Over on David Gans’ blog, Playback, Steve Marcus, former head of Grateful Dead Ticketing weighs in on the economics of the band.
When the Dick’s Pick’s series was started each one sold about 25,000 units, but in the last few years that has dropped to 10,000 or less (which is why the Fillmore boxed set was limited to 10,000. Hind sight is most likely now telling GDP that they could have easily sold 25,000.)
Offering a new Dead Download every month is NOT going to make any one rich, and the fact is that because of the way that the band ran their business none of them are rich in the true sense of the word. Some of them put away their money and invested, but I would be very surprised if any them are worth more than $15,000,000.
15 mil! That hardly buys anything in Marin, today.