Touring musician here…Unless you become super huge, you will NOT make any money from a label. Most people stay indie until they have an issue with national distribution. In most cases, major labels will take portions of everything you make and more often than not, you’ll wind up owing money to them. The best case scenario- INXS was on a major label. Instead of taking money from the label, they borrowed money from their bank and paid for the recording themselves. They also retained complete artistic control.It was the smartest $$ move at the end of the day and they sold tons of records. The only thing the label provided was distribution and ( maybe ) some promotion.

Since the collapse of the industry a few years ago, those that could afford to continue figured out ways to retain rights to their masters, merch, and to some extent, ticket sales. There’s only so far you can go with entities like Ticketmaster. Keep in mind that these days, if people aren’t touring, they aren’t making money. So, the burnout level will be high and people’s health will be at stake.

Finally, if your favorite mid-level band comes through, buy a ticket, buy some merch and thank them for hanging in there. They’ll never say it publicly, but most are barely getting by and are literally pouring everything they have into their art. Your generosity will be richly rewarded!