Why it took Genesis 10 years to break even on tour
Genesis built much of their career around live performances, but the band’s early years onstage were uncertain and financially difficult. Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks recall that it took them about ten years of touring to break even, showing how long it could take a developing band to make touring pay.
The musicians discussed their live history in 2009, when Genesis reissued recordings spanning 1973 to 2007 in a remastered box set with 5.1 surround sound. Rutherford said audiences were the band’s strength, while Banks recalled that their first proper gig, at Brunel University, left them unsure how to arrange the stage or structure a set. Their 2007 reunion tour also required a year of preparation, including adapting modern instruments to recreate older sounds.
- Genesis relied heavily on live audiences.
- Their first gig was nerve-racking and unstructured.
- The 2007 reunion tour took a year to prepare.
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Genesis are a British rock band formed in the late 1960s, with Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks among their long-standing members. Like many bands starting out, they had to build an audience through repeated live shows, while paying the costs of travelling and performing.
Touring does not guarantee a profit: early audiences may be small, and equipment, transport and other expenses can absorb the money a band earns. Genesis’s experience gives a sense of how long it can take a developing group to establish itself and make live performances financially sustainable.