How many t-shirts do you have to sell to become a star?

Last month Bruce Springsteen sold his millionth ticket to Irish fans, but for young bands just starting out here, how far away is that dream?

One young Dublin rock band called Basht. say that when they played in the UK, they sold boxes of t-shirts at their gigs to pay the bills.

With appearance fees for music gigs starting at a few hundreds of pounds there, the fees do not cover the expenses of flights, accommodation and renting a van.

But Basht. say it is worth it for the chance to be seen by a wider audience.

Lead singer Jack Leavey said: “We love performing live so it’s great for us to go on the road and play on stages, but it can get expensive and the bills rack up.

“We rely on selling t-shirts to pay the bills.”

Jack explained that “we can buy band merch, t-shirts for £10 and sell them for £25, so that really helps”.

At one gig alone in the UK last year, they sold £800 worth of t-shirts after their gig which was a great night for them.

He explained that they have learned to be strategic about their gigging commitments and they are very realistic about the costs involved on being on the road.

They tell stories of bands they have met who had all their equipment in a van, parked outside a hotel over night and returned the next day to find all the gear stolen, leaving the band bereft on the side of the road.

These stories are swapped between bands when they are on the road, and the lads in Basht. say they have picked up great advice over the years.

They also say that after a few years, they have learnt that rock’n’roll is a real business and that everyone involved takes their cut, so there is no easy money to be earned through music.

This weekend, they will take a big step along their road to stardom though as they appear as the headline act for a festival for the very first time.

They will take to the stage at Carlow Arts Festival 2024 at 9.30pm.

This is the 45th year of this popular festival and with organisers expecting thousands of visitors over the weekend, getting the headline spot on the Saturday night stage is a really valuable opportunity for a young band.

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So what next for Basht.?

They are beginning to make a name for themselves here and in the UK, having been featured on Spotify’s Hot New Bands and are garnering really positive reviews for their live shows so they are keen to capitalise on that attention.

They are heading into a busy summer ahead on the festival circuit – but going on the road with a five piece band is an expensive business.

So can gigging in festivals pay the bills for emerging bands like them?

He said that in the case of Irish festivals like Carlow, they are paid a fee, but it is not always the case abroad.

They also say they like playing at camping festivals because the accommodation is on-site and the crowd atmosphere is great.

Jack explains that they can be invited to do a 10 gig tour crossing over between the UK and Ireland but when they factor in the costs of hiring transport for all their kit and accommodation and travelling over and back, sometimes they just have to say no.

But they say that as a band, they are at the point where sometimes it is worth accepting a low paying deal for them to get exposure in the UK.

Jack says that “it’s tough to make it work when you factor in hiring the van, accommodation and you have to keep balancing the bills, but in the era of streaming and online platforms how much does it cost to become a rockstar?”

‘Even harder to make it nowadays’

Dan Hegarty is a late night 2fm DJ who specialises in digging out new bands and playing the music of emerging musicians on his radio show ‘The Alternative’.

He has been on the sidelines of the indie scene for many years and says that “it was always tough to make it as a rock band, but it is even harder to make it nowadays”.

He says that young bands have to look on music as an industry and they have to be realistic that there is no easy way to break through.

Having a job outside of music is the best way to make it happen he says, so that you are “not relying on it as an income but more as a labour of love”.

He meets new up-and-coming bands all the time who send him their music and he is always impressed by their enthusiasm and commitment, but he worries that some of them do not understand how tough it is to make music a full time job.

First Music Contact

There are supports for emerging musical talents here though.

State-funded music development agency First Music Contact resources about 17,000 musicians around the country to develop popular music careers.

It helps with grants and showcasing events like the Music from Ireland programme.

Taking place in October, this is a scheme where heavy hitters from the international music scene come to Ireland and judge the 50 most “export-ready artists” and support the next steps in their careers.

This kind of event is hosted by many other countries too, so there is financial help to directly fund popular music artists to pay for costs to travel and take part in these foreign showcases too, thanks to funding from Culture Ireland.

Angela Dorgan, CEO of First Music Contact, says “that not enough Irish music is being played on Irish radio and if they were being played more, it would be amplify the musicians’ work” and she adds “they would get more royalties”.

She is optimistic about the musicians here saying: “We have the talent, incredible musical talent, and we are consistently the gold standard when we visit international events.”

Meanwhile, Basht. are really looking forward to taking to the stage tomorrow night in Carlow – the joy of playing in front of a large crowd,

Made up of Dublin locals Jack Leavey, Louis Christie, Sam Duffy, Rossa Healy and Luke O’Neill, the band have had critically acclaimed releases including their new EP, Dirty White Lies.

“Playing our music to a live audience is our favourite thing to do – and we are delighted to be invited to headline at Carlow Arts Fesival,” Jack says.

“It’s an honour to headline Carlow, this our first time,” lead guitarist Sam Duffy says, adding that it is a lovely way to start the festival season.

“We are super stoked for the summer,” he added.

So, if you’re free tomorrow night, they’d love to see you at the Carlow Arts Festival and, yes, the merch will be on sale.