The Truth and Pain of Stand-Up Economics

It takes a lot to be a comic. To have the courage to tell jokes in front of a crowd that may or may not completely flop. To take a chance and try to make someone’s night a little bit better. But there are also a lot of monetary chances that comedians take in an attempt to make it big. From marketing, to paying a comedy club to let you practice your material on a crowd, there is a lot of money that goes into being a comedian. And that’s before most are able to see even a cent in profit. The time, money, and energy that goes into making a good set cannot be overstated.

Even if you do manage to gather up some jokes that do great on stage, they could stop being funny at any time. What people find funny depends on the city your in, the political climate of the area, or even the entire country. A joke could be doing great in front of one crowd, and totally flop in front of another. Even after having to continuously come up with jokes that keep with the times, if you have a great joke, people could take it and use it out. There has been a lot of talk about how some well known comedians have taken jokes from other comedians, which has led to little legal action, since it is difficult to copyright a joke.

Many comedians have landed themselves in hot water due to “borrowing jokes”, Amy Schumer is one infamous example. But there is little to no way for people that originally coined a joke to gain anything from legal action. So, why do many people invest so much in a job that may not ever lead to them making any money? Are there ways that comedians can protect their jokes? How?


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Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 19, 2019 at 8:22 PM

    This was a really interesting article! I completely agree that there is a huge risk in stand up comedy, as audiences could vary from place to place and from time to time. This is very true for musicians as well; some audiences may not be as engaged with the performers while others may love artists that they have never listened to before. If people were trying to become stand up comedians, for the first couple months or even years, they would have to pay for their own transportation and housing, which is a huge commitment. Therefore, recently, many have asked for donations to help pursue their passion. However, this does not solve the other risks that come with stand up.
    https://laughspin.com/equity-in-comedy-how-financial-struggles-limit-comedian-upstarts-and-how-we-can-help-opinion/

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