I think Royce is onto the general trend of touring in the modern era. It used to be to advertise and sell a record. But with record sales being what they are, the touring industry is becoming another revenue stream for artists to make and keep some more money. But it is not cheap to tour. The gear, the personel, the trucking , the hotels, the salaries. You can see where this is going. It should be clear why labels are doing every thing they can to get into the pocket of artists who are left to tour for the money alone. And that means cutting the fat out of every touring budget. Systems get smaller, personel are required to do double duty, and as you might have seen on other boards around the industry, there are a lot of younger guys coming into the business of touring who will do it for less that the veterans will. When managers start getting to the point where the 15 or 20 percent of an artist isn't enough, the artists will go away. And they will find the next schmuck who fits the costume.
There are very few artists left who can fill an arena anymore, never mind a stadium. The only ones who can are either veterans, who's fan base has stayed with them economically. (The Eagles, U2, The Rolling Stones, etc.) Or the artists who live and die in a 4 year career cycle and have the fans parents buy the tickets and all the merch. It's not about music or artists anymore. That day is long gone. If the concerts are for the audience, there would be more of a reason to hire and pay personel with a proven track record. If you get a guy on stage left who can start and stop a multitrack session, why would you need anything else? It would just cost more money for an audience that isn't sophisticated enough to want to see or hear live music.
