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Sunday, July 4, 2004

farewell tours and those lifelong relationships

about a month ago, i ran across an article on the phenomenon of the farewell tour… something we’re seeing so much these days, that they’re getting silly with the names… the eagles “farewell i” tour and phil collins and his “first final farewell” tour.

the article touches on several possible and interrelated things, but i guess the most dramatic is the economic conflict between mortgages and falling record-sales revenue. in my own head, i’ve broken down all the potential revenue in music into three categories – performances, patrons and recordings. so with the bottom falling out (relatively speaking) of the recording segment, it’s no surprise to me to see people with established relationships with audiences back out on the road milking that cow again. it’s also no surprise to see (well, hear) so many old hits in commercials.

But the music landscape has changed, rapidly creating a disconnect between artist and fan. Music, to young people, is a song on iTunes or the hit single of the week – not a way of life, as it once was, says Styx manager Charlie Brusco. Pop stars with long-term career potential are a dying breed.

what do you think?

posted by roj at 10:51 am