Everything Is for Sale

I went to a music industry networking event on Thursday and one of the people there wondered why bands aren't selling tickets to sound checks. He mentioned that some venues are now selling VIP backstage passes.

So I began to think what is and isn't for sale these days and if there are limits to what can or should be sold.

Here are some music-related examples of what extra money can and does buy:

PRIVATE PARTIES

The volume of business in that rarefied sector has surged dramatically in recent years. It's now quietly commonplace for A-list stars to sing to middle-aged billionaires as they blow out candles.

"You have a lot of people who want to celebrate their 40th or 50th birthday party and have someone there whose music meant a great deal to them during a part of their life," [Robert Norman, who heads the corporate and private events division for Creative Artists Agency] said. "They have the money, and if they are willing to spend enough of it, they can get the Rolling Stones. Their wives might also say, 'I love Green Day, and I want them for the 30th birthday party.' You can make that happen these days."

The notion of Grammy-winning artists moonlighting as wedding singers at the peak of their careers would have been scoffed at a decade ago. But times and taboos change. Now, according to Norman, it's rare to find an artist who won't at least peruse the offer sheet. "You too can rent a rock star," Los Angeles Times, 1/11/07.

John Wesley Harding: 20 Reasons Why A Private Concert By Me Is Worth $5,000

EXCLUSIVE CONCERTS

For the exorbitant price tag, ticket buyers will get the chance to see Prince, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Billy Joel, James Taylor and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in separate shows during July and August in an "intimate' outdoor setting." "Only in the Hamptons: a $15,000 Rock Concert," ABC News, 7/12/07.

FANTASY MUSIC CAMPS

Musicians are also offering non-music packages as a way to generate extra money and sometimes attention. The artist who has gotten the most publicity for doing this is Josh Freese, who has sold lunch dates and trips to Disneyland.

Another variation are the VIP packages are being offered by artists, venues, and events. A few examples:

Moody Blues VIP packages

Rock The Earth! VIP packages for Flyleaf

Britney Spears VIP package

Crossroads Guitar Festival VIP Packages Available From American Express

Here's a company, All Access Today, that will put together VIP packages for artists.

Not all artists and venues offer these packages, though. One reason is the recession.

It also makes sense that VIP packages would be on their way out. Paying a couple hundred bucks for preferential treatment seems strange at a time when all signs point to more cautious spending. "The big ballers just don't have the money to come out and drop $500 on bottle service any more," says [Travis Hellyer, who handles talent for Mezzanine], who has had to adjust offers to touring acts based on a drop in VIP sales. "Tough economic times hit Yoshi's, VIPs, and your CD collection," SF Weekly, 12/10/08.

(On the other hand, Rolling Stone says VIP packages are doing well. But the magazine only cited major acts.)

"VIP Tour Packages In Demand, Despite Slumping Economy"

"How to Rock Like a VIP: Five Pricey Packages Competing for Summer Tour Bucks"

Another reason why you may not see a VIP package is if there is no financial benefit to the artists/bands and therefore they don't agree to it.

Although most VIP deals sell access to bands, the offers usually don't have an impact on how much money a group makes. Sometimes artists, promoters or venues split the extra cash. But most headliners work for a guaranteed amount that the venue has to pay, regardless of how many tickets it sells. Typically, the VIP ticket just helps the promoter reach that amount. "VIP FTW!: How bands are using VIP packages to give fans more bang for their buck," St. Louis Music, 9/23/09.

In some cases VIP packages fall short because the people who have the money to spend on them want more than just a meet-and-greet. They actually want to have some serious face time with the stars.

We used to include in our definition of access places you couldn’t normally gain entrance to. VIP access to a major sporting event, for example, used to sell fine on its own merits. But even those types of lots have lost their allure, if the buyer isn’t sure that they’ll be building a relationship while they attend it. "Sell Relationships Not Stuff at Your Fundraising Auction," Reynolds & Buckley Fundraising Blog, 11/3/09.

Okay, so now I have established areas of music where selling access is pretty common. But is there a line beyond which one shouldn't sell access?

Sometimes celebrities will do for charity what they might not be comfortable doing just to raise money for themselves. Here are three examples of "celebrity access for charity."

Clothes Off Our Back: Celebrity Clothing Auctions

charitybuzz | Celebrity Experiences

NIN's Trent Reznor Raises More Than $645k for Fan in Need

(In case you want to know which celebrities are most successful in helping to raise money for good causes, check here.)

(And, as a cautionary tale, here's an article about someone who got carried away at a charity auction: "I blew our £27,000 life savings on dinner with Neil Diamond.")

In fields outside of entertainment and sports, selling access is sometimes frowned upon. For example, while in politics donations often come with invitations to special events where the donors can hang out with politicians and the celebrities who support them, the practice has raised many concerns. Here's an example of another type of VIP offering that was aborted because of controversy.

Washington Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth yesterday canceled plans for a series of policy dinners at her home after learning that marketing fliers offered corporate underwriters access to Post journalists, Obama administration officials and members of Congress in exchange for payments as high as $250,000. "Washington Post Publisher Cancels Planned Policy Dinners After Outcry," Washington Post, 7/3/09.

The stakes aren't so high in the music business, so presumably selling access to those with money won't trigger the same objections. However, are there situations where musicians have or might cross a line? Where does good business end and tackiness begin? If you have an opinion, please share in the comments section.

I'll leave you with this.

So just wanted to keep you all updated on my open house Garage Sale! There's so much stuff there that I can't even go through them all! I don't have time! The ONLY thing I'm taking with me from that house is my Piano and my 2 flatscreen TV's. Everything else is for sale. From High end dresses, to super sexy shoes, stilletos, to a refrigerator, to my washer and dryer, my California King size Bed INCLUDING the bedframe, lamps, personal love letters, I mean, pretty much EVERYTHING is for sale.

I WILL ALSO BE AT THE GARAGE SALE TO MEET EVERYONE THAT GETS A CHANCE TO COME INSIDE! "TILA TEQUILA OPEN HOUSE GARAGE SALE MARCH 7TH," Tila's Hot Spot, 2/28/10.

Suzanne Lainson
@slainson on Twitter

UPDATE, 4/8/10

[Gang of Four] really went off the deep end with their reward for fans who donate £45 — along with a book showing “ceramic tiles depicting the last 40 years of world history” created by band members and “a book of drawings of our emotions,” 500 “Ultimate Content Cans” will contain vials of blood....

Let’s hope GoF meet their funding goals before they start selling toenail clippings and old retainers, too. "Gang of Four Sells Vials of Blood to Fans to Fund Album," Paste Magazine, 4/8/10.

UPDATE, 4/15/10

Comin' to see the Vandals tonight in Anaheim w/Bad Religion? I'm going to be selling my CD out the back of my station wagon tonight from 7-7:30 on the NE corner of Chapman and Harbor in the Mega Shoe Factory/Del Taco parking lot. Come say hi and buy a CD (I might be selling other bands CD's and some clothes too. Maybe some energy bars?) Facebook | Josh Freese, 4/15/10.

UPDATE, 4/18/10

Paying someone like Gotti, Kardashian or Snooki four or five figures to step foot inside a garishly decorated club may seem like a rip-off. But C-listers are considerably cheaper than hiring the bigger-name musicians who used to pack clubs. Doing some quick math, [Andrea Hayes, an entertainment broker] adds up the cost of music: fat performance fees, expensive sound systems and needy entourages. "Reality show stars cost less." ...

One other difference between hiring a musical act and a fameseeking reality star: a certain amount of humiliation is part of the package. "We paid [Snooki] for three hours but I actually had to ask her to leave after two hours," [George] Fox says. "She was sweating so hard on the dance floor that her spray tan bled on my girlfriend's $300 Ed Hardy tank top." "Inside the Bizarre World of Reality TV Nightclub Appearances," Gawker, 4/18/10.

UPDATE 11/10/10
I'm just getting around to adding this, but here's an article exploring the idea of VIP tickets: "Are VIP ticket packages good or bad for fans?"

Can Sponsorships Convert the Sponsor?

This last week there were stories about De La Soul working with Nike to produce a training album. "Hip-Hop Trio De La Soul Works With Nike for SportMusic LP," Advertising Age, 4/27/09.

Writing about the deal, Scott Thrill raised the issue of "selling out" in an article for Wired. He pointed us to an interview he did last year with Saul Williams, who allowed Nike to use one of his songs in an ad.

In that interview, he asked Williams, "Do you think working with a company with a questionable labor history skews strange with 'List of Demands,' which I read as a commentary on poverty and oppression?"

Williams's response puts an interesting spin on music sponsorships.

I think it guarantees that the people in power in that corporation are listening close to what I'm saying and what their kids are dancing to. I think it makes them question their ethics as much as fans or reporters question mine. It also exposes a whole new world of people to my music, my thoughts, my world view which will perhaps enlist more casual listeners into questioning authority, realizing their power, and all of the things that my music demands.

At the end of the day, I think its a dangerous decision for Nike to popularize a song like "List of Demands." My belief in the power of music tells me that it could possibly work against them. So I applaud their courageousness. My intention remains for these songs to be heard by as many as possible. They are the virus that I wish to spread. I've infected Nike and all within their reach with a song that raises awareness as well as fists. It is indeed written in the voice of the impoverished and oppressed, which includes the factory worker. They know its their song when they hear it. The last thing it does is make someone want to go buy sneakers, but it may encourage someone to hit their boss over the head with a tennis racket. So be it. "Infecting Nike, Initiating Obama: An Interview With Saul Williams", Huffington Post, 9/28/08

I've long been a proponent of sponsorships because I come from a sports marketing background; sponsorships fund a lot of athletes and their events. It's a necessary and usually very productive alliance among all parties. There are rarely, if any, true ethical compromises. Generally either the companies are a perfect fit for those they sponsor, or at least the sponsors have enough redeeming characteristics that athletes/artists taking the money can justify the arrangement in some fashion.

Looking for an example of a potential sponsorship which was deemed too compromising to accept, I found this case of a someone offered an opportunity to work with a cigarette brand.

[Leslie] Nuchow, a powerful throaty singer-songwriter, had been bouncing around New York City's music scenes like many other talents, looking for the break, trying to scrape enough money together to get a CD made, playing often at the Mercury Lounge.

A 'scout' approached Nuchow and asked her to participate in a three women competition for the best unsigned singer-songwriter and the ongoing promotion had a number of great elements -- including tours and a potential label -- but there were two big hitches. The first: the whole effort was sponsored by Virginia Slims, owned by Phillip Morris. and second, Virginia Slims Women Thing music was to produce a CD that would only be available with the purchase of two packs of Virginia Slims cigarettes.

Nuchow said no way. "Virginia Slim SLAM,"AlterNet , 4/26/00

Thinking about sponsorships and this issue of ethical compromise, I've listed a series of questions those being offered the sponsorships might ask themselves:

1. Are you being compensated?
It's unlikely you are going to enter into any sponsorship agreements if you aren't being compensated in some way (e.g., money, free goods, promotion). And if you aren't being compensated, there's no incentive to agree to any partnerships you don't fully embrace, so it's a non-issue.

Accepting compensation, on the other hand, is a double-edged sword. Payment makes the deal worth your time, but it opens you to criticism that you are either only doing it for the money or your values are so malleable that you'll adjust your thinking to fit the situation. Still, many people who work regular jobs have been hired by companies they don't fully embrace. Being paid does not necessarily mean we have lost our identities to a company.

2. Are you donating money?
If you are ambivalent about a sponsorship deal (i.e., perhaps you like some aspects but not others), you can go the charity route. You can donate some or all of your compensation to a cause you believe in. It allows you to play the system for a greater good. It's an example of "the ends justify the means."

3. Are you speaking out?
Saul Williams felt having Nike using his song would generate more interest in his work and his world view. The arrangement gave him a bigger platform to speak from. His take on the situation is unusual, but other artists could try a similar approach.

4. Have you discussed the issues with the sponsor and said that you want to raise awareness?
If you are going to be outspoken about an issue and it appears to run counter to your potential sponsor, you might want to let the company know before signing any contracts. This could avoid future conflicts. And if the company wants to change its image in that regard, perhaps it will even back you on your position.

5. Is the company willing to work with you?
This is an extension of the above point. If you feel strongly about an issue, you might want to talk to a potential sponsor about creating a campaign that supports and incorporates your beliefs. With the right company and the right cause, there could be positive benefits for all.

6. Are you helping them maintain the status quo or are you helping them make changes?
If the sponsor has had a poor track record in some areas and wants to sponsor you to modify that image, do you feel there are real changes being made, or are you being used as camouflage to allow them to continue questionable practices?

7. Do you see your music as a subversive act?
If you consider yourself a guerilla warrior, you may want to take on incompatible sponsors either to embarrass them down the road, or because your hardcore supporters already know you so well that they are able to interpret your sponsored message as a call to action to work against the company and/or what it stands for. Using a sponsorship this way is highly unlikely, though. Relatively few artists are so motivated as to infiltrate the system and put their careers on the line. Some may imagine such a scenario as a justification for signing a questionable deal, but then never carry it out. A more plausible situation is where the artist has a profound change of values after signing and then makes public statements which run counter to the sponsor.

As I have stated, I'm very much in favor of sponsorships. I think they can add value to everyone involved when done correctly. But artists and sponsoring companies should think through any real or potential conflicting values and either find ways to deal with them or not work together.

Suzanne Lainson