Business Techno Tour Manager Benefit Fund 2020

[Críoch]

Go on.. may as well discuss it

Basically several 'Big Hitters' got together to ask the fans to donate money for DJ mixes , which would go to support their tour managers.

There's been an interesting reaction online to this.. criticising the people involved for being out of touch & not providing tracklists for the mixes.

These are crazy times. Hard to know what is wrong or right. Our normal filters & decision making processes are possibly feeling the strain.

Everything that we commit to online is wide open for militant scrutiny (now more than ever) via heightened lockdown emotions.

youtu.be/y1KCwkBLJCc

Story - with links to video.

Major DJs Called Out For Asking Fans To Pay For Mixes From Their Tour Managers

https:www.youredm.com/2020/05/04/major-djs-ca ... agers/amp/

DJs have done a lot during quarantine to give back to the community, foregoing their usual performance fees in lieu of donations to COVID-19 relief charities, such as MusiCares. Others involved in the show production business have had to rely on grants, loans, unemployment, and special funds created for their specific jobs, those of which are few and far between.


However, a group of DJs including Carl Cox, Seth Troxler, Dubfire, and Jamie Jones banded together to directly help out their tour managers. Each TM released their own mix on Bandcamp with exclusive songs from each of the DJs, with all proceeds from the sales to be distributed among them.





This did not sit well with fellow DJ John Askew, who fervently called out the group of DJs for the seemingly selfless act.

“Out of desperation for income in these trying times the tour managers of some of worlds richest DJs launch a mix series to try and raise donations from the public to help keep themselves afloat while out of work,” he begins. “And then the millionaires they work for have the audacity to beg and plead to the general public to get involved / donate give money I’m guessing so that they don’t have to themselves!!!??. What the actual fuck????????”

Tour managers are employees of artists, technically, so the argument can be made that artists should pay them during these difficult economic times, especially if they’re such millionaires as Askew claims. On the other side, we don’t truly know the financial situation of any of these DJs, and an artist can’t just hemorrhage money when they’re not making any themselves.

Seth Troxler has since clarified that his TM is taken care of, he just donated a mix to help people, because “that’s what you do.”

Askew’s video caused enough of an uproar in the community that the TNT Sofa Sessions Bandcamp and Instagram pages have both been taken down. There hasn’t been any response yet from any of the DJs involved in the comments on his video.

Watch it below.

From: https://www.instagram.com/djjohnaskew/

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_vAbbgFjJ ... hare_sheet

Matthew Meadow
Lover of all bass music. I'm not afraid to speak my mind and put it to paper, and I do it often. I call Los Angeles my home, there's no better place for emerging EDM. Get in touch with me more via email or Twitter.

[subvers^v]

Hilarious! Fuck 'em!
Let the dinosaur monopoly disintegrate.
It will leave room for genuinely connected grassroots talent to progress a little. I'm sure there's plenty of it ..

[Críoch]

Some Of The World’s Biggest DJs Asking For Your Help To Support Their Tour Managers

https://www.6amgroup.com/some-of-the-wo ... crsFG9nCNk

Some Of The World’s Biggest DJs Asking For Your Help To Support Their Tour Managers


Tour Managers Sofa Sessions
Author : Marco Sgalbazzini
May, 04 2020


Some Of The World’s Biggest DJs Asking For Your Help To Support Their Tour Managers
The ripple effects of COVID-19 are being felt throughout the music industry. Not only are artists not performing and promoters unable to organize events, but tour managers, agents, technical and live crews, and other venue staff are also finding themselves without work. Now, a selection of tour managers — some of the dance industry’s biggest players — have come together to present “Tour Managers Not Touring (TNT) – The Sofa Sessions” with support from the very same artists they work for.


Simply put, over the next few weeks they will be releasing a series of exclusive mixes they have themselves put together, as well as previously unreleased mixes from the artists they work with. Supporters are going to be able to help the tour managers involved with minimum donations of €5 or more.

The tour managers and the artists involved are listed below.

Adri Sense | Nicole Moudaber
Antonio Meridiano | Hito
Bogdan Pakito | Paco Osuna
Dingo | Dubfire
Fusko | Joseph Capriati
Gabriel Torres | The Martinez Brothers
Ian Hussey | Carl Cox
J. Fonseca | Carnage
Paolo Francesco | Alan Fitzpatrick
Zak | Seth Troxler

The first edition of the series, which contains 27 podcasts = 31+ hours of unreleased music, is available now here.

Dubfire’s tour manager Tim Price aka Dingo talked about the project:

“The tour managers in our scene are like one big dysfunctional family. A lot of tour managers play themselves and have great musical taste. So we thought this would be a great way to come together, and an interesting concept to explore the sound of the tour mangers in comparison to the sound of the DJs we work with. Our goal is to release some new and interesting content to help with the #stayhome initiative and also try and gain some financial support for us tour managers during this unfortunate time as most of us if not all are not paid a salary, we are paid per show. This project is being done out of love of music, our scene and the people involved in it.”

All the artists involved have been supporting the project, with most if not all taking to their social media to enlist the support of their fans to donate to their tour managers. Below is an example of Seth Troxler’s Instagram post, where he specifies that his current Tour Manager isn’t involved and that he is taking care of him.

The move has resulted in some controversy, with some fans as well as peers questioning the need for tour managers of these specific artists, all of whom demand a more-than-modest fee, to ask for donations.

Producer/DJ John Askew went so far as post a video about this, sharing his opinion on what he thinks is a scandal.

Read his full statement and watch the video below.

Screenshot_20200505_114501.jpg (71.65 KiB) Viewed 4618 times

Screenshot_20200505_115216.jpg (48.72 KiB) Viewed 4618 times

[Mslwte]

It's quite easy to go on a hate campaign on this as some of us have experienced recently but I can see 2 sides to this if I'm being honest.

You have millionaire DJs asking fans to contribute etc and this never going to go down well is it. But what's been said thre is that some of these djs have been contributing to charities etc, which I dont think has been communicated on social media. At least this is the first I've heard of it.

This is the problem with being mainstream or popular I suppose. You are there to be knocked down at any opportunity. Lots of bitterness and jealousy around. But also the majority of people/fans of these DJ's are worried about what the future holds for themselves and are not thinking clearly.

It makes me think that it's probably best not to do anything at the moment whether with good intentions or not. Keep quiet and low key until good times return.

What ever you do has to be handled very delicately.

[Mslwte]

Hilarious! Fuck 'em!
Let the dinosaur monopoly disintegrate.
It will leave room for genuinely connected grassroots talent to progress a little. I'm sure there's plenty of it ..

That's it, I remember thinking to myself as soon as I saw these pro djs doing live streams from their bedrooms that they are taking away that space for the unknowns and people who do this on a regular basis etc. Who knows how the landscape will look once we get back to some kind of normality. Maybe a shake up is what the science really needs.

[Mslwte]

I think what it does prove is that there is a major disconnect now between bigtime djs and fans.

[Mslwte]

A tour manager must be fairly well off though right? I mean if you are taking a cut of a millionaire or 2 it must be a reasonable amount. Problem is we just dont know.

[subvers^v]

How many of them have been on the breadline in the last say 20 to 30 years? I'm sure they've been well looked after.

Carl Cox has been going (and pulling in serious dough) for that long, surely he can afford to dip into his own pocket to mind his own people? That's maybe an easy target I suppose (and I wouldn't be surprised if he has done so already) but the whole thing is fucking cheeky in my view.

Reminds me of a guy who set up a go-fund-me after burning down his own house...

[Mslwte]

There has been a response from Carl Cox.


Wow!!! It looks like the social media crazy train has gone into overdrive once again.

I have never seen anything blown so far out of proportion without context. A group of the hardest working tour managers out there wanted to get creative and have some fun by getting together and seeing who could actually DJ. They asked me to support them as they support us touring DJ's week after week throughout the year. All of us did that without too much thought or hesitation through our social media channels and gave them a mix from one of our shows.

There was no suggestion ever made that this was to cover “wages” that is simply ridiculous and I feel saddened that this has even been suggested.

We all look after our “family” through thick and thin...just as it should be. I’ve been working with my tour manager Ian for over 20 years and we’ve been the best of friends even longer. We've literally seen and done it all. Ian is of course being looked after throughout this crazy situation along with the rest of my team and colleagues.

I’m sure the tour managers involved in the TNT sessions can agree that in hindsight the video they put out could have been presented and worded in a better way. But things happen and people make mistakes. To rip it apart in the way it has been done so by so many online is not cool.

Now I don't see any reason to raise more negativity in a such unprecedented and critical time, speculating over something that has been done and supported with love.

Let's get back to the music folks... Love, Carl Cox

[subvers^v]

Let them do their bedroom streams, that's more of a level playing field.

The fuckers have been hogging all the big clubs and festivals, naming their fees for years, and no doubt directly driving up ticket prices to cover it.

I say let some new blood in there on the basis of being talented as opposed to being hype-marketed through every channel going...

I'm on a rant now, haha! (had this typed up before the previous post...)

[Mslwte]

Let them do their bedroom streams, that's more of a level playing field.

The fuckers have been hogging all the big clubs and festivals, naming their fees for years, and no doubt directly driving up ticket prices to cover it.

I say let some new blood in there on the basis of being talented as opposed to being hype-marketed through every channel going...

I'm on a rant now, haha! (had this typed up before the previous post...)

Completely agree. It's a great time to level things out. Although would of been better under different circumstances.

[victer]

I wonder how much of this 'outrage' was caused by semantics ? Tbh 5$ for dozens of hour of music seems fair (though for dj sets its a bit weird). Would people be as annoyed if they just set up a bandcamp to sell some music or sample packs from these artists instead of asking for donations.

Seems to me the call for donation was the part that went wrong when in reality they were just selling music as usual. then again would have been way better with productions and not mixes.

But I agree with the general sentiment, I won't feel bad if the whole thing has negative repercussions on their careers in the future.
I just hate it how crass people can be on social media when these small scandals happens, jumping aboard the hate train. Fair play to Dave Clarke for calling it out and then have constructive dialogue with some of the artists involved.

[Críoch]

@mslwte.. Glad you could come & join me on the fence

Yeah.. dunno. Each to their own. Eveyones world is different, but troubles are still troubles.

Its the bar staff, waiters / waitresses / general staff.. people who get tips that I feel sorry for. Lots of pure unemployment there. Eveyone is in the same boat of course.. just some are closer to the edge. Guess we see Tour Managers & Big names as being less near to falling off the precipice. Credit card bills need to be paid Im sure. Mortgages. Loans. Its a nightmare. People are trying to survive. Unfortunately what you get in return; even for a 5er, is shit lol

[Críoch]

I wonder how much of this 'outrage' was caused by semantics ? Tbh 5$ for dozens of hour of music seems fair (though for dj sets its a bit weird). Would people be as annoyed if they just set up a bandcamp to sell some music or sample packs from these artists instead of asking for donations.

A great suggestion. Ive seen other people do this.

But I agree with the general sentiment, I won't feel bad if the whole thing has negative repercussions on their careers in the future.
I just hate it how crass people can be on social media when these small scandals happens, jumping aboard the hate train. Fair play to Dave Clarke for calling it out and then have constructive dialogue with some of the artists involved.

Was good to see. Poorly executed.. but there will be no repercussions Im sure. There will be bigger issues to contend with when all this is over, possibly even before then - so all will be forgotten.

TBF.. its not like they were saying homophobic stuff or 'guilty' of cultural misappropriation

[victer]

Was good to see. Poorly executed.. but there will be no repercussions Im sure. There will be bigger issues to contend with when all this is over, possibly even before then - so all will be forgotten.

TBF.. its not like they were saying homophobic stuff or 'guilty' of cultural misappropriation

Yeah it will probably be all forgotten. Crazy how people are jumping on every bit of news lately and be outraged. I'm guessing too much free time in lockdown.

[Críoch]

Aye. There's no news. Nobody has anything new to say to each other. Video calls with my cocooning parents have got verrrrrry boring recently lol. We are all the same man

[kronk]

saw the chat about this on twitter, etc...

the interesting discussion thats been driven around this clusterfuck, which has already been done to death before but is now going to be a major factor when things open up, is the over-valuation of 'flown in' dj's. its clear that because of travel restrictions you would expect to see a more localised focus on nights. im not involved anymore in running nights and only play live a few times per yr but this is much more interesting to me and is more likely to drive music creation through local support, which is how scenes grew & thrived in the past - bristol, frankfurt, etc...

interesting local scenes and the sparks & creativity driven within that is a big part of where good music gets created. djs dont have shit to play without that. the idea that some half assed production is an advertisement and self-pr for your burdgeoning dj career is a massive part of whats wrong in all this. of course there is a need for dj's and there are still some top notch ones out there but for me they are very few and far between. the 'value' thats placed on a lot of them (and not just the 'A list') is way out of kilter against the creators (labels/artists) - nothing new in this but i hope the balance can tilt.

[Lost to the Void]

Take away the word DJ for a minute. It`s not necessarily relevant.


Millionaires beg for money to pay their managers..

Now when you assess it on that level..

Not sure I believe the backpeddling either.

Knowing how prissy these people are when it comes to gigs, the fees they charge, their demands on travel, hotels, riders etc
They lost touch a long time ago.

People bought in to the myth that Coxy is down to earth.

He`s not in the slightest, plenty of people have had trouble with all these premadonnas.


Burn all this shit down, fuck off these megacorporate raves, let`s have a concrete room, a fucking wall of speakers, 1 terrastrobe and sweat dripping from the ceiling, and some unknown guy behind the gear smashing out underground beats that tear through your body and take you away.

[Mslwte]

Burn all this shit down, fuck off these megacorporate raves, let`s have a concrete room, a fucking wall of speakers, 1 terrastrobe and sweat dripping from the ceiling, and some unknown guy behind the gear smashing out underground beats that tear through your body and take you away.

That sounds like heaven.

[Mono-xID]

What baffles me the most in this episode of THE TECHNO SHITSHOW (Episode 342510987) is how these bunglecunts are backpaddling now. Not the slightest inch of understanding on their side. Either they say nothing at all or they (Carl Cock for instance) come up with this "you people got it twisted and out of context"-shit.

No, you entitled bastards. Lots of people are clearly aware of the shit you tried there. None of these complete cunts have the smallest inch of a spine to actually admit the fiasco.

Maaan, i'm soooooooo out of step with all this techno shit atm. i feel dirty when i even look at my synths (haven't made music for weeks now). Back in the days i didn't wanted to be associated with the ravers ( loved the music but it always was a tad too "hippie" for rioting,young Mono), nowadays i don't want to be associated with anything that reads "Techno DJ/Producer".

Sorry for the rant but i can't take this shitshow of "ego/image wins over talent/integrity" one minute longer.

Fuck 'em...all of 'em....and their backpatting audience............




.........................and the promoters which are booking these twats.........