Went to a Todd Agnew concert on Thursday night. Excellent musicians and excellent message....he even did a bit of singing. He did focus on his preaching, though. He was interesting; insisting that he was there to lead worship, and that there was no way he was going to entertain.
At one point he stated that Phil Keaggy is the best guitarist on the planet.
He got 15,000 for a roughly 2 hour gig. I hear Casting Crowns gets either 30 or 60 grand. There’s something about those numbers (even Agnew’s) that bothers me. Should it?
No.
The logistics of taking a music gig on the road are very expensive. Out of a $30,000 gig, you have to pay the truckers who haul your equipment, the plane fares or the bus rental for the performers, the roadies who put together all the equipment, the sound engineers, the cost of the venue rental and a myriad of other expenses.
These are highly skilled professional musicians who if they were as skilled in some other profession could easily make $150,000 to $250,000 per year. Well divide up the $30,000 for casting crowns into the four or five musicians and all the assistants and their agents and these guys are lucky to pull down $1000 a week.
What fries me is the way some people will illegally download their music and give it to their friends instead of buying their albums and supporting their ministry.
Phil Keaggy should earn no less than a million dollars a year for what he does.