Lamb Of God Frontman Being Held in Czech Republic for Manslaughter

Lamb of God Frontman Randy Blythe was arrested on June 27^th at the airport in Prague as his band was arriving to play a show in the city for a possible Manslaughter charge.  The alleged incident occurred in 2010 while the band was touring in the Czech Republic, as a fan climbed on stage multiple times and was repeatedly blocked by security.  Blythe was alleged to have pushed the fan back into the crowd on one attempt, when the fan hit his head, suffered a brain hemmorage that left him in a coma, and eventually led to his death. Since his arrest, video evidence has been released that may possibly clear Blythe in the incident.  The video shows a security guard throwing the fan to the floor.  Czech authorities have argued that the sequence of songs in the video does not line up with the set list from the show in question.  I find it strange that neither the promoter of the show, nor anyone associated with the band were notified of the incident at the time that it occurred, and that no one associated with the band was made aware of the situation in any manner until Blythe was arrested.  I feel horrible for the family of the fan that died, but I have not seen anything that indicates that Blythe should be held solely responsible for the death. Randy posted bail to the tune of $200,000 USD but will not be release until at least July 19, when he will go before a 3 judge panel to have his bail either upheld or annulled. Keep in mind that a formal charge has not yet been filed. While I am the first to admit that I am very unfamiliar with the Czech legal system, this process seem highly flawed, to say the least. This is a story that I will be following very closely, and will hoping for Blythe’s exoneration in this incident.  I feel that the fan had no business rushing the stage in the first place, and while it is tragic that he died, the responsibility for his actions should be place only on him. 

http://loudwire.com/randy-blythe-bail-hearing-court-date-can-remain-imprisoned-for-6-months-if-denied/ 

Interview with Jacob Yowell

I recently interviewed Jacob Yowell of local band 8 Balls and a Box to discuss the challenges of being your own booking agent.  Here is what he had to say on the subject.

What have you found to be the most difficult aspect of a negotiation when booking a gig?

            The most difficult thing I’ve seen is that when you’re not big enough for everyone to know who you are, it’s harder to get everything you want out of a deal.  You sort of have to kind of prove yourself with maybe a less than perfect deal a few times before you have real pull.  Anyone can talk, and some people are very good at talking themselves up, but I’ve found that backing up your talk, and being a man of your word, and delivering more than you say you will are the real keys to being successful.  I’ve found that the second time you deal with someone about booking a gig is a lot easier than the first, it’s a lot easier to get what you want.

Has there been any particular experience that was especially trying or made you feel like you would not be able to successfully negotiate a deal?

            I have not really had any experience where I thought we couldn’t reach a deal.  It’s all about being flexible, and sometimes dealing with a less than perfect deal to get your name out there, at least at first.  After that, once you’ve proven yourself, it becomes a lot easier because you sort of have a record of successes (and maybe a failure or two) to show to someone and say, “look at what we’ve done.  This is what we can offer you, and what we can deliver.”  And then it becomes easier to get what you want out of a deal.

What about an experience that made you feel as though your skills as a negotiator were particularly strong?

            There have been two times that come to mind here.  Both have been gigs where a certain price to be paid for the gig had been established, and we came in and did what we do, played the shows, they were very successful, and we ended up getting paid more than the price we had settled on.  That felt good because we exceeded the expectations of the club owner, and in turn, we were well taken care of.  Then when it was time to set up the next gig there, we were able to work out more money from the start, because the last time had gone well.

What do you feel is the key to successfully negotiating an agreement for a gig?

            I think that knowing what you’re worth, knowing what you can deliver on, having confidence in yourself and what you can do, along with a certain amount of humility, are the two biggest things.  You have to have a certain bottom line, for instance, you won’t settle for less than a certain amount for a gig, whatever that number may be, based on what you know you can bring to the club owner or whomever you may be working with.  And you also have to take into consideration that the club owner may not have seen you before, or may not have heard of you, and therefore doesn’t know what you can bring.  You may think you’re the greatest musician in the world, but they may not know that, so you have to have a certain amount of humility to say, I’ll give some slack the first time we’re here, to show what we can do.  You have to be confident without being arrogant, and let the performance speak for you, and then the next time you deal with that person, you can press harder for more because you have shown that you will hold up your end of the bargain.

What advice would you offer to anyone entering your industry who feels that they are not a particularly strong negotiator?  How will this help them to achieve success?

            Just do it.  The first couple of times it can be nerve wracking, but like anything in life, the more you practice and do something, the easier it becomes.  Be confident in your abilities to get done what you say you will, and working out the details will become easy.

Gun N' Roses and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

By now we have all heard about the recent spectacle and drama surrounding Guns N' Roses being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  In case you haven't here is the short version, Fans have been hoping for years that a GNR induction would lead to a long awaited reunion of the original lineup. With the announcement of their addition to the Class of 2012, fans hopes were sparked that the former bandmates would be able to put aside their differences and play together one more time.  Axl Rose then shattered these hopes for fans by writing a public letter to the Hall of Fame declining his induction and stating that he would not be attending.  Fans were now left with no hope for a reunion, and little hope that they would even get to see a performance from some of the original members.  The night of the induction, original members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Steven Adler showed up with other former members Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke to accept their induction, then surprised the crowd by performing three songs with Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy on vocals, the crowd seemed to forget the most hated man of the hour (F- Axl was a commonly shouted phrase by fans that night), and went wild for the semi-reunion led by Kennedy's spot on vocals.  While I was personally thrilled, as I'm a big fan of Kennedy, and had called that he would end up singing with them at the ceremony to many friends, what I have to wonder, is what impact will this have on the current Guns N' Roses lineup? They've been selling tickets like crazy for their recent US tour, but will this incident leave a sour taste in the mouths of fans for the next run? Will Axl's refusal to bury the hatchet to give the fans their biggest wish leave fans feeling betrayed by the temperamental frontman? I suppose only time will tell, but I know that I for one would not step foot into a GNR show after such childish behavior. On the other hand, I would definitely tip my hat to the rest of the band for coming together and trying to make something really cool happen for fans.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/guns-n-roses-perform-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-myles-kennedy-axl-rose-312396

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/arts/music/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-inducts-guns-n-roses-beastie-boys-and-red-hot-chili-peppers.html

The Tupac "Hologram"

Fans were wowed at Coachella this weekend as Tupac took the stage and performed with Snoop Dogg.  The fact that he has been dead for 15 years seemed to be forgotten as he ever so realistically made his way back and forth across the stage.  The success of this performance even has many talking about the possibility of a new tour for the late rapper.  One would think that the technology behind this feat was cutting edge, but in reality, it was simply an old magician's trick. The 2-D animation was created and displayed on a screen via an angled mirror.  The trick was used to make audiences believe they were being visited by a ghost back then, and was used in basically the same manner for Tupac's five minute resurrection. What would this mean for audiences if the trend were to continue, and what type of audience would this appeal to? The technology has been used by other artists, such as the Gorillaz, but would Beatles fans want to see this used to bring back John Lennon?  Not likely. I think that an artist like Tupac would draw quite the crowd, but I don't really see the use of this technology as being something that's going to become very common.

Tupac Hologram wasn't a Hologram at all

Video: Tupac at Coachella 2012

Goldenvoice Purchases Coachella Grounds

Goldenvoice, the company that runs the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals, has purchased 280 acres of land that the festivals are held on. They also hold a long term lease on the other 280 acres that comprise the rest of the festival grounds.  The president of the company stated that this would allow them to build infrastructure for the festivals instead of having to redo everything each year.  I think that the purchase will be good news for fans.  The building of a permanent festival structures could lead to a decrease in some costs for the company.  It will also lead to safer structures.  While Coachella has never had any major disasters.  Weather related catastrophe's at other festivals and fairs in the last year have raised some concern about the ability of temporary stage structures to hold up in adverse weather conditions.  While I don't see the reduction in costs to put on the festival trickling down to the fans for some time, it may be a possibility that in the future some costs for fans attending the festival may be slightly less.  Of course, Goldenvoice could just decide to reap all the benefits of the cost reduction in profits, but let's hope they decide to be a bit more generous than that.

Concert Promoter Purchases Coachella Grounds

Steve Jobs: How to Live Before You Die Speech

As an assignment for a class I am currently taking, we were asked to watch a speech from the TED website, give an analysis, and describe what the speech means to us.  If you are unaware of the TED concept, I highly suggest that you go to TED.com to check it out.  

I chose to watch Steve Job's Stanford commencement speech from June 2005.  Jobs to me is an important part of the music industry in part to his revolutionization of the way we get our music today.  He spoke of his failures in life, from dropping out of college, to being fired from Apple, and of the lessons that he learned from these low points in his life.  He also spoke of his brush with death from his Pancreatic cancer diagnosis.  We know now, of course, that this came back several years later to claim his life. Prior to his death, he helped to launch so many great things, and had such a great list of accomplishments, from starting Pixar, to the release of some of the most popular mobile devices in the world.  Jobs ended his speech by asking the graduates to follow something he always tried to do himself "stay hungry, stay thirsty." I took more from those words than I did anything else in the speech.  It is vital in this industry to always maintain a great passion for what you do.  If you lose the love and passion for the music, you lose touch with what really matters.  You forget about that moment at your first concert when the lights went out, the music started, and the artist exploded on stage, or the moment during your favorite song when you swear they were singing to you, and you felt more alive than you ever had.  So very simply, I repeat his words to you, as I will do for myself, "Stay Hungry, Stay Thirsty."

Steve Jobs: How to Live Before You Die 

The RIAA

The RIAA provides a great deal of service to the music industry.  They work to protect the First Amendment rights and Intellectual Property of artists.  They provide licensing services, and work to stop music piracy.  The RIAA also tracks music sales for gold and platinum certification purposes.  The association has a wide array of services to help parents choose music that is appropriate for their children as well.

As someone who is interested in the concert promotion industry, the RIAA is very important to me.  Paying attention to data provided by the RIAA can help me to determine what artists are hot right now, and may be worth bringing to my area.  It can also alert me to any big events happening for an artist I have already booked, such as a newly certified gold or platinum single.  Having this information can help me to plan a more dynamo and exciting marketing campaign for an event.  Advertising an artist as platinum selling can generate more interest in them, and help to sell more tickets to their shows.

Another industry that I have a great deal of interest in is Artist Management.  I've always had a passion for promoting artists that I think deserve a shot at their big break, and the RIAA is a very valuable asset to these artists.  Their work to stop music piracy can help to save many small artists who are struggling because their music is being passed around on file sharing sites for free, when they are in desperate need of every penny that comes from the sale of their single or album.  These struggling new artists also depend on album sales to help generate more interest in their career, and piracy can do quite a bit to halt any momentum that they may be able to build.  They then become dependent on the reputation of their live show in order to garner interest from major record labels, but a lack of album sales, either digitally or standard, may make it difficult for them to book shows, as promoters have little interest in booking acts that can't sell albums.

The RIAA is a valuable asset to any recording artist, manager, or promoter.  Hopefully they continue their work, and focus their efforts on projects that benefit the artists they represent.

http://www.riaa.com