I have a bout of the flu. So I'm not really dying, but it sure as hell feels like it. Anyway, let's reflect back on when I was actually capable of doing real life things.
Last week the Behind the Noise trainees had a meeting with Yvonne Morrison from Ticketmaster and Libby Urvois from Ticketweb to discuss - yes you guessed it - ticketing for the gig that myself and the other Behind The Noise trainees will be putting on some time in April.
It was a nice, informal Q&A type session and they were both happy to help with anything that we may need for our impending gig. What I took away from it though, is that the ticket websites aren't actually just ripping the piss when it comes to booking fees for gig tickets. The initial price you pay for the ticket is the cost of seeing the band alone, which is set by the band and has nothing to do with the ticket website that they put them on. All they do is charge the 10% of whatever the band charges, add that on as a booking fee and that's the money that goes back into the company to keep it running.
Ticketmaster/Ticketweb aren't always the evil boogeyman lurking in the shadows trying to steal your money. They're just trying to make a living. Rather than being angry at them, be angry at whatever burnt out band returns with a comeback tour and charges astronomical amounts because they know people will buy them. They're the real villains, people. OPEN YOUR EYES.
Last Saturday I also was at the Behind The Noise open day, speaking again with the trainees and offering my wisdom to the kids there that were interested in going into further education with music courses/just want to see themselves in the music industry in some way. My university - Strathclyde University - actually used to run a course called Applied Music which sounded ideal for someone like me, but they dropped the course the year I applied. I am still upset about this.
I also managed to see Allison Weiss and Rob Lynch at Audio while I could still sing without my throat feeling like it was the home to a million tiny razorblades. Allison Weiss was, as usual, great. She played a song that I requested called Boston, from her Teenage Years album but since she doesn't play it that often, she forgot some of the lyrics half way through. To help, I started to sing really loud so that she heard and remembered. This prompted a "YEAH!" of recognition and she finished the song and it was beautiful. I adore the song and it meant a lot that she played it since if she doesn't normally. THANKS, ALLISON <3
Think that's it for now. I'm going go drink my weight in tea. Again.
Last week the Behind the Noise trainees had a meeting with Yvonne Morrison from Ticketmaster and Libby Urvois from Ticketweb to discuss - yes you guessed it - ticketing for the gig that myself and the other Behind The Noise trainees will be putting on some time in April.
It was a nice, informal Q&A type session and they were both happy to help with anything that we may need for our impending gig. What I took away from it though, is that the ticket websites aren't actually just ripping the piss when it comes to booking fees for gig tickets. The initial price you pay for the ticket is the cost of seeing the band alone, which is set by the band and has nothing to do with the ticket website that they put them on. All they do is charge the 10% of whatever the band charges, add that on as a booking fee and that's the money that goes back into the company to keep it running.
Booking fees sneaking into your order like... |
Ticketmaster/Ticketweb aren't always the evil boogeyman lurking in the shadows trying to steal your money. They're just trying to make a living. Rather than being angry at them, be angry at whatever burnt out band returns with a comeback tour and charges astronomical amounts because they know people will buy them. They're the real villains, people. OPEN YOUR EYES.
Last Saturday I also was at the Behind The Noise open day, speaking again with the trainees and offering my wisdom to the kids there that were interested in going into further education with music courses/just want to see themselves in the music industry in some way. My university - Strathclyde University - actually used to run a course called Applied Music which sounded ideal for someone like me, but they dropped the course the year I applied. I am still upset about this.
Dat accidental flash. |
It was really cool being able to speak to people younger than me who are in the same position I was in last year. A big part of me wanted to go off on a big rant about believing in yourself and all of that stuff, but we had to talk for like 2 minutes or so just about ourselves so I kept the motivational speech short.
It was really cool to see the universities and colleges coming out and talking about their courses, and overall, how important they think music is. I think a lot of kids are told that a career in the music industry just isn't a realistic prospect and that's shitty. If anyone really cares about something, and is passionate about it and want to take it further into a career, then I say do it. If you work hard, the money will come.
I spoke about this in a video interview I did for BTN here.
I also managed to see Allison Weiss and Rob Lynch at Audio while I could still sing without my throat feeling like it was the home to a million tiny razorblades. Allison Weiss was, as usual, great. She played a song that I requested called Boston, from her Teenage Years album but since she doesn't play it that often, she forgot some of the lyrics half way through. To help, I started to sing really loud so that she heard and remembered. This prompted a "YEAH!" of recognition and she finished the song and it was beautiful. I adore the song and it meant a lot that she played it since if she doesn't normally. THANKS, ALLISON <3
Think that's it for now. I'm going go drink my weight in tea. Again.