Is Being in a Rock Band a Bad Career Choice?

Sometimes I come across pretty funny things online. Last night, I stumbled upon a forum where someone was asking if it was a wise move to choose "rock star" as a career path, much like doctor or ditch digger. I'm not sure you pick "rock band" or "rock star" as a career. Both are sort of the antithesis of a career. After all, most musicians say they joined bands to avoid working lame jobs in the first place! Still, to say success is less than guaranteed in the rock world is probably overstating expectations. Fact is, not very many people make enough money off music to live comfortably. Also, I think if you have to ask if it's a smart career move, music for the long haul probably isn't for you.

Let me be clear: I'm not mocking the poor 18 year old who started the thread. He even mentioned dressing up like an 80s rocker which sort of made my heart soar. Most people gave the kid some great advice: stay passionate about music, but stay in school and get a job, too. Quite frankly, I don't know what I would tell someone that came to me specifically for advice regarding a full time career in music. I'd probably tell them to go to dental school. I have said as much when people have told me they want a career in print/online/television journalism. After all, dental school is just a few years above regular college, the hours are decent and the pay is good enough to allow for multiple rock n' roll vacations.

I don't meant to sound negative here. The fact of it is, the people who make it in music break all the rules. They live on stale bread and cigarettes, put endless miles on an already worn out car and travel across the country, playing for anyone who will listen. I certainly don't have the cojones to make it as a rock star. Then again, I don't have the talent either. I guess that's why I admire my favorite musicians so much: they never asked how. They just did.

Oh Dear: Live Nation/Ticketmaster Merger Approved

Here's a detailed article on the merger via Reuters with additional reporting from Dan Margolies. The bolding is mine.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ticketmaster Entertainment and the world's largest concert promoter, Live Nation, completed their merger on Monday after agreeing with U.S. antitrust officials to divest some assets.

The new Live Nation Entertainment will own more than 140 concert venues globally, sell around 140 million tickets a year and promote 22,000 concerts annually. The U.S. Justice Department required Ticketmaster to license its primary ticketing software to a competitor, sell off one ticketing unit, and agree to be barred from retaliating against venue owners who use a competing ticket service.The combination had attracted opposition from artists, fans, competitors and some lawmakers, concerned the new company could dictate the terms for major events. Some antitrust experts had predicted the government might go to court to try to block the deal.

"I was prepared to litigate at any and all points, until a settlement was achieved that efficiently dealt with all our anti-competitive concerns," Christine Varney, head of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, told reporters on Monday. Varney said she expected to see ticket prices decline as a result of the settlement. Investors welcomed the settlement, sending shares of Live Nation up 14.7 percent to close at $10.51 on the New York Stock Exchange. Ticketmaster shares rose 15.8 percent to finish at 15.40 in regular trading on Nasdaq.

At those prices the all-stock deal would be worth $835 million. The new company will trade under the "LYV" symbol on the NYSE. "The conditions seem to be relatively benign," said Tuna Amobi, equity analyst at Standard & Poor's. "There are no major divestitures required. I don't know that is going to create the kind of even, competitive field that was intended."

Live Nation and Ticketmaster had made some forays into each other's turf, giving the combination elements of both a vertical and horizontal merger.Ticketmaster also owns Front Line Management, the leading artist management firm founded by Ticketmaster Chief Executive Officer Irving Azoff. Its roster of 200-plus artists includes The Eagles and Miley Cyrus.

Live Nation owns major venues like the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles and the House of Blues chain, and has long-term contracts with top artists like Madonna, U2, Jay-Z and Nickelback.

Although a relatively small combination in U.S. business terms, some had come to view the deal as a test case for the Obama administration's pledge to get tough on mergers.

"I will be keeping a very close eye on this settlement as we go forward," Varney said. "You can probably expect to see three competitors and generally when you see robust competition you see prices coming down."

The agreement will last for ten years. Seventeen states joined in the settlement and Canada has a parallel pact imposing similar conditions on the deal. TicketDisaster.org, a coalition of competitors and others that had opposed the merger, said monitoring of the new company would be crucial.

"It all comes down to whether (the Justice Department) will indeed be the watchdog they claim they will be," said Seth Hurwitz, chairman of I.M.P., which owns the 9:30 Club, and operates the Merriweather Post Pavilion, both in the Washington D.C. area. Ticketmaster will be required to license its primary ticketing software to Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), the second-largest concert promoter and operator of major venues. Within five years, AEG can either buy the software, create its own or partner with another competitor.

Additionally, Ticketmaster will also have to sell its Paciolan Inc ticketing unit. It already has a letter of intent from Comcast Corp's Comcast Spectacor, a sports and entertainment company. Paciolan could be sold to another buyer that the Justice Department finds suitable, the agency said. Under the merger terms, Ticketmaster shareholders would receive 1.384 shares of Live Nation common stock for each share of Ticketmaster. Live Nation would own 49.99 percent of the combined company, while Ticketmaster would hold the remaining 50.01 percent.

So, what do you think this means for us, the lowly ticket buyers? I'm hopeful prices won't go much higher. Then again, I wasn't born yesterday and I didn't just fall off a turnip truck...

Download Announcing 9 Bands Today

If I had money, I'd totally travel to Europe for Download. That and Sweden Rock are two fests I've obsessed over for years...and it seems like I'm never going to get there. By the time I get it together, I'll be geriatric and not able to handle a pit. I digress. Later today, Download officials will announce their first batch of confirmed bands. The fest takes place June 11-13 and is the 30th anniversary of rock events at Donnington Park (Leicestershire, UK).

Who will headline? Well, I'm not sure but most people seem to think AC/DC sure is logical and that would be huge! Other guesses are Steel Panther, Scorpions, Them Crooked Vultures, Bullet for My Valentine and Soundgarden. I'm sure the nine bands announced later today will rule and I'm so jealous of my UK based-readers that are already planning on attending this year's event. As always, when the lineup is announced, I'll post it here and also in the message board area for easy reference.

****First confirmed bands:****

AC/DC
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
THEM CROOKED VULTURES
DEFTONES
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
MEGADETH
MOTÖRHEAD
WOLFMOTHER
VOLBEAT

Motley Crue at Download 2009

Cinderella to Tour in 2010

I knew for awhile Cinderella was inked to play the M3 festival near Baltimore in June but was always skeptical the band would go out on a full fledged tour. I figured Cinderella would try to do a series of fly-in festival dates to protect Tom Keifer's voice. Well, I guess I was wrong. In fact, a lot of my friends asked me if Cinderella would tour and I always said "I doubt it." Well, Cinderella's manager posted a bulletin on the band's website just a few hours ago announcing a tour. Here's the statement:

It is with great excitement that Cinderella announces the band's return to the concert road in 2010!!! The band has been in heavy rehearsal the past two months and has never sounded better...or Tom Keifer's voice stronger! Look for dates, and a tour, to be announced very, very shortly! Tim Heyne, Cinderella Management

I actually contacted Cinderella's management about an interview before this tour announcement, so it's great timing. I'll be sure to get the scoop on all this. I have no idea when dates will be announced or who the band will hit the road with, but I think this is going to be a great summer!

"Night Songs" live from 1991

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Quit Complaining! You Just Got the Lineup You Wanted!

When M3 announced their full lineup yesterday, I was stoked. I've never seen the Scorpions and that was good enough for me. Throw in Kix, Cinderella and Vince Neil - and seriously - what else do you need? To my amazement, there were tons of negative comments on the official M3 Facebook, complaining about the quality of bands. Seriously?

I'm not sure who people want at these fests. It is simply not feasible to get AC/DC, Metallica, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and Guns n' Roses to play one day back - to - back. Actually, let me rephrase that: it's possible, but you won't want to pay for it.

Bands with million+ guarantees rarely headline festivals - American events at least - because they don't have to and they are too expensive. Yes, Motley is a headline-level band, but for a massive fest, as evidenced by Rock on the Range last year. You're not going to get Motley, Guns n' Roses, the Scorps and Cinderella all in one day at a smaller, newer event. It's just not good business. Think of this: M3 is able to produce Scorps, Cinderella, Kix and Vince for a pretty reasonable rate. While we don't yet know ticketing costs, last year I think a pit ticket was something like $70. That is dirt cheap for over a dozen bands. These days, you pay that or more to see one headline act.

The good news is that we're in a free market and no one is forcing you to attend a festival with what you believe to be a sub par lineup. Vote with your money - that's the American way! Still, I don't really think it's fair to openly complain about a lineup that produces most of the bands 80s fans have been begging for the past three or four years. I eat, sleep and breathe glam. By now, you should get that I hear things: both credible and otherwise and beyond that, I listen. Not just to labels and bands but to fans. Who has everyone asked for at Rocklahoma repeatedly? The Scorpions and Cinderella. Well, now you've got them at M3. I guess I understand if you don't like some of the side stage bands, but the chances of getting a lineup where every band is a personal fave is just slim to none. For me, I'm staying positive and excited. I've got a lot of friends meeting me at M3 in June and I can't wait. Maybe I'll even interview the Scorpions. I mean, why not? I'd certainly rather be having an awesome time than complaining. End of rant.

M3 Band Announcement - Friday

All this week, 98 Rock in Baltimore is supposed to announce a band playing the 2010 installment of the M3 Festival in Columbia, Maryland at the Merriweather Post Pavilion. Last Friday, it was announced the festival would be June 19. So far, Kix, Vince Neil, Warrant, LA Guns (Phil's version),Winger, Cinderella and Jetboy are officially slated to perform. Today, 98 Rock just confirmed the Scorpions. Trixter is also listed on Pollstar.

Update: ok - here's the official lineup:

Scorpions
Cinderella
Vince Neil
Kix
Winger
L.A. Guns
Warrant
Nelson
Trixter
Jetboy
Dizzy Reed
Bang Tango
Z02
Black Mambooza

You can always check the lineup on the my message board. This should be the complete lineup. Follow Bring Back Glam! on Twitter.

Is 'Nothing Else Matters' a Glam Power Ballad?

The fact of the matter is, none of us can clearly define metal. What is metal to me, isn't metal to you and vice versa. As time marches on, the classification of what is metal changes but what was once metal usually remains in the category. Proof? Def Leppard started as metal, but they are not the same band today. Metallica started as aggressive thrash and now they are radio friendly. Quiet Riot was a metal band but most people lump them in the Glam category because of their roots to the Sunset Strip. The crux of the matter is that no one really knows what is up or down because it's all too complicated. Reporters like to pigeonhole bands by a certain sound and we all buy into it - usually to chaos. I write about a band like, say, Drowning Pool once in awhile because they are touring with a Glam band (like Motley Crue), and it panics readers. So, ok. I think about this from time to time but today I was wondering...is it possible that Metallica created a true Glam power ballad in "Nothing Else Matters?"

Featured on Metallica's 1991 self-titled album, "Nothing Else Matters" was maybe the most played song at every dance through my entire Jr./Sr. high school career. The song was an official single around 1992, but just had amazing staying power throughout the 90s and beyond. I never considered the song Glam at the time, but now I do think the song utilizes some of the same hallmarks of the traditional power ballad: guitar interludes, themes that can be taken many ways and a video that phases between the highs and lows of a rockstar's life. Seems pretty Glam to me - then again, past Master of Puppets, Metallica was never really a heavy band anyway. What do you think?

Nothing Else Matters

Metallica | MySpace Music Videos