You Too Can Rent a Rock Star

[vhrocker]

http://www.southflorida.com/news/la-...6988149.story?

[forrestjump]

Wait till I win the lottery. You guys want the original line up of CVH?

[Junior]

Well that's just being a whore now isn't it?

Personally I find it disgusting. we're not talking about people who need the work or the moeny. These are established acts with plenty of cash. THIS is the definition of selling-out as far as I'm concerned and these bands should be ashamed of themselves.

Playing a corporate party for some fat-cat billionaire becuase the price is right is about the most un-rock n' roll thing I can think of.

[AT]

Playing a corporate party for some fat-cat billionaire becuase the price is right is about the most un-rock n' roll thing I can think of.

On the surface, yeah; it seems like the most sell-out thing an artist can do. Being a career musician myself, at present making around $43,000 a year (before taxes and without benefits), if I were to reach a high level of success (writing, recording, and touring) I would FOR SURE take corporate gigs and CLEAN UP! And, no, I don't say that just because I'm making a modest living now. I'm saying that because most of us would do what we already do for more money if given the chance. "Hey, would you be willing to come down and do your regular job, with all expenses paid, for a shorter period of time than you normally would, and get paid about ten times as much?" I think most of us would say 'yes.' And it may seem like "rock stars" have endless wealth, but the money isn't nearly as significant for musicians as it is for A-list movie stars or big business CEOs. It's a bonus opportunity for musicians to take advantage of, and just like all of us they want to see all their financial needs of the present and future met along with the needs of their family.

[homeunit]

On the surface, yeah; it seems like the most sell-out thing an artist can do. Being a career musician myself, at present making around $43,000 a year (before taxes and without benefits), if I were to reach a high level of success (writing, recording, and touring) I would FOR SURE take corporate gigs and CLEAN UP! And, no, I don't say that just because I'm making a modest living now. I'm saying that because most of us would do what we already do for more money if given the chance. "Hey, would you be willing to come down and do your regular job, with all expenses paid, for a shorter period of time than you normally would, and get paid about ten times as much?" I think most of us would say 'yes.' And it may seem like "rock stars" have endless wealth, but the money isn't nearly as significant for musicians as it is for A-list movie stars or big business CEOs. It's a bonus opportunity for musicians to take advantage of, and just like all of us they want to see all their financial needs of the present and future met along with the needs of their family.

Whore!

[AT]

Whore!

Yeah, well... whatta ya gonna do?! I want to retire... and have health insurance... and put my (currently non-existent) kids through college.

[voivod]

Sammy Hagar, who in March will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen, said that when he heard about Dylan, Elvis Costello and other "real artists" doing the shows, he was shocked.

"I mean, we used to make fun of Huey Lewis for doing all these corporate shows, but he would just shrug and say, 'It's a good life. Forty-five minutes for a couple hundred thousand' … but I just hated the idea, doing some big arena show in some little corporate building or something. It felt cheesy to me. But then when Dylan did it, I started thinking, 'Who am I to be so uppity about this?' "

Still, Hagar at first refused when Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, called several years ago to hire him to sing "There's Only One Way to Rock" at the billionaire's birthday party. Then Cuban mentioned the private plane, the plan to stage the show at the arena in Dallas and, of course, a particularly large sum of money.

"The money," Hagar said, "was very good. I won't say how much, but it was good. But I didn't do it for the money…. Well, maybe I did."

Hagar had to earn it, though. He described the show as one of the most awkward stage experiences of his three-decade career.

"There were 70 people in the audience, so we have this huge, empty arena. But we did a full-blown, 45-minute show, lights and everything. The front row was filled with Mavericks players, and half of them, you know, they didn't know us or care about our music. And they were so tall they were looking me right in the eye. The whole thing was just plain weird."

[voivod]

http://www.vhlinks.com/vbforums/show...9&postcount=65