Rock Star Etiquette?
Monday, December 30, 2013 at 12:01AM
A few months ago, I attended a show on the Tom Keifer/John Corabi tour. The show was amazing and both guys really 'brought it' that night.
Now, I have seen Keifer several times (all previously with Cinderella), but this time was something different, as Keifer had a renewed energy playing his solo material. I had seen Corabi once before, but he was solid as well, and quite simply has an amazing and powerful voice.
My issue was with the merch table. Now we all know many of these bands largely support themselves on tour by the money they make off of the merch table. Specifically, John Corabi was selling his acoustic CD for $15 at the table. I pulled out my iPhone and logged onto iTunes and saw that I could purchase the same album for $9.99. However, I was impressed with his performance and thought to myself, "I'll pick one up when he comes out and get it signed." I kept an eye on the table throughout Keifer's set, and even hung around for a while after the show was over, but John never appeared at the merch table, or anywhere else. As such, I left without purchasing the CD, and in all honesty, I never got around to purchasing it otherwise.
What offended me was how the CD was MORE expensive when buying it at the show as opposed to ordering it, when there was no added value in doing so. It seemed like a way an artist was attempting to take advantage of fans in attendance. If you want to sell your product to your fans at a premium, I think there should be some added value to the purchase. Come out with a sharpie, shake some hands and meet the fans. I wouldn't have taken that long (as there were maybe 300 total in attendance and about 200 or so of those left immediately after Keifer's set). But instead, he stayed in the backstage area and offered for sale a product that was available for $5 cheaper with no incentive to spend the extra money. I would have been happy to have purchased if he was out there greeting fans (like L.A. Guns does after every show), but there was nothing.
Again, I'm wondering if I was simply being over sensitive, or was John wrong? Should he have lowered the price of the CD to match the cost elsewhere, or should he have come out and helped 'sell' the more expensive CDs?
Reader Comments (46)
As far as the CD being overpriced, that's bad business on the Corabi team, as I'm sure he didn't have a lot of say in the pricing. But can you fault them for wanting to make a few bucks? As you said, artists support themselves off the merch table.
As I type, I realize I'm contradicting myself. In this digital age, it is becoming more difficult for artists to make money in the traditional way, i.e., CD sales. So I'm thinking that an actual CD is probably worth more than a digital download.
But my first purchases were 8 tracks. So I've seen the progression from 8 track to cassette to CD to digital. A CD costs more to produce than a digital download.
Just something to think about.
They also only pay the artist on 90% of all sales, based on archaic "breakage" clauses in distribution contracts, even though there is no tangible product to break in a digital store.
Actual CD's cost money to master, art costs money for printing,CD's cost money for pressing,& shipping. All costs the digital store doesn't have to incur.
It's not a case of the artist pocketing a few extra bucks , or taking advantage, it's a case of you getting an inferior product from an uncaring monopolist vendor, who's got the artist over a barrel with it's "Our way or the highway" attitude & policies. As for Corabi not sitting at the merch table, just because the performance is over doesn't mean his job is done. many times, that is the artist's time that he has to chase down the club manager or owner, trying to get paid. Many a unscrupulous club owner will be unsatisfied with the attendance numbers,& try to withold contracted, guaranteed funds from an act. It happens more often than it doesn't. So, don't take it out on the artists you supposedly like, buy the CD. Directly from the artist, if possible! It's the only way they'll get anything close to the value for their art. And, your $15 might be the difference between them eating or not, that night.
I don't consider myself ignorant at all. I work hard for my money. Why would I pay extra money for something when there is no added value to me? If I bought the physical cd, I would have ripped it to iTunes and tucked the physical copy away somewhere. As a result, the net effect is the same to me. However, if he came out for half an hour and signed, I'd have a cool souvenir from the show.
I supported John by purchasing a ticket and attending the show. Beyond that, it is not my practice to just give my money away.
P.S If you are talking about his "Unplugged" CD you should reconsider, it's really good.
I didn't mean to imply that you thought that. I was trying to say that I've read nothing but good things about him. So it would seem out of character for him to intentionally ignore the fans.
As for John NOT coming out, again, might have been in the contract about being at the merch table when Tom was on and/or he just didn't see movement out there in disc buying. Not sure, but John is pretty fan friendly. This observation is strictly from me working with him on several plus shows back here. Good guy, you'd be hard pressed to find a more gracious artist.
First off, "pretty" fan friendly would be an accurate description of Corabi. He is an absolute prince most of the time but can be a dick sometimes. I noticed this on The Monsters of Rock Cruise when I observed him displaying an air of superiority over a fan.
As for the main debate, Bri, huh-uh-lo-oh, the CD costs more because it's a physical, tangible product. You get the physical permanent item to admire the album graphics, credits and liner notes in the flesh or put on the coffee table as a coaster or store away. The iTunes download is in the cloud.
If a CD is something I REALLY want for collecting purposes, I'll splurge for it. If not and I just want to listen to it, I'll download it on iTunes.
As for Corabi comin' out, I'm goin' with Sweet Lou (great to have you back, Brother) and Ace Steele, even though Corabi CAN be a dick sometimes, hahaha!!!
Are you being oversensitive to what Corabi is doing? Maybe a little. He's trying to make a living so more power to him if people want to shell out for his merch. If he finds that he's not selling any, he'll probably need to adjust the price anyway.
For my money, one of the coolest things that bands can do is to make soundboard recordings of the show available for download a day or two after the show. I realize it takes a certain size of band to pull it off, but if the option is available, I always buy it.
It was all about you,you,you. What YOU wanted.
The artist is out on the road trying to make a living & make ends meet/
Some people want the physical CD signed or not, as I said in previous comments on this post, for the graphics, photography, liner notes, etc. Just ask Kenny O and DJ.
Outsider, you are indeed, the toiletry item here. Did you even read Ace's insights in his earlier comments as to why Corabi may not be signing.