Local Bands Feel the Pinch of Gas Prices
Yes, yes, I know the price of gas is always a headliner on every news ticker, always the talk around the water cooler, and always the reason why we are cutting our trips-whether to the beach or to the store- more and more these days.
What about those people that have to drive around for their jobs? Usually the company is paying for the gas. But what if you are in a band? Or a smaller band who is trying to use the summer as a way to travel as much as possible and get as much exposure to new fans?
In the old days (prior to $2.00 a gallon gas), bands were always concerned about travel costs, usually sleeping on a friend’s floor and eating a free meal when they could. But now, with gas tipping over that $4.00 mark and likely to see $5.00 very soon, even getting in that van is becoming an almost impossible task. Many small bands are having to cut their tours. Most don’t have a guarantee at the club or bar, so even what they make at the door may not cover the gas they spent to get there. It’s a big reason that merchandise is also becoming an important factor in how bands can get paid.
Bands and the Green Revolution
All bands, whether they are big or small, are feeling the effects of gas prices. Bigger bands are cutting back on the number of trucks they use to tour. It’s not just the price that is making these bigger acts cut out the amount of driving and flying they do, it’s also the realization of how much CO2 is being pumped into the atmosphere by their very own tour. Specifically, by the fans attending their shows.
One study, titled the “Ecological Footprint & Carbon Audit of Radiohead North American Tours, 2003 & 2006″, was created last year by Best Foot Forward. In this 36 page report, the basic findings, as summed up perfectly by Rolling Stone magazine, were that “97% of the environmental damage done by the group’s 2003 tour-nearly 10,000 tons of CO2, the equivalent of 4,000 trans-Atlantic flights-was fan related.”
One way that Radiohead has cut back their own CO2 emissions is by sending their equipment by ship instead of air. Their total in CO2 emissions just for equipment dropped to 1 metric ton instead of the whopping 20 metric tons by air. They have also decided to travel “as little as possible by air, avoiding chartered flights, and [are] investigating more efficient road and rail transportation” according to their blog on the Radiohead website.
Jack Johnson has been a huge advocate for cleaner tours. His last album, “Sleep Through the Static,” was made completely by solar power in his new studio, the Solar Powered Plastic Plant. The cd itself is printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper. Johnson is striving for his tour to be 100% carbon neutral and uses bio-diesel in his buses and generators.
The biggest aspect he is trying to push now is the way his fans can offset these emissions. On Jack Johnson’s website, he recommends that fans arrive by mass transit, bicycle, or car-pooling. Many large venues are now providing car-pool lots that will get you closer to the venue. If every car during an entire Radiohead tour had three people riding instead of two, then the CO2 emissions would be reduced by 22%. Johnson has also been trying to get big venues to offer water stations instead of selling thousands of water bottles (and at $3-$5 a pop, that’s a lot money vendors will be missing out on), but it’s been difficult to get vendors and venues to budge. Johnson also offers monetary ways for fans to offset emissions such as buying a sticker or selecting “the CO2 offset purchase option when you purchase your ticket through Ticketmaster, Live Nation, or Musictoday”. At his show, he provides recycling stations so you can recycle those plastic and glass bottles.
The Good and the Bad
The increase in gas prices is making people drive less, which is great for the environment, bad for the bands. There has been a noticeable decrease in fan attendance at summer tours and festivals. Just a few weeks ago, Bonnaroo had an 11% decrease in fan turnout which equates to a half a million dollar loss.
Emmet Malloy, Jack Johnson’s manager and best friend, says “We’ve made peace with the fact that there’s downsides in getting many people to congregate.” Jack Johnson, Radiohead, Dave Matthews Band, and others hope to eventually have tours that are 100% carbon neutral and hopes that fans can be more aware of how they can offset emissions as well.
Del.icio.us
digg
redditTags: carbon emissions, Gas, money, small bands
