreciate the idea of breaking this down but there’s too many assumptions and inaccuracies to take the final numbers seriously here.

[@plasmoidsound1111]

ayy they gotta pay off that venue some how quick even in inflation economies the secret owners of MSG and the Sphere are smart tho

[@Michael-Girdley]

They may not be making much on the tickets, but I'm sure they're making money other ways.

[@joshevans2860]

Not even close sir, it takes a musician a life time to get this established, and ur numbers aren’t even hitting the biggest important cash cows which is the Venetian casino let alone parking expense, and with out the bass player the band wouldnt even be able to rehearse. But its neat that ur a business geek and appreciate the concert industry, looking forward to the doj busting up live nation and others-