| THE HEART OF ROCK
N ROLL IS THE PROFIT
So The Eagles’ DVD “Farewell Tour 1 Live From Melbourne”
has been certified 9 times platinum in the USA, while in Australia
it debuted at Number One & has sat there since it’s release,
setting new sales records. Add that to the $ 10 milion dollars that
their recent tour grossed in Melbourne alone, part of the $77 milion
that they received for the 46 gigs of the Farewell 1 Tour, putting
them at the number one spot for tours over the past 12 months, and
add that to the fact that their greatest hits album has sold over
26 million copies making it the best selling album of all time,
head & shoulders over their nearest competitor. All of which
is impressive or depressive depending on your point of view, as
Don Henley himself said years ago “ The difference between
laidback & boring is a million dollars” & he’s
certainly proved that over & over again. But what strikes me
most is the ominous figure 1 appended to the Eagles tour’s
title, a not so subtle hint that their farewell is going to be dragged
out as long their fans are willing or gullible enough to keep digging
into their increasingly empty wallets.
Dame Nellie Melba announced her retirement &
then did 5 years of farewell concerts, but at least in those days
she had to factor in lengthy sea travel from continent to continent
that could take months, rather than the instant jet travel these
modern predatory birds have at their disposal. One gets the feeling
that they’re going to keep going until their wealth equals
that of any number of third world countries’ entire economies!
And the Rolling Stones are touring again! Many
Rhythms readers are probably still paying off their last world tour
that grossed a mere $300 million! This time around there are apparently
going to be a small number of seats on stage for an intimate view
of the band, but based on their track record those coveted seats
will go to the highest bidder rather than a more democratic or random
allocation. Oh & of course there’s a new album & no
doubt a DVD to come. The Rolling Stones will no doubt join the ranks
of other big concert grossers like U2 ( $300 million ), Rod Stewart
( $30 million plus!) Cher ( $30 million! ) Sting ( $30 million )
& Motley Crue ( $20 million ) & other veteran acts that
continue to clean up at the box office.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge
any musician their success, everyone loves a rock n roll rags to
riches story, but what about a riches to riches to even richer still
story? Aside from the occasional Australian Idol competitor or manufactured
boy/girl group, most musicians do not start off seeing music as
a way to untold riches, they are intially glad to just make a modest
living from their music & put up with early struggle & disappointment
as part of the price that they pay for the joy of performing. Huge
wealth is most often a welcome by-product rather than an end in
itself. But how many mansions & fleets of luxury cars do the
fat cats really need? We’re not just talking about well-off
but obscenely wealthy beyond their or anyone’s wildest dreams.
Most importantly what about the economically struggling
wage slave dedicated fans who have slavishly bought the albums,
the tickets, the merchandise & anything else that their musical
heroes have foisted upon them over so many years? When do they get
a break?
I’m not holding my breath, but when is one
of them going to break ranks & issue a statement like this?
“ Thankyou to all of our loyal fans
who have supported us over the years, you have been kind &
generous beyond expectation, even buying a couple of our records
that even we have to admit were pretty crap & stood in the
cold & the rain to queue up for our concerts that even we
can’t remember because we were too drunk or drug fucked.
As a result of your valued contribution
we are now richer than we could ever have hoped to be. Now we’re
old & look like our parents but we still love our music, making
records & playing concerts, BUT because we know you’ve
spent your hard earned money on us over the years we’ve
decided to keep making records but don’t want money for
them, in the future we’ll put them out at a non-profit discounted
rate just covering costs, as we will our concert tours, we just
love playing in front of you but don’t expect you to make
us any richer than we already are.
We spent at least our early career railing
against the exploitation & oppression of record companies,
polticians, racists, fascists & warmongers, basically greedy
rich white men. So now that we’ve become the enemy we at
least want to make a gesture to show that we haven’t become
one of them in spirit. Thankyou once again.”
Who will be the first?
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