The High Cost of "Exposure": Why Bands Shouldn’t Pay to Play or Buy Onto Tours

In the ever-challenging world of heavy music, there's a stubborn idea that clings to the scene like a bad hangover: that paying to play with bigger bands or buying your way onto a tour will magically catapult your career. Reality check: it won’t, well at least not anymore, and it might even wreck your finances (and your spirit) in the process.

Let's get one thing straight: pay-to-play has always existed. But like 20 or 15 years ago, there was a bigger safety net. Labels would invest in promising young bands, covering tour support with the expectation of earning it back through record sales, merchandise, and long-term career building. Today, that support system has largely eroded, mostly due to the decline in record sales. If you're paying out of your own pocket to open for a bigger act or to join a tour package, you’re carrying all the risk — and there's often little chance of seeing any real return.

Why Paying to Play Doesn’t Pay Off

First, you’re basically funding someone else’s success. When you fork over hundreds or thousands of dollars to get a 20-minute opening slot, you're not investing in your career — you're filling the pockets of promoters, headliners, or booking agents who already have built-in audiences. Worse, your own fans might not even make it given the early slots. You’ll often be given the bare minimum of time to soundcheck (if any) and might even get a sound guy who’s actually the lighting guy, bartender, and doorman all rolled into one.

Then there’s the financial sinkhole: travel costs, gear expenses, food, lodging, and lost work hours pile up fast. If you’re lucky enough to score a deal, maybe you’ll ride on the tour bus with the bigger bands and crew. But more often, you’ll have to rent a van, sleep in it, or crash in some sketchy hostel — because depending on the location, a halfway decent hotel room can easily cost 100€ a night. You could rack up debts that take months (or years) to clear — all for the honor of saying you once opened for someone like Kreator or Morbid Angel. Good luck selling enough T-shirts and vinyl to make that money back.

Then there’s the fact that labels aren’t the safety net they used to be. Even if a label gets involved today, many will demand a huge chunk of your merch sales on tour, sometimes 20–30% right off the top, and also take royalties from your album sales. You’re effectively working for free (or worse, paying to work) while they gamble on whether your name will become profitable. If it doesn’t? You're stuck holding the empty bag.

"Exposure" Doesn’t Pay the Bills

Opening for a massive band might get you in front of a bigger crowd, but that doesn’t automatically translate into a loyal fanbase. Building real fans takes time, authenticity, and repeated exposure — not just a single rushed set while half the audience is still buying beers.

It Sets a Bad Precedent

Every time a band agrees to buy onto a tour, it sends a message to the industry: "This is okay." It normalizes predatory practices and pushes truly talented but broke bands even further into the margins.

So, What Should Bands Focus On Instead?

Grow Your Own Audience: Grind it out locally and regionally. Build a fanbase that will actually show up for you.

Smart Support Slots: Say yes to shows that make sense — geographically, financially, and musically. A few good opening gigs are better than a dozen random ones.

Save for the Right Opportunities: Invest your money where it counts — recording, merch, gear, smart DIY tours.

Build Relationships, Not Debts: Make genuine connections with promoters, bookers, and other bands. People remember good bands and good people — and when they put together a show, your name will be on their mind.