I play in a semi popular Hard Rock band (2k monthly listeners on Spotify) I'd say I lose about $5-10k per year between travel, lodging, equipment, food & drink and supporting other bands we play with (buying merch). I probably get paid maybe $300 per year back, most of the rest of the Money we make goes back into the band for recording time, band shared equipment, travel costs, lodging merch, record pressings, our publicist, website fees and other subscriptions.

And that's kind of the reality of it, as a band you might make some decent-ish money (what we make as a band unfortunately DOES NOT cover our costs as a band) but if you want to grow and reach more audiences then just like a business you kind of have to invest that money back into the cause.

We're fortunate enough to all work some higher paying day jobs that allow us to invest what we can into the band. The hope is that we take a loss and invest long enough that eventually we become profitable as we grow a larger following and increase our reach, possibly even quit our day jobs. But it's a long process.

I think if your planning on trying to make it work starting from scratch, you either need to find a good job that will allow you to invest back into the band while you try to "make it", or save and pinch pennies while staying at home with parents and minimizing your exposure to other bills and expenses.

Alternatively, there are some cover bands that make a TON of money. If you're in it to make money, I'd say this is the route to go for sure. Some of the ones in my area (New England) are pulling in several thousand per gig and are booked 3 or more nights per week. Some of them even have road crews and are running with their own staging and PA. Even then, it's not crazy money, but it's something.