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)
You would rather just download the album if he's not available to sign the CD.
It's not something to hold against the guy, even though I'm on record as witnessing an incident where I thought he was being a d*ck, though I know you don't think of him that way.
End of story.
But again, I'm probably over thinking it. It just seems to make a HUGE difference when bands like LA Guns do it.
He's a cool dude even when he's drunk in the case of Rock In America after party.
It was just a night he wasnt into meet n greeting.
I always make a point of buying merch from any club touring bands CD, shirt whatever if its signed even better because I know it helps them eat and pay for gas and hopefully keep them wanting to be on the road.
Are you delusional enough to think that after an artist performs he or she owes you to come out and sign an autograph OR WORSE, listen to the same "I met you here" and "Do you remember [insert show here] when you...and I...?" bullsh*t.
And your eventual responses of "he/she's" playing a shitty little club" are moot points. Does it matter that the artist is playing "Manny's Pizza and Porn Shop" or the L.A.Forum? They owe us the fans NOTHING, but the best performance possible. You buy because you WANT the merchandise, NOT because you think the cat NEEDS your $15 bucks for a disc or a t-shirt or because they OWE you to autograph the merch. I've watched a LOT of artist PRE sign things that no one buys because it's not the same as if they signed right in front of them. So is it about the "autograph" or meeting and slobbering all over someone that will forget you quicker than droppin' that 20 bucks on some weed later that night.
What you have described is a matter of personal buying preference -- whether to pay $9.99 for the download or $15 for the CD. Personally, I prefer the CD for the physical aspect of it (plus I am getting older). Even if it was $10 to buy the CD via Amazon vs. $15 at the concert, there is still the immediacy of the purchase (rather than waiting, plus you don't change your mind later and potentially miss out altogether), so if it is a good CD I might pay the "extra" to buy it then (although in all likelihood I probably have already purchased it by the time I get to the show).
I do not expect the artist to do something "extra" to convince me to buy it other than put out a quality product, and hopefully put on a kick ass show that evening. And, given how little money I know many of the artists are making and the short shelf-life many may have as performers, I may opt to pay the couple extra bucks knowing that I am giving it directly to the band rather than Apple. I do think expecting the artist to "do something extra" to justify the CD price (unless crazily jacked up and $15 for a CD hardly seems to meet that test) is a little demeaning. Having said that, if I were an artist knowing full well my autograph actually had no meaningful resale value and I could make $15 directly with the CD sale rather than hope for a few cents via Apple, plus I knew I could make a fan's night, damn right I would be out there autographing everything in sight. However, I do not begrudge the $15 price for the CD at the show.
Way to ring in the New Year!
p.s. In all fairness to Corabi, he is a uber talented Bad*ss who's got a killer voice and gives his all on stage. I had the privilege of being kissed on the cheek by the guy after The Monster's of Rock Cruise Cinderella & Friends show he basically fronted with Le Bar when I approached him, calling him "Outlaw" (referencing The Scream's best song) and complimenting him on how he successfully winged their performance of Free's "All Right Now". Yet it was hours before that, where I witnessed him acting like a weenus toward a fan. Therefore, he gets part-time d*ck status. Just an anecdote relating to The Insiders' comments. Though I agree with much of what you say in theory, nothing like heartfelt adulation to make a performer genuinely care, as demonstrated by the Corabi kiss, which I actually felt like wiping off, hahaha!!! One thing you ARE right about... And in Corabi's defense... He won't remember, primarily because he like most "Rockstars" meet so many people all over the world, it's hard to keep track. Unless you're an ultra-hot chick. He just shouldn't diss anyone face-to-face who came to see him is all. Oh, well, Welcome To Rock & Roll High School!
Yes, buying a ticket and attending a show is supporting an artist.
No, I do not think he OWES us and needs to come out. It is his choice. My point is he is charging 50% more for (almost) the same product as is available elsewhere (because I buy the music and generally don't care about packaging). To me, it seemed like if he was going to charge this much more, perhaps he would come out to sign. It isn't as if he just completed a back breaking set. It was 40 minutes sitting down. So there was no reason for me to pay a premium for a product with no discernible differences. He did not owe us his presence...but had he shown up for 20-30 minutes, I'm positive he would have sold more copies than he did.
But just like he doesn't owe me anything, nor do I owe him anything. I don't have to buy the higher priced cd or the cd at all. I bought my ticket and he got paid for his performance. TRANSACTION COMPLETE. If he wants me to drop more money on his product, he needs to (1) price it reasonably considering the marketplace or (2) make me want to purchase the product at a premium. He did neither.
I didn't miss any point. Thanks for the passive aggressiveness though. Someone and it may have been or you agreed, that they'll only purchase if it's going to be signed. Also YOU say it was DOUBLE the price of the download...WRONG. Maybe if you weren't a douche people wouldn't be a douche to you. I don't know any of you personally here, I work with a lot of artist big and small and see from the "inside". Unlike Ace, who gives some really cool inside things, I pick and chose when and what I post. Now much like Ace,who you pointed out becomes a douche when not agreed with; I shoot from the hip as well, BUT I haven't seen him do that unless he's responding to a douche, i.e., YOU. Of course I understood the question of the actual post,"Am I being too sensitive?" and some responses seemed to be about the "fan" and the Artist owing them to come out and sign. Come out to UP the "sales" if you will...YOU are being OVER THE TOP SENSETIVE and not thinking CLEARLY for a "writer" who is supposed to be objective.
YOU chose to write here, so if someone wants to show their point of disrespecting what you wrote; YOU signed up for it, so take it.
I'll break it down for you.
1. John plays short set at club
2. John sells cd for $15, same is available for $9.99 online (which is a 50% increase....check the comment).
3. John is charging more for the same product, and this night, I did not see many buying (including myself).
4. I think if he came out, he would have sold more.
Bottom line is John is in the business of selling himself as an artist. My point is that I do not think he was being effectual. Do I need an acoustic album of songs I've heard before....not really, but I may have purchased had he been out and greeting people. He did not owe anyone that. Nor did I expect it. Clearly, his set alone, while good, was not enough to make me buy the album. I never said I would ONLY purchase an album if it was signed. Hell, I bought the Iron Reagen cd at a show last weekend simply because they were amazing live.
This is not a news site, and opinions are welcomed. My subsequent post was about my top 5 albums of 2013...strictly opinion.
And I never once called Ace a douche. I read his comments and respected his opinions. I'm not even calling you a douche. I do, however, think you greatly minunderstood the point behind the initial post and the comments that followed. It is about economics and business practices generally not about 'John owing the fans.' I hope this comment has sufficiently cleared up misconception that you apparently have with this topic.
I'm gonna give you the outside scoop. It was me that called Ace a douche, not Brian C.