Metal Sludge Gossip Board

ParaDime77 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 4:07 pm I was watching some tour bus reviews on YouTube where the bands or groups show what their touring accommodation looks like. It got me to thinking, why are these bands renting and leasing these buses or vans when they could simply buy their own. If you are in a band, and it’s a long term vision to continually tour the US/Canada, I cannot believe that someone in the band or management would not use their actual CREDIT and purchase a suitable vehicle to tour in. Yes, there are plenty of additional expenses associated with upkeep. In the long run, the band owning their own touring vessel makes WAAAAAAY more sense than using these bullshit leasing companies.

Tank The Tech offered up a detailed report of bus leasing in 2022: here are some details


Coach Daily rate : $700/day.

Trailer Rental: :$100/ day

Driver daily rate: $400

Tour fuel $7200

Numerous other numbers he included as well

Total for 1 month $60,793.00 - over 1.2 million per calendar year. A fucking rip off!

aznsquirt wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:09 pm

ParaDime77 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 4:07 pm I was watching some tour bus reviews on YouTube where the bands or groups show what their touring accommodation looks like. It got me to thinking, why are these bands renting and leasing these buses or vans when they could simply buy their own. If you are in a band, and it’s a long term vision to continually tour the US/Canada, I cannot believe that someone in the band or management would not use their actual CREDIT and purchase a suitable vehicle to tour in. Yes, there are plenty of additional expenses associated with upkeep. In the long run, the band owning their own touring vessel makes WAAAAAAY more sense than using these bullshit leasing companies.

Tank The Tech offered up a detailed report of bus leasing in 2022: here are some details


Coach Daily rate : $700/day.

Trailer Rental: :$100/ day

Driver daily rate: $400

Tour fuel $7200

Numerous other numbers he included as well

Total for 1 month $60,793.00 - over 1.2 million per calendar year. A fucking rip off!

Am I missing something or are you somehow thinking that buying a bus means you no longer have fuel or driver costs?

ijwthstd wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 5:47 pm Some do in fact own their own tour bus. Some dude from Hanson bought one to tour his whole family in, some of the country artists do and so does Les Claypool. But a million plus is a lot of money to lay out at once.

ParaDime77 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:15 pm Not stating that whatsoever.

ParaDime77 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:15 pm

aznsquirt wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:09 pm

ParaDime77 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 4:07 pm I was watching some tour bus reviews on YouTube where the bands or groups show what their touring accommodation looks like. It got me to thinking, why are these bands renting and leasing these buses or vans when they could simply buy their own. If you are in a band, and it’s a long term vision to continually tour the US/Canada, I cannot believe that someone in the band or management would not use their actual CREDIT and purchase a suitable vehicle to tour in. Yes, there are plenty of additional expenses associated with upkeep. In the long run, the band owning their own touring vessel makes WAAAAAAY more sense than using these bullshit leasing companies.

Tank The Tech offered up a detailed report of bus leasing in 2022: here are some details


Coach Daily rate : $700/day.

Trailer Rental: :$100/ day

Driver daily rate: $400

Tour fuel $7200

Numerous other numbers he included as well

Total for 1 month $60,793.00 - over 1.2 million per calendar year. A fucking rip off!

Am I missing something or are you somehow thinking that buying a bus means you no longer have fuel or driver costs?

Not stating that whatsoever.

Velvis wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 9:56 pm

ParaDime77 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:15 pm

aznsquirt wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:09 pm

Am I missing something or are you somehow thinking that buying a bus means you no longer have fuel or driver costs?

Not stating that whatsoever.

Then why did you list things that have nothing to do with owning vs renting?

$700x30 = $21K/month = $252K/year which assumes you tour 365 days a year. No one does that. And I am sure if you wanted to rent it for an entire year you would get a better deal.

A quick google search says a new tour bus is 1.5M to 2.5M (2022,23,24,25 models), a few years older than that range $800k-1.5M, and the cheapest I saw was $180k for a 2001. Who knows what kind of money it takes to repair and maintain a vehicle that travels that kind of mileage daily. If it made sense to buy most of the time, there wouldn't a touring bus rental industry.

Reliability is of outmost importance as a touring schedule doesn't allow much margin of error for a breakdown. With a rental company, I would think they have some financial responsibility should you miss a gig because their vehicle shit the bed as well as bring you a backup vehicle ASAP.

I'd also guess your average band (nevermind an individual member) couldn't afford nor qualify for a loan for a million-dollar vehicle that depreciates the second you drive it off the lot. The interest alone would be crazy.

So those would be my guesses as to why.

And logically if it made sense (assuming they could afford it) to buy vs rent they would. I am sure someone thought of it and ran the numbers before you did.

ParaDime77 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 09, 2025 12:54 pm

Velvis wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 9:56 pm

ParaDime77 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:15 pm

Not stating that whatsoever.

Then why did you list things that have nothing to do with owning vs renting?

$700x30 = $21K/month = $252K/year which assumes you tour 365 days a year. No one does that. And I am sure if you wanted to rent it for an entire year you would get a better deal.

A quick google search says a new tour bus is 1.5M to 2.5M (2022,23,24,25 models), a few years older than that range $800k-1.5M, and the cheapest I saw was $180k for a 2001. Who knows what kind of money it takes to repair and maintain a vehicle that travels that kind of mileage daily. If it made sense to buy most of the time, there wouldn't a touring bus rental industry.

Reliability is of outmost importance as a touring schedule doesn't allow much margin of error for a breakdown. With a rental company, I would think they have some financial responsibility should you miss a gig because their vehicle shit the bed as well as bring you a backup vehicle ASAP.

I'd also guess your average band (nevermind an individual member) couldn't afford nor qualify for a loan for a million-dollar vehicle that depreciates the second you drive it off the lot. The interest alone would be crazy.

So those would be my guesses as to why.

And logically if it made sense (assuming they could afford it) to buy vs rent they would. I am sure someone thought of it and ran the numbers before you did.

Before you flame sir, here is where l took the #’s from

https://youtu.be/cRqszYMuvOQ?si=WBm6so8h2fy-10Kr