(Part 2) I'm a rockstar - Ask Me Anything

[SweetnSaltyPopcornPlease]

Hi there,

Some of you may remember when I started an AMA thread called 'I'm a rockstar on hiatus'. I have actually been OFF hiatus for quite a while and have been very busy.

I'm considering publishing my experience in the music industry. I'm making notes about what people want to know. So do you have any burning questions?

Great threads, thank you :)

What's the strangest thing you've witnessed in the audience whilst on stage? Do you see much, or too busy playing/rocking out?!

@SweetnSaltyPopcornPlease
lol my dad (being an elderly sound engineer) wears earplugs now whenever he is the audience at concerts! It's his tool I guess, as it is yours 🎧

Great thread, I agree! My question is, I listen to Radio X, are your songs played on there?

Hi, and thanks! I do remember walking into the Xfm offices many years ago. (Would have been for some kind of promo - live, interview etc.) They are definitely a station that would play our music.

The crowd are very entertaining! I love watching people. I do see a lot, mostly just people having a good time, or crying, or zoned out, or going crazy dancing. If I think of something really weird I'll post about it.

S&S have you ever been tempted to sell your rights to the likes of a Hipgnosis?

@Vermin

Haha. We have actually turned down offers from popular chain restaurants and American health insurance companies for ethical reasons. I can't see us lining the pockets of the tax-dodging super rich with our art.

Thanks for all the great questions. You have all given me lots to consider when I go forth and tell my story in some form.

I also feel the need to say on this particular day, that the music industry, although a source of joy for the people who listen to the music, can be a place of darkness for some of the people who make it. My heart goes out to those musicians who never really found the light, or felt the grass under their feet. It's hard to keep authentic people around because they tend to keep a normal schedule. And one can be left with those who only lurk at night, and the repercussions of their influence. And for those who have left this plain, may they find peace on the next. ❤️ 💐

Bye, for now...

Thank you so much for coming back. I've read all the questions and answers with great interest. I was hoping that I'd come up with some fantastic question and you'd choose mine to answer but alas no. The only question I have is what's a 'rider'?

A rider are specific requests that a band or artist may have of the venue.
Could be specific food or drink, maybe furnishings. I read somewhere that one artist can't remember who requested something specific like blue smarties. They didn't particularly want blue smarties but wanted to test the venue's attention to detail. Not sure if true and also not sure why I remember such useless information!

When I was working on tours the rider was the responsibility of the promoter and catering team (caterers usually travel as part of the tour crew and get to know the band, often being requested for subsequent tours.) Most requests were things like fruit or charcuterie platter, occasionally sandwiches, a certain number of cans of soft drinks, beers, wine and spirits. Some bands had certain other requests such as Prodigy wanting a scented candle. American bands often requested soft drinks it was hard to source in the U.K.. One band wanted two packs of B&H cigarettes, opened with one cigarette partially extracted. Bands with inner rivalries were amusing, one band had to have exactly the same thing in their dressing rooms, heaven forbid the drummer had one more slice of ham than the guitarist!

Oh wow @Worldgonecrazy that must have been a fun time in your life. I'd have loved to have worked with a band.

Do you have any tips for my 18 year old son who is just getting started? He's done a few gigs in pubs and he's done live and local in hmv. A couple of times there were some 14 year old girls who screamed at him that they loved him. He gave them a slightly embarrassed smile, a nod and a wave.

I think I know who you are.
I miss you on Twitter! Come back.

I want to ask if that’s THE Cod but you type too properly for it to be you.
i miss that old fish, she was fun.

No longer fun AT ALL ;)

How does the money side work? You mention 8 sources of income, what are they? Do you get a cash lump sum when you “sign”? How often do you receive royalties and how much do you get? How do you get paid from gigs (eg after each show? Lump sum at start and/or end of tour?)?

yo

Do you get given a financial advisor or accountant or do you have to find your own?

Do you earn enough to help out family and friends? If so how does that work? Do you just wedge them out every now and then and call it a gift or do you have to structure it in a different way?

I do t think anyone earns enough to help people out nowadays unless they are Coldplay level. I imagine it’s hard if you aren’t having a regular same wage year in and out.

Can I PM you OP? Just want to ask if you've ever met one of my favourite bands and if they're as nice as they come across in interviews (dont want to name them in case any of their family/friends are on here, plus they're not mega famous and not a "brand" as you said in a pp, but have supported some big acts). I'll be gutted if they're actually arseholes!

What is your favourite song that you've released with your band (and who are you?)

Apols if I missed it ... does anyone have a link to PART 1 RockStar on Hiatus as I cannot find it ... would love to read that one too!

Many thanks,
SnoopySnoop
x

Original thread is here:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/AMA/3977208-i-m-a-rockstar-on-hiatus-ask-me-almost-anything

Also, the OP hasn't posted since Liam Payne died, and I think the Snoop Dog GIF is a bit disrespectful.

OP, I hope you're OK.

Paddy McAloon (Prefab Sprout)