Recently I blogged about a band that was charging $250.00 to hang out with them!
Now, I read that Skillet, a Christian rock band, is charging fans $165.00 to hang out with them all day at the venue, get a 30 minute acoustic set, listen to the bands new CD (Which they will then hopefully buy) and listen to sound check (any one that has ever been present at a sound check knows that the band should pay the fans for that!!!) A quote from one of their fans: They came down and just were hanging out with us, it was really cool.”
WOW. Now people have to pay for what was once considered a part of the job.
I think back to a time when I was walking out of a Bruce Springsteen show at the Uptown Theater. My car was parked near the backstage door, and Bruce was out there signing autographs and talking to anyone that came up to him. His road manager and I were talking, until he said to Bruce “Hey, it’s getting late. We need to head back to the hotel.”
Bruce turned to the crowd, and said,” Anyone here have a car and can drive me back to the hotel?” Someone, of course volunteered, and Bruce spent another hour hanging out and talking to whoever was still sticking around, then jumped in a fans pickup truck and headed to his hotel.
He didn’t charge anyone anything!!!!