Concertgoers are rushing back to shows and more musicians are on the road than venues can schedule. At first glance, it might seem like the live music scene is booming for everyone.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 not the case,B次元官网网址� says music manager Sheri Jones. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 much harder to sell tickets.B次元官网网址�

With almost three years of postponed shows backed up and many musicians promoting pandemic-era albums, Jones says the market is flooded with B次元官网网址渁 ton of optionsB次元官网网址� for ticket buyer.

But industry players say the worldB次元官网网址檚 biggest touring names are cannibalizing ticket sales for everyone else, particularly artists without the promotional heft of a major label and sponsorship deals.

Jones recalls a recent hometown show for Halifax folk singer Willie Stratton that teetered on that uncertainty as it was booked for around the same time powerful legacy acts rolled into town.

B次元官网网址淚 was flipping out about ticket sales because James Taylor was here one night, and three nights later it was ZZ Top,B次元官网网址� she says.

B次元官网网址淭wo days later Willie Stratton was playing. Who are you going to spend your money on? YouB次元官网网址檙e going to go see the artists you might never see again.B次元官网网址�

Stratton ended up drawing a satisfying crowd, she says, but similar anxieties are rampant with managers across the country.

Soaring inflation has put the squeeze on finances, while thereB次元官网网址檚 a looming threat that COVID-19 illness among the crew could lead to show cancellations. Without album sales to fall back on, some say the financial stakes of mounting a tour are high.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 left managers tossing out the pre-pandemic playbook while some musicians wonder whether touring is even worth the mental and physical toll.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 kind of a Wild West,B次元官网网址� said Sarah Fenton of Watchdog Management, which represents Mother Mother and Peach Pit.

B次元官网网址淚 wouldnB次元官网网址檛 even hazard a guess as to when things will go B次元官网网址榖ack to normal.B次元官网网址� I donB次元官网网址檛 know if they will.B次元官网网址�

Liam Killeen, who manages the Tea Party and Classified at Coalition Music, said heB次元官网网址檚 coming down from a shot of adrenalin delivered over the summer. Audiences flooded back to shows, many of them outdoors, making it seem as if the concert industry was quickly getting back on its feet.

B次元官网网址淲e had the incredible Roaring B次元官网网址�20s feeling we were all promised,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淎nd now the reality of where we (truly) are at has crept in.B次元官网网址�

Adding to the precariousness is the rising cost of necessities, which leaves less money for entertainment, he said.

B次元官网网址淓ach fan has a finite amount of money and when they go out to buy groceries itB次元官网网址檚 $20 or $30 more,B次元官网网址� he says.

B次元官网网址淒oes that take two or three concerts they would normally go to out of the equation?B次元官网网址�

He says some touring acts who were reliable draws a few years ago now have trouble selling tickets. ItB次元官网网址檚 left management and record labels wondering if thatB次元官网网址檚 a temporary COVID hiccup or a permanent shift in whoB次元官网网址檚 coming to shows.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 going to take the next six to eight months to see how healthy we really are as a year-round touring business,B次元官网网址� he added.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going to see a lot of artists that donB次元官网网址檛 have to go out maybe take a back seat for a minute and see things play out.B次元官网网址�

Some musicians have already concluded thatB次元官网网址檚 the soundest business decision.

International acts Santigold, Animal Collective and Little Simz are among the performers whoB次元官网网址檝e cancelled tours, saying the business model B次元官网网址� which often leaves the artist bearing the financial risk B次元官网网址� is fundamentally broken.

Edmonton-raised Cadence Weapon predicted on Twitter that B次元官网网址渟mall to mid-sized B次元官网网址榞et in the vanB次元官网网址� music tours will become a thing of the pastB次元官网网址� because margins are too thin, while Montreal singer-songwriter Tess Roby said she canB次元官网网址檛 see herself touring in the foreseeable future.

Alternative rock band And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead took a different route when they launched a US$12,000 crowdfunding campaign in September because they were B次元官网网址渟truggling with current touring costs.B次元官网网址� They passed the goal by $3,000.

Loreena McKennitt factored in pandemic uncertainties and financial risk when she planned a small Ontario tour in December to promote her holiday album. The band and crew will return to their homes around Stratford, Ont. nearly every night, a move that will save on soaring hotel costs.

Ryan Gullen, bassist in the Sheepdogs, says the Saskatoon-founded rock band considered their mental health when they mapped out dates for their latest tour. The band will play shorter legs with breaks of nearly two weeks between each run.

He says after the pandemic forced them to stop touring, the Sheepdogs found they werenB次元官网网址檛 ready to spend B次元官网网址渕onths on endB次元官网网址� travelling on a bus.

B次元官网网址淲e wanted to ease back into things, keep everybodyB次元官网网址檚 spirits high and everyone feeling good,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淵ou have to be smarter about how you do things at this point.B次元官网网址�

Some musicians have found the unpredictability of modern road life comes with a whirlwind of emotions.

East Coast folk singer-songwriter David Myles learned that in early October as he prepared for a multi-province run of dates that he assumed would be his last. He worried tightening profit margins would make the prospects of mounting another tour impossible.

But a month later, he says his attitude toward touring has changed. Sales at his merchandise table have helped erase the B次元官网网址渄oom and gloomB次元官网网址� he was feeling a few weeks earlier.

B次元官网网址淚 thought it was going to be super hard, but itB次元官网网址檚 felt great,B次元官网网址� he wrote by text while on the road.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been a positive experience and reassuring in many ways, strangely.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擠avid Friend, The Canadian Press