Not every show pays

There are more good photographers than paid slots, and outside the top tier most artists are not making money on the road either: mid-level touring has been shrinking since 2022 because the costs no longer add up. A promoter who says no to a fee is often not being cheap, just honest. The pit is where you learn. It is not where most of the money is.

Just starting out?

When you're new, the deal isn't always a fee. Sometimes the festival covers your pass, the artist gives you the access, or you shoot it because it's someone you'd photograph anyway. That's real, and it's how we got our first rooms. But a trade is a choice you make, not something you owe. Keep your rights, get credited on every frame, take the access that opens the next door. And if there's a budget on the table, there should be a fee.

Where it goes up

Usage first: the same day of shooting is worth twice as much with campaign rights, and more with a buyout. Quote the shoot and the rights separately. Then look sideways: brands and agencies pay two to three times what a festival does for the same day, and in our experience the electronic scene, clubs, promoters and DJs, runs on social content and commissions it more readily than the band world does.