Random Music Talk CXVIII: Grabbing America By The...

[u2popmofo]

Is it spooky for teh Halloweenz 2?

I'm several beers in. Pumpkin beers. Oh yeah.

 

[Hewson]

 

[u2popmofo]

Ohhhhhhh yeahhh, Hewson.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[Hewson]

Spoiler

though sacrilegious as it may be I actually prefer Metallica's cover:

 

[martha]

Deal with that, poo faces.

Tsk tsk. The fire water makes you a potty-mouth.


Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference

 

[Joey788]

This is dumb:

Touring the U.S. Just Got 42% More Expensive for Foreign Bands | Pitchfork

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Wow talk about a misleading article title.

 

[Axver]

This is dumb:

Touring the U.S. Just Got 42% More Expensive for Foreign Bands | Pitchfork

A similar thing is about to happen in Australia, with the costs to soar by even more: Higher visa fees for touring artists could cripple the Australian music industry warn promoters

 

[u2popmofo]

Tsk tsk. The fire water makes you a potty-mouth.


Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference

This is probably true. You and New Mexico Martha are the two awesomest Marthas in all of the US and A. Your concertings and music fandom are legendary. You both know it and should deal with it. You are both great people and great concert attendee friends.. Deal with this judgement. Happy Halloween.

 

[martha]

I like drunk Mofo.

 

[u2popmofo]

Yes, I say mean things about teh Interfereners but I know that Interferencers like teh good music so I like them and respect them and approve of their good music tastes and wish Happy Halloween.

 

[bono_212]

Happiest of Halloween to you all

 

[nielsgov]

Wow talk about a misleading article title.

Haha indeed. Your flight already costs more than that.

 

[IWasBored]

I am glad this thread was graced with drunk mofo posts. drunk mofo posts/texts are joyous, happy things. one day I hope to share some beers with mofo because I think this would be fun, and obviously we would listen to music and drink the beers, and it would be really weird because the idea of meeting such a long time friend from teh interwebz is pretty crazy.

I guess it's still Halloween somewhere, so happy Misfits day.

 

[Mack_Again]

it already isn't halloween up in here

 

[Axver]

Haha indeed. Your flight already costs more than that.

Not sure what point you guys are trying to make. When your tour is struggling to break even, a big increase in the cost of visas is going to hurt.

For more niche acts, especially those with more than the standard four members, that's just wiped out any potential profit from a couple of shows at least. Probably more.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Not sure what point you guys are trying to make. When your tour is struggling to break even, a big increase in the cost of visas is going to hurt.

For more niche acts, especially those with more than the standard four members, that's just wiped out any potential profit from a couple of shows at least. Probably more.

Well, their tours didn't get 42% more expensive. That's the point I was making.

Wasn't implying it isn't a financial burden to musicians (or anyone else subject to such a fee). This is just a classic case of clickbait.

 

[Axver]

A fairly mild case of clickbait - indeed, the sort of headline you'd probably get before clickbait became a thing. All you're really asking is for it to say "tour visas" rather than "touring". And tour visas are a pretty big expense.

But yes, we are at least of one mind that it's an additional financial burden, regardless of how that article framed it.

 

[cobl04]

Part of me is ecstatic that America could potentially understand how shit we have it here (in terms of international bands touring).

"I've seen U2 every tour since War!" We fucking wish....

 

[Hewson]

Not sure what point you guys are trying to make. When your tour is struggling to break even, a big increase in the cost of visas is going to hurt.

For more niche acts, especially those with more than the standard four members, that's just wiped out any potential profit from a couple of shows at least. Probably more.

If $135.00 per member is going to break a band, then they are in far more serious trouble than their visa costs.

 

[Axver]

If $135.00 per member is going to break a band, then they are in far more serious trouble than their visa costs.

Not really. The margins for club tours are shockingly tight, and many make a loss.

 

[Joey788]

Pitchfork just ran a correction. That increase is actually per act rather than per person.

 

[Hewson]

Pitchfork just ran a correction. That increase is actually per act rather than per person.

So a band has to come up with an extra $135 to tour the States. Not thinking this will be the straw that break's any musical camel backs.

 

[Joey788]

Yeah a very different scenario than originally reported.

 

[Axver]

That's not as bad then. So that's spread across the whole band and their crew regardless of size?

Definitely not as crippling as the forthcoming Australian fee hike.

 

[martha]

Didn't Canada do something like this a few years ago?

 

[nielsgov]

Even if it's per person, is 100 dollars really that much? I don't exactly know how expensive it is to tour the US, but I can't see the visa costs being more than a percent or two of the total costs. That can be a big deal for some bands, but not for most I would assume.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Even if it's per person, is 100 dollars really that much? I don't exactly know how expensive it is to tour the US, but I can't see the visa costs being more than a percent or two of the visa costs. That can be a big deal for some bands, but not for most I would assume.

Right, I would assume travel and lodging makes up the majority of the cost.

 

[Axver]

Seriously, I don't think you guys realise how tight the margins are for many bands, and how little money is in touring. Many bands tour at a loss out of passion or in the hope future tours will be more profitable, or tour to break even. A couple of good or bad nights can make or break the tour. Or one shitty venue that doesn't pass on your share of the door/bar takings (either at all, or in a timely fashion) can break your tour.

Your main expenses are travel, accommodation, and food, though you eat like shit and stay on somebody's floor as much as possible (I have mates who are often putting up touring musicians). Maybe after one show you do well and can split the $200 profit between the band members and crew so that you can eat something nicer than McDonald's today. Oh, wait, that went on the visa? Better just go through the drive-thru on the way to the next show then. Obviously this US increase isn't as bad as it first appeared, but you can't suggest $100 is not really that much.

Plenty of Australian bands when they tour North America or Europe hold hometown fundraising shows to offset some of the costs. I've spoken to a few whose US tours were planned in the hope of breaking even (not always successfully) and that they would get enough exposure to do a profitable tour later. For some that worked. Others spent months paying off their debts - or maybe still are.

 

[Hewson]

I fully understand the financial situation of small bands touring, my point all along was that this uptick for a visa, whether per person or for the whole band, isn't going to bee the tipping point.
If you're going to struggle to scrape by, the extra $135 isn't going to make you change your mind.