Band opened for Foo Fighters, but can’t make rock pay
Rock band Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers has opened for the Foo Fighters, but they still can’t make a living.
Teen Jesus tours internationally and plays about 50 gigs a year including stadium shows, but its four members still have to work other jobs, a parliamentary inquiry into Australia’s live music scene has heard.
“We really feel strongly that artists work really hard and should be able to make a living … the music scene doesn’t make it possible to do that,” guitarist Scarlett McKahey and bass player Jaida Stephenson told a hearing in Sydney on Thursday.
The parliamentary committee is examining a crisis in Australia’s music industry, with festivals cancelled, venues closing, soaring costs and minimal income from music streaming giants.
There are calls for a national strategy to revive the industry, including government support for festivals and money to support developing acts.
Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers is a success – but the state of the industry means that doesn’t translate to money.
The band’s debut studio album, I Love You, peaked at number six on the ARIA albums chart in 2023 and their EP Pretty Good for A Girl Band won an ARIA for best independent punk release.
Tours bring in good money, but travel and other costs are so high that merchandise sales are the only part of touring that is actually profitable, the musicians said.
The band was on the lineup for Splendour in the Grass before the long-running festival was cancelled in March; like many bands, big festivals make up a large part of their income, they said.
“It’s reached a point now where I don’t really think that a big show or festival is going to happen until I’m there, we kind of protect ourselves in that way.”
Smaller gigs are also a challenge. McKahey and Stephenson are from Canberra, but their favourite venue Sideway shut down recently, and musicians have been playing in a nearby kebab shop, they said.
“Artists don’t even come through Canberra on tours anymore because there are no venues.”
The band got a massive boost from opening for the Foo Fighters in Melbourne in 2023, and would like to see other big artists such as Taylor Swift told to book Australian acts on their lineups.
More punk than Swift could ever be, Teen Jesus didn’t mind the mania for the US megastar’s concerts in Australia – the madness showed it’s cool to be a fan again and that people still want to see live music, they said.
An increase in streaming royalties would also help Australian musicians. Online streaming has helped with exposure, but the four band members make “next to nothing” from streaming royalties.
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