I hear a lot of stories of lower mid level acts just giving up on touring - which after the collapse of album sales was the only way to make money. As with everything, corporate parasites slowly extract all value leaving the actual people doing the work with less and less.

Very little risk. Laughable in most countries. C-Suite accountability translating to truly damaging punishment, like jail time, is almost nil.

Hundreds - even thousands - depending on the act they open for. A lot of mid level acts use this to supplement tour money because the live nation monopoly and other consolidation factors have driven venue costs and other touring expenses through the roof. This has become pretty standard practice.