C/D: Bands Selling "VIP Experience" Tickets and other similar cash grabs

I posted on my Facebook about how Testament, an '80s-era thrash band of some renown, was selling the following VIP Experience ticket to a show in my area this week for the princely sum of $121 (normal tickets are $29.50 each):

* Pre-show meet and greet with members of Testament
* Photos with members of Testament
* Special VIP collector pass
* 8x10 photo of Testament
* 1 Merchandise item
* Discount Coupon for online shopping
* All VIP purchasers will receive a raffle ticket, 2 Lucky raffle drawing winners per show will get
to watch a portion of Testament ' s set side stage with the opportunity to sing back ground vocals
on Into The PIT!!!
* All VIP purchaser's will be in an end of the tour drawing for a signature Eric Peterson Dean
guitar signed by Testament.

A fellow ILM poster said "disgusting... fuck any band who does this shit."

I responded:

I disagree because bands don't make money from record companies anymore and with gas prices rising and venues taking a percentage of merchandise dollars, they need to make money in other ways and nobody is making fans pay for it. However, there is a caveat: If a band turns away people who see them for autographs or photos at venues with the attitude of "you need to pay for that," then fuck them. Some athletes won't sign anything or pose for a picture unless they are getting paid by some card show and that bothers me, but not the concept of getting paid for it in general.

He responded: "Its exploiting fans."

I disagreed. You cannot exploit the willing.

Then a couple more people said this disgusted them and left me all alone on my side.

Now, let me be clear: I would not want to do this if I was in a band. I guess I just don't have any problem with bands selling these kinds of packages. If you don't want to buy a VIP ticket, don't buy one. But it gives a fan a chance to get a bunch of cool things and a personal memory with a band or artist they like if they choose to do so.

I mean... Isn't this better than some fat roadie offering backstage passes to girls who'll suck his cock? That was the old model for how fans could meet their idols.

And yeah... Bands shouldn't be idols, punk rock aesthetic noted. It might seem odd if, say, Ian MacKaye did this! But it's not like the band in question (or others that I have seen do this including very large superstar bands that play outdoor sheds every summer) have a philosophical stance in their lyrics or politics that might make this practice hypocritical.

Anyway, my vote is: I don't love this but I cannot bother to be outraged about it.

They had this at the BOC 40th anniversary show. Would I have paid for that option if I'd had the dough? I... maybe?

(as it happened it worked out fine since I blew Allen Lanier and got all-access)

I've had the opportunity to do this stuff but I think it's gross, but not to a "fuck these people for doing this" level - if people feel like paying for access, whatever, free country, etc. But I think it's a shitty way of addressing the can't-make-money-off-record-sales problem, and I feel sad for artists who do it more than disgusted. When I went to see Amy Grant there was a meet-and-greet option and I just thought...man...you don't offer meet-and-greets when you're selling out arenas, you do 'em when you miss that arena money. Really that's why outrage is misplaced: no artist except maybe Kiss does this just to grab extra cash. They do it because their paychecks got shrunk.

^^^

resenting people for resorting to this is nagl

this is par for the course now, isn't it? always think it must be a super-weird experience for the artist as well, given that the only fans they're gonna meet are either spoiled rich kids or super-obsessives.

This has been going on for many years though, hasn't it? I remember following Lemmy through one of these events in 2003. He (and Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee) basically made a single circuit of the room, shook everyone's hand, took a few photos, and was gone in 10 minutes.

Yeah, but meet & greets used to be done by the band at the request of the record company, the band didn't get paid for it, and the audience members they were meeting were radio competition winners, fan club members, etc., who hadn't paid to be there.

it's cool if Blue Oyster Cult does it, sucks if anyone else does it

Seems like these modern paid-for meet & greets would be massively awkward for the band and the paying customer. Fan:"I know you're only shaking my hand because I've paid $$$." Band:"We know you know that we're only shaking you're hand because you've paid $$$."

no artist except maybe Kiss does this just to grab extra cash.

Paradoxically it feels like Kiss are the only band who can do this and keep some sense of dignity. Maybe because their VIP packages still retain a sense of distance, and a certain business-like manner: sit in on the sound check, meet the band, get a bunch of stuff that you've paid for. Whereas VIP stuff like in the OP seem more like desperation.

KISS are such tools

new board descrip xp to m@tt

Seems like these modern paid-for meet & greets would be massively awkward for the band and the paying customer. Fan:"I know you're only shaking my hand because I've paid $$$." Band:"We know you know that we're only shaking you're hand because you've paid $$$."

I don't disagree w/ this but ppl seem to figure out how to conduct themselves in all the other walks of life which have these things. doesn't seem like it'd be any harder than (eg) doing an interview and answering rote, generic questions out of necessity

new board descrip xp to m@tt

― Julian-Joachim Roedelius (DJ Mencap), Monday, February 11, 2013 5:01 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that's pretty much the rule i live by

xp I guess I should have been a bit clearer. The fan and the band are only thinking those lines, not saying them out loud! Still be a super-awkward atmosphere though.

rihanna plane never forget

http://files.doobybrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/sex-house-ep-9.jpg

i sorta don't care when big acts playing stadiums do this kind of thing because those huge venues have box seats and crazy stuff like that anyway, and to go backstage for a really big act kind of is a neat elite kind of thing, if rich people wanna pay let 'em etc. but recently i saw fuckin' Citizen Cope doing an acoustic show in a club where you could pay $125 for special VIP tickets and ugh for some reason that just seems more gross to me.

See am I wrong or are a lot of bands basically employed by management companies, who put them on a wage and tell them what to do? Because if that's the case then it'll be the managers milking (sorry, "monetising") the band for all they can get. Actual musicians tend to have a lot less say about what goes on than people generally think, I reckon.

Not speaking personally for Testament here, maybe they're hard-nosed business dudes who are in total control of their own destinies. Doubt it though.

xp lol that's a little weird take to me. idk who Citizen Cope are but presumably they need the scratch more than say Kiss, who just want MORE money to show you...the locker room at the sports arena they're playing?

See am I wrong or are a lot of bands basically employed by management companies, who put them on a wage and tell them what to do?

this isn't how management works, btw. management works for the artist. some managers will push harder for stuff, or even threaten to quit if you don't give them the reins, but the manager works for the artist; any decisions made in the artist's name are on the artist, who is free to seek new management if he doesn't like the direction his act is taking.

Citizen Cope is a terrible adult alternative singer-songwriter dude who can headline sheds and does larger clubs even for his 'intimate' acoustic shows. mostly i'm just saddened that anyone might actually pay extra to see him backstage, whereas at least Paul Stanley is for better or worse still kind of a big deal.

this is gross as heck but I saw huge queues at my nearest theatre for both Jay Park and Hanson doing this and all those girls / ladies looked super happy about the experience

I almost did this for a Go-Go's show a couple of years ago and ended up not doing it because I couldn't justify the expanse. But those women are some of my personal heroes, so.

there is a great old paul krugman piece from the 90s where he makes predictions about the future and this is one of them:

The celebrity economy. The last of this century's great trends was noted by acute observers in 1996, yet somehow most people failed to appreciate it. Although business gurus were proclaiming the predominance of creativity and innovation over mere routine production, in fact the growing ease with which information could be transmitted and reproduced was making it ever harder for creators to profit from their creations. Today, if you develop a marvelous piece of software, by tomorrow everyone will have downloaded a free copy from the Net. If you record a magnificent concert, next week bootleg CDs will be selling in Shanghai. If you produce a wonderful film, next month high-quality videos will be available in Mexico City.

How, then, can creativity be made to pay? The answer was already becoming apparent a century ago: creations must make money indirectly, by promoting sales of something else. Just as auto companies used to sponsor Grand Prix racers to spice up the image of their cars, computer manufacturers now sponsor hotshot software designers to build brand recognition for their hardware. And the same is true for individuals. The royalties the Four Sopranos earn from their recordings are surprisingly small; mainly the recordings serve as advertisements for their arena concerts. The fans, of course, go to these concerts not to appreciate the music (they can do that far better at home) but for the experience of seeing their idols in person. Technology forecaster Esther Dyson got it precisely right in 1996: "Free copies of content are going to be what you use to establish your fame. Then you go out and milk it". In short, instead of becoming a Knowledge Economy we have become a Celebrity Economy.

someone should start this: http://www.thuzio.com/ for musicians

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.246675092036104.54466.149813205055627&type=3

In my experience, it's always the concert promoters that establish these VIP scenarios as a way to offset the cost of high guarantees that they're paying the artists. It's a way to recoup the guaranty using advance (and inflated ticket sales.)

Of course the artist or their management has to approve/go along with it. But I think it's something most do begrudgingly to keep the wheels turning.

I doubt it comes from a board meeting where the band says "how can we make an extra 15% at the next gig?" Unless it's KISS.

http://tinmanmerchandising.com/merch/images/QRY7002.jpg

wow, laminate AND lanyard!

you could probably even re-use that lanyard for other purposes, like walking around work like a jerk

Well those guys know their audience are obsessive nerds. There's nothing wrong with parting a fool from his money, right?

How about a thread for how much you'd have to be paid to hang out with Geoff Tate for a night?

lol

I can't lie I'd pay for the "watch Geoff Tate pull a knife on his bandmates" package

With the Platinum VIP Package you get the knife, maybe literally.

Paradoxically it feels like Kiss are the only band who can do this and keep some sense of dignity.

WTF?! From day one KISS was never about anything more than total, craven greed. Shocked they didn't call themselves KASH.

yeah i think he meant it's not any worse than what Kiss has done already, so it doesn't effect whatever low baseline of dignity they have.

Fleetwood Mac were doing this recently iirc, but you only got to meet mick.

I just booked one of these but I'm sending strongo to act as my "personal representative"

xp "only" for christ's sake

xp def think the representative from Corwood Industries shld get in on this, too

Someone I know bought the Manowar VIP package, which included a personal phone call from a member of the band. Unfortunately it was Donnie Hamzik rather than Joey DeMaio, but still. I can just imagine the poor guy, sighing his way through an endless list of Brazilian dudes and phoning them all one by one, wondering if maybe he should have stuck with the construction career instead.

Unfortunately it was Donnie Hamzik rather than Joey DeMaio

Having spoken to Joey DeMaio (the only interview subject who's ever hung up on me), I'd opt for Donnie (or anyone else) in a fucking minute.

I'm sure Joey was a dick don't get me wrong but hanging up on an interview you wanna bail on is kinda livin' the dream

xp "only" for christ's sake

don't get me wrong, i love mick, but...

Found another one that just annoyed me for some reason given the band stature combined with the hyperbolic not one, not two, but three separate VIP packages... Just in case you want to be a VVVIP or something...

http://www.adventuresinwonderland.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/bfmv-packpage.jpg

Package 1 - $100.00
· Concert Ticket
· Priority Early Entry Show Access
· Limited Edition Poster
· Bullet Gift Bag
· Official VIP Laminate
· Adventures in Wonderland Concierge

Package 2 - $165.00
· Concert Ticket
· Priority Early Entry Show Access
· Bullet for My Valentine Rubber Wristband
· Collectible BFMV Guitar Pick Tin Set
· Limited Edition Poster
· Bullet Gift Bag
· Official VIP Laminate
· Meet Bullet For My Valentine (Photograph + Signing)
· Adventures in Wonderland Concierge

Package 3 - $300.00
· Concert Ticket
· Priority Early Entry Show Access
· Bullet for My Valentine Rubber Wristband
· Collectible BFMV Guitar Pick Tin Set
· Limited Edition Poster
· Bullet Gift Bag
· Official VIP Laminate
· Side of Stage Viewing Access
· Meet Bullet For My Valentine (Photograph + Signing)
· Adventures in Wonderland Concierge

http://www.adventuresinwonderland.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=2067

Those are sold by a company whose only job is to "provide fully-customizable fan packages. Now, you have the opportunity of an enhanced show experience, as we create and facilitate a unique, personal, and unforgettable event."

http://www.adventuresinwonderland.com

Right now they are doing up VIPackages for Demi Lovato, 30 Seconds To Mars, Marilyn Manson, The Jonas Brothers and Deleasa, along with the aforementioned Bullet For My Valentine.

"Priority Early Entry Show Access" -- does this just mean you have to stand around longer before the band starts?

Only if you pay for that privilege!

"side of stage viewing access" -- not exactly the best seat in the house. In fact, probably the worst.

Adventures in Wonderland Concierge means you have like, some fuckin guy hanging out at the show with you?

you have a rabbit in a waistcoat and a monocle hanging out with you making sure you aren't late

Meeting the band + rubber wristband = $65. Side of stage viewing access = $135. The joys of exponential pricing schemes.

Meeting the band + rubber wristband = $65.

i too thought that at first, then noticed there is a "Collectible BFMV Guitar Pick Tin Set" as well for the extra $65.

I am writing a fake one of these packages in my head and laughing very hard at its features, which all involve either sex or food

iirc you can pay a heavy premium at most football matches to meet a couple of ex-players and have a meal before the game, seems like this is how certain sections of the entertainment business are going. performers are free to charge whatever they want for their time imo, nobody's making people pay it.

eager to meet testament

sex OR food? ripoff IMO

can we blame tiered vip package pricing on kickstarter too?

the number one culprit as regards fools and their money being soon parted seems like the fools to me, idk

sex OR food? ripoff IMO

clearly our super-platinum package is the one for you, my friend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWjLjPqwtk8

dude looks like a bagel

he had the body of a beignet
Lord, IMAGINE MY SURPRISE

looooool

"Dude looks like a bagel" was a big hit for Aerostein...

I remember Roger Daltrey doing a bummer solo gig in LA at the Club Nokia, and the photo op VIP package cost so much money that literally only advertising executives trying to impress people would be able to pay for it. I guess I don't have a problem with rich people ripping off other rich people, but it seemed to suggest "I will only take time out of my day to autograph albums for other rich people" and that really grossed me out.

it weirds me out when it's dudes like Daltrey or Ozzy - I mean I guess "I don't need more money" is an alien mindset to a lot of people, but like...Aerosmith is not as rich as you might think, but we've turned down "get paid to just be in a room with people who want to say hi" gigs because they seem undignified. Granted, "dignity" is the first word people think of when they think "Aerosmith" and we'd like to keep it that way but still...you'd think somebody who literally owns a mansion outright like Daltrey would say "I don't need to get paid to shake hands."

dude grew up under rationing, it does something to people of that generation

What if Aerosmith got paid to run a petting zoo? Would you do that?

Do I get to pet Tom Hamilton?

What if Aerosmith got paid to run a petting zoo? Would you do that?

without a second's hesitation

I would pat all these critters:

http://headhearthand.org/uploads/2012/05/chicks.jpg

I read that as eat

You bastard

exactly what I thought!

How do I order the $500 "sex with Steven Tyler" package?