I absolutely love reading Bob Lefsetz’s take on the music industry. He often says things many are only thinking, but afraid to speak of. This particular post hits home… how long are bands going to continue touring while playing the same set list?<\/p>\n
“Do you really expect fans to overpay forever to hear the same damn songs?”<\/p>\n
” It\u2019s got to be about the music. And since you are a musician, you\u2019ve got to do a different show.”<\/p>\n
Hello KISS?<\/p>\n
Read on and tell me you don’t agree with what he is saying.<\/p>\n
At least Bob Dylan changes the arrangements.<\/p>\n
Isn\u2019t this how we got into trouble? Do you really expect fans to overpay forever to hear the same damn songs?<\/p>\n
In other words, you need new material that people want to hear or the tickets have to be cheap. You might stop at Quiznos or McDonald\u2019s every day, but you only go to Bermuda once every couple of years. Very few people love one vacation destination so much that they go there exclusively, in other words, one year Bermuda, one year Jamaica, one year the Virgin Islands\u2026and then maybe even Hawaii. Then again, who can afford to go on vacation anymore?<\/p>\n
Last time around Bon Jovi didn\u2019t sell out, and blew out and gave away tickets. What in hell makes the band think business will be better next year? What are the indicators? When a product fades in the marketplace, the only way to juice sales is to reboot, refresh\u2026 Instead, we get Bon Jovi doing “Wanted Dead Or Alive” and “Livin\u2019 On A Prayer” one more time.<\/p>\n
I guess they could always do albums.<\/p>\n
Then again, after “Slippery When Wet”, then..?<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re a major act going out next year for a big ticket price, you\u2019d better reevaluate.<\/p>\n
First you can drop the price. Dylan doesn\u2019t charge much. If it\u2019s about your greed, needing to make money to keep up your payments, you\u2019re in trouble. It\u2019s got to be about the music.<\/p>\n
And since you are a musician, you\u2019ve got to do a different show.<\/p>\n
What if Bon Jovi went out acoustic. Every number with wooden instruments as CSN&Y used to say. Maybe the venues would be smaller, but people would overpay for this, it\u2019d be a special event.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not even sure social networking can goose the same show anymore. People have seen this. Win a contest to get on stage, write a song to open up the gig\u2026 That\u2019s so 2010, and soon it\u2019s gonna be 2011.<\/p>\n
Cut the hubris. 2011 is the year to do something different, or stay home.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t, be ready to be victimized by the Web. Yup, that\u2019s what happens. You can no longer give away tickets quietly, if there are empty seats people snap pictures and put them online DURING the show. As a result, demand is driven down for future dates.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s tough being a star.<\/p>\n
But things are good if you\u2019re a musician.<\/p>\n
Do people really want to overpay to see Steely Dan one more time? Donald Fagen is better off building the Dukes Of September, at least it\u2019s new, it\u2019s vibrant, it\u2019s not cast in amber like the shows of too many overpriced acts living on their laurels.<\/p>\n