How do I calculate if a concert will be profitable?

Subtract all costs (venue hire, sound, lighting, promotion, travel, accommodation, merchandise production) from your expected ticket revenue and merchandise sales. Aim for at least 20% net margin.

What is a typical venue take for concerts?

Small venues (under 300 capacity) often take a percentage of bar sales rather than a fee. Mid-size venues (300-2000 capacity) typically charge 15-30% of ticket revenue or a flat guarantee. Always clarify the deal before booking.

How many tickets do I need to sell to break even?

Divide your total fixed costs by your ticket price. For example, if your fixed costs are $500 and tickets cost $15, you need to sell 34 tickets to break even. The calculator shows this automatically for each show.

Concert Calculatorper-show math · free · no signup · updated may 2026

Will this tour actually pay you?

Per-show math

4 cost lines + merch revenue

Venue

rent + door

Travel

gas / flights

Stay

hotel / Airbnb

Crew

FOH / backline

Per-show profitability: ticket gross + merch − venue / travel / accommodation / crew. Add up to 20 shows for a tour total. Break-even ticket count flagged so you know which dates are risky.

+$3,550

Capacity

Ticket price

Fill %

Venue cost

Travel

Accommodation

Crew / gear

Merch

Gross $4,500 · Merch $200Costs $1,150Break-even 48 (16%)

Tour net (after costs)

$3,550

Tour clears $3,550 after costs.

1/1 shows profitable. Total gross $4,700 minus $1,150 costs.

Total gross

$4,700

Total costs

$1,150

Profitable shows

1/1

1 show planned

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How we built this

The math, sources, and assumptions.

Sell out the room

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The data behind this calculator: independent tour cost baselines and break-even bands

Last updated: 2026-08-20

As of August 2026, a baseline independent-artist club show, a 300 capacity room at 75 percent fill and $20 tickets against $1,150 in venue, travel, accommodation, and crew costs, breaks even at 48 tickets sold, 16 percent of capacity, and nets $3,550 including $200 of merch revenue. The full baselines the calculator starts from are published below.

Default per-show baselines: a typical independent artist booking 200 to 500 capacity venues in mid-size cities. Every value is editable in the calculator.
Input	Default value	What it covers
Venue capacity	300 people	Typical small-club room in the 200 to 500 capacity band
Ticket price	$20	Face value per ticket, before platform fees
Fill rate	75 percent	Share of capacity sold; drives tickets sold and gross
Venue cost	$500	Room rental or guarantee versus door split
Travel	$200	Gas, flights, van, per city
Accommodation	$150	Hotels or Airbnb, per night
Crew and equipment	$300	Front of house, backline, session players
Merch revenue	$200	Conservative per-show estimate; rule of thumb is $1 to $3 per attendee ($2 is the safe middle)

Break-even risk bands: break-even ticket count as a share of venue capacity. The calculator flags each show with these thresholds.
Break-even share of capacity	Risk read
Under 60 percent	Relatively safe; a normal night covers costs
60 to 80 percent	Risky; needs strong promotion to clear costs
Above 80 percent	Profits only near sell-out; renegotiate venue cost or raise ticket price

Methodology

The default baselines are Chartlex Research benchmark ranges, maintained editorially and reviewed quarterly, last verified on 2026-08-20. They model a typical independent artist booking 200 to 500 capacity venues in mid-size cities: conservative quotes for venue rental, ground travel, one night of accommodation, and a small crew with backline. The per-show math is: tickets sold = capacity times fill rate; net = ticket gross plus merch minus the four cost lines; break-even tickets = (costs minus merch) divided by ticket price, rounded up. Merch follows the industry rule of thumb of $1 to $3 per attendee, with $2 as the safe middle. Known limitations: the model excludes agent and manager commissions (typically 10 to 15 percent of gross), insurance, catering, and percentage-of-door deals; add those to the crew line. These are planning benchmarks, not guarantees, and every default can be overridden in the calculator.

Worked examples

Baseline club show at the published defaults: 300 capacity, $20 tickets, 75 percent fill, $1,150 in costs, $200 merch.

300 x 75% = 225 tickets. 225 x $20 = $4,500 gross. $4,500 + $200 merch - $1,150 costs = $3,550 net. Break-even = ($1,150 - $200) / $20 = 48 tickets, 16 percent of capacity (safe band).

Fly-in mid-size date: 250 capacity, $18 tickets, 55 percent fill, venue $500, flights $900, two nights $300, crew $300, $200 merch.

250 x 55% = 138 tickets. 138 x $18 = $2,484 gross. $2,484 + $200 - $2,000 costs = $684 net. Break-even = ($2,000 - $200) / $18 = 100 tickets, 40 percent of capacity (safe band, thin margin).

Small-room loss: 120 capacity, $12 tickets, 65 percent fill, default $1,150 costs, $100 merch.

120 x 65% = 78 tickets. 78 x $12 = $936 gross. $936 + $100 - $1,150 = -$114 net. Break-even = ($1,150 - $100) / $12 = 88 tickets, 73 percent of capacity (risky band).

Baselines are Chartlex Research benchmark ranges for independent artists booking 200 to 500 capacity venues, maintained editorially. Planning benchmarks, not guarantees; every field in the calculator overrides them.

Changelog

2026-08-20Benchmark table published on this page as reference data.