Apr 25
RyanMerch, Touring e-commerce, iphone, merch, touring
I’ve toured and dealt with a few artists who were able to take credit card at the merch table, and to the best of my knowledge their sales have increased at any given show. However, the hassle at the end of the tour when the transaction fees and invoices from the service company are tabulated sometimes leads to the red instead of the black. Given how hard it is to make a tour profitable, this is yet another thing to consider before you hit the road.
So, with that in mind, I’m wondering if anyone has tried Square*? It seems like a simple and lovely little device, and the act of signing for the transaction by using a thumbprint has got to add a cool factor to your sales at any given city. Plus, there are way less things to deal with like receipts, credit card number records, etc… All of which could easily end up in the couch you slept on at Joe and Jane Smith’s bohemian apartment while you were in Calgary. Not good.
*Sadly, it seems their services are only available in the US at the moment, which would suggest to me that a Canadian company should really get in on this!
Mar 03
RyanOf Interest black keys, touring
Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll is not the story for most people in the music industry, and it rarely is the tale told by those who love the musicians that are out chasing the dream and living the “good” life.
As someone involved with the rise of the Black Keys, and the fall of her relationship with its drummer, Patrick Carney, Denise Grollmus details the sad, and yet familiar, tale of a relationship that fell apart quicker than an old band shirt.
It may not help get your band on a stadium tour, but it does bring a more human element to a lifestyle too often written out of fantasy.
Snapshots from a rock ‘n’ roll marriage (salon.com)
Feb 27
RyanOf Interest, The Business beyoncé, godspeed you! black emperor, libya, live show, mariah carey, rolling stone, touring, usher
It seems the recent events in Libya have led to some people in the music industry questioning the performance decisions of such big stars as Beyoncé, Usher and Mariah Carey. In the past, all of them played for the current ruler everyone loves to hate, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, and/or members of his family.
Industry Lashes Out at Mariah, Beyoncé and Others Who Played for Qaddafi’s Family (rollingstone.com)
Given the apparent trend of musicians moving to 360 deals with large music corporations, and the use of product tie-ins to see a recording move a few more units, what else is left? Sure, there remain the acts that will not bite at the big fish because they know there is an equally big hook beneath it, but those artists are getting smaller in number, and the reasoning against such deals is getting weaker as the industry falters. So if playing for a big corporation is alright now, is playing for a dictator the new “selling-out”?
Of course, according to acts like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, simply being involved with one of the majors leads to connections with bomb makers such as Lockheed Martin. Is that any better than doing a one-off show for a ruler that buys those bombs?
Plus, given how nice America and so many other countries were with Libya before the recent uprising (and, to some extent, even during), can one really judge a touring artist for who they played for in the past? Should artists, labels, agents and so many others involved be expected to keep abreast of political movements, relations and ethics? In a case like China, which has a terrible human rights history, should the people of that country be denied a performance from such big acts because their leader has questionable practices?
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