how much do openers get paid for a list concerts

Openers usually get paid anywhere from $250 to $1,500 per show on smaller club and theater tours, while arena-level openers can make around $15,000 as a flat fee. For bigger tours, the exact pay can also depend on whether they get a guarantee, a percentage, or have to cover their own travel and production costs.

What affects the pay

A few things change the number a lot:

• Venue size.
• How big the headliner is.
• Ticket sales.
• Whether the opener is also helping sell tickets.
• Whether expenses like transport and production come out of the fee.

That means two openers on “similar” tours can end up with very different take- home pay.

Typical ranges

Situation| Common pay range
---|---
Small club / local support| $100 to $500
Club or small theater opener| $500 to $1,500
Larger theater / amphitheater support| $1,500 to several thousand
Arena opener| about $15,000 flat fee 18

Real-world caveat

The headline number is not always what the artist keeps. On larger tours, openers may still pay for transportation, crew, lodging, and other costs, so the net amount can be much lower.

In plain English

For most openers, it’s less “big payday” and more “paid gig plus exposure.” The better the draw and the bigger the tour, the more bargaining power they have.

TL;DR

Openers commonly make a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per show , and top-tier arena openers may make around $15,000.