CJ McMahon has announced he is leaving Thy Art Is Murder after spending
many years on the road with the band. He first joined the group in 2009.
His band is well known in the heavy metal community, and to many, it
would appear that being in a band of that size would amount to a full
time job / career.
Sadly, even reaching this level in the music industry does not offer a sustainable income to any members of the band. According to McMahon, with the yearly income each member receives from the band, they are living well below the poverty level.
“We have earned between $16k-$18k each over 6-7 years, I feel there is something massively wrong with this, I will not live like this anymore,” McMahon says.
If this is true, that is approximately $2,500 PER YEAR for each band member to live on. McMahon isn’t exactly specific about whether this means per year, or total though either figure would put his band’s members below the poverty line.
This is mind blowing if you have never seen a band’s financials before. Thy Art Is Murder have played the Download Festival, which has tens of thousands of people in attendance, they have consistently toured all year long, and they have a sizeable fan base. For all of that, McMahon says he has nothing to show for it.
“I will not live like this anymore. I’m sorry to my fans that I have to go, I have loved you all and I thank you for believing in me supporting me,” he said.
Thy Art Is Murder has over 400,000 fans on Facebook, which ranks among some of the most followed heavy metal bands in the world.
“The money made from my closing down sale of my clothing label will be going to my wedding, I will also be selling my Northface stage jacket I have worn the last two years on stage via eBay soon to try to pay for my wedding for the people interested, again thank you for the love and support”
It’s heartbreaking to imagine that he has to sell his stage jacket to pay for his wedding. This is a brutal reality for those to face who are looking to pursue a full time career in the music industry.
The financial burden of being a touring musician seems to cause many to place an expiration date on their dream.
Sadly, even reaching this level in the music industry does not offer a sustainable income to any members of the band. According to McMahon, with the yearly income each member receives from the band, they are living well below the poverty level.
“We have earned between $16k-$18k each over 6-7 years, I feel there is something massively wrong with this, I will not live like this anymore,” McMahon says.
If this is true, that is approximately $2,500 PER YEAR for each band member to live on. McMahon isn’t exactly specific about whether this means per year, or total though either figure would put his band’s members below the poverty line.
This is mind blowing if you have never seen a band’s financials before. Thy Art Is Murder have played the Download Festival, which has tens of thousands of people in attendance, they have consistently toured all year long, and they have a sizeable fan base. For all of that, McMahon says he has nothing to show for it.
“I will not live like this anymore. I’m sorry to my fans that I have to go, I have loved you all and I thank you for believing in me supporting me,” he said.
Thy Art Is Murder has over 400,000 fans on Facebook, which ranks among some of the most followed heavy metal bands in the world.
“The money made from my closing down sale of my clothing label will be going to my wedding, I will also be selling my Northface stage jacket I have worn the last two years on stage via eBay soon to try to pay for my wedding for the people interested, again thank you for the love and support”
It’s heartbreaking to imagine that he has to sell his stage jacket to pay for his wedding. This is a brutal reality for those to face who are looking to pursue a full time career in the music industry.
The financial burden of being a touring musician seems to cause many to place an expiration date on their dream.
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