Boycott Xtreme Music Now Petition

[jemeatworld]

For those who have played at shows organised by Xtreme Music. I'm sure you're aware of the contract and the catch it'll take to fulfill it. Bands have to meet a criteria of selling a certain number of tickets or be subjected to compensations towards Xtreme Music or more infamously known as MR Roy or Xtreme-boy.

For bands who are relatively new to the scene or who have come across the advertisements on forums to SHOWCASE your talents like these. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE look at what you're signing on the dotted lines for.

Firstly, Xtreme Music is obviously more Xtreme at making money than actually showing you what a great band you have. Manipulating young teens to believe that they are talented and that Xtreme Music can provide them the stage in which to go big. I've seen countless bands coming up to me to come to their show at Gas Haus because they aren't able to sell enough tickets. Resulting in compensation to Xtreme Music because of their lack of ticket sales.

I heed you. STOP FALLING PREY. It's obvious to see that the guy is out there trying to make a quick buck out of you.

30 tickets x 20 bands x $10 per ticket = $6000 in just one night

That is 4 times what I make in a month. Please stop supporting Xtreme Music by letting them (or HIM rather) pimp you around. We want to play on a stage where our friends can come watch. Why pay when you should BE paid? And why make your friends pay to watch you play?

This is ridiculous, I've heard of too many teens falling into Xtreme Music's web of money shaking. PLEASE READ THE CONTRACTS IF YOU HAVE TO SIGN ONE.

Please sign on this petition by adding comments and stop this Roy f**k from making a quick buck off you.

 

[sofyan]

He organizes some of the best metal gigs i've been to. I've never heard about this before, but then again he isn't forcing anyone to play for him. You can either say yes or no. Remember that organising a gig isn't free, you need to rent equipment. hire a crew, soundman, transport of equipments, paying for the venue, etc. Maybe if the bands are damn professional already, then can ask for payment. If not, maybe you might wanna think about whether the organiser needs you, would people come to the show just cause your band is there.

 

[jemeatworld]

LIKE HELLO

i'm not judging his ability to organise. I'm saying it's morally grotesque that a sight such as this sees to the panic of teens who have already signed along the dotted lines and worry more about ticket sales than the correct chords to dish out. A night at substation including your amps and drumset and venue rental is approximately $1.7K. Go figure.

 

[azlan]

oh man, not again.... :roll:

 

[penta-tonic]

wahaha, jemeatworld, u so smart ass go organise la. we have debated this topic on ticket sales to death already. xtreme boy is the real deal, cos only big bands can sell 30 tix. all the rest of the losers just wash out and have to fork money out of their own pockets.

 

[jemeatworld]

I don't mean to sound hostile. But I'm pulling a stand here, I'm not evident inadequate with what I've mentioned. Your attention as well as your inconstructive and lowly regarded comments are much appreciated. By the way, techinically, you can't exactly have sound expulsion, if you actually even know what you're conveying.

'The future that will hopefully bring about a flame that will only get brighter and brighter..... And never be extinguished......'

I quote you and that's what I'm trying to acheive too.

 

[jemeatworld]

=penta-tonic

I suppose you were on of the lucky 'rest'.
Thanks for the attention and underminded comments.

 

[bernardgoh]

First, we have bands saying " where are all the gigs?" then we have them say " why nobody is supporting the new bands?", "Organiser is not giving new bands a chance or organiser just get their own bands" ... Now, when gigs is organised in a weekly basis, you will have bands saying " Organiser should not earn on a gigs" .

Now all you guys in the forums, tell me one thing... If a full time organiser don't earn from organising gigs, what can he do. or simply put it in this way... everyone in singapore want free stuff. when you give it to them free, they would start complaining why isn't the free stuff like what i bought at "$XXX". just can't make everybody happy huh.

I use to organise gigs before but i can tell u, is not a easy jobs. No money made... alot of complaints from people and ofcause, the police....

 

[blank]

30 tickets x 20 bands x $10 per ticket = $6000 in just one night

Um, excuse me, I wasn't aware it was free to use Gashaus as a venue.
Furthermore, 20 bands don't peform in 1 night, it's more like 10.
Furthermore, he gets 8 bucks per ticket.
So, 30 tickets x 10 bands x 8 dollars per tickets = 2400 in one night,
And he has to pay Gashaus for the rental of the venue for around 5 hours.

So what if he is making profit, you expect him to pay out of his ass for some new, unknown bands to perform?

Yes, this allows really really horrible musicians the opportunity to go on stage, but so what? It also allows good bands to be spotted.

Lastly, it's not like he's pointing a gun to your head telling you to sign your band up.

 

[jemeatworld]

=bernardgoh

I know where you're coming from and I'll give you that. It isn't easy, yes. The issue is evidently debatable. But the price of tickets, quotas, criterias and contracts just kill the whole thing. We're not talking about Toys R Us where you make money by selling to the kids, here we're using the kids to do the selling.

As much as I hate to admit that the organiser(s) have/has to cover losses and make profits, I'm wondering if it's morally right to do it out of the expense of secondary or tertiary students. You're asking a 15year old(i.e.) to sign a contract, someone who lives on probably $50 a week(i.e.) and all his 15year old $50 a week friends to come to the show. Where's the responsibility of the organiser I'm asking. Doesn't parental consent work in society anymore?

Better yet, I suggest a down payment for the tickets and then see whether they can afford it. It gives not only the organisers security of money earned but also ward of bands who are certain of meeting quotas. Cause for heaven's sake, that's not a contract you're making them sign. It's a god damn IOU.

 

[jemeatworld]

=blank

Er..hello. Why on earth would someone put himself in such a predicament knowing he will not earn ANY profit?

Are you stupid or blind or both?

Look kid, get a job.

You mentioned really really horrible musicians. So tell me please, is this about the money or the SHOWCASE OF TALENTS ON STAGE. Heard of auditions, no?

 

[mightymouse]

well my friend, this topic has been debated again and again. numerous times. heck there's a "paying to play" thread too.

from my personal experiences with Xtreme Music (no i don't work for Xtreme Music) and Roy, no complains. in fact, i don't quite understand the part where "bands have to compensate Roy, or Xtreme Music, if they don't sell enough tix, coz when my band played Music Mania, i signed the dotted line, and there was nothing in the contract about compensation. okay, check this out......only sold 2 tickets. 4 other people bought tix from the door. no complains from Roy, he just said, "have a good show" and at the end, bought us drinks.

Don't know if the contract has changed since we played, but even if it did, he clearly states in his posts that bands should be able to sell 20 tickets....well i guess the contract might have changed. but don't u think its fair he lets bands know before they sign up? its not like he tells them after they sign the dotted line, or dupes em rite? where's the manipulation in that?

Now, lemme narrate a lil story. when my band first started out in the local scene, yup, we used to pay to play sometimes. there was a certain organiser who asked bands to pay at least $50 for a show....then the price kept on increasing until it reached $400. u pay, u play, u leave. u get nothing from the cash u paid. Roy is giving bands $2 for each ticket sold....if u ask me, its a minor, yet major step in local independent bands getting paid to play. that too for new bands, bands who a fresh and have never played a single show! so we sell tix, we get our frens to come down, at least we don't play to an empty crowd rite? and in the end we get $2 for every ticket sold. hey, sounds like a good deal to me. heck, there's even a bonus for 50 or more tix.

Substation, cost per 4 hour block is $600. so lets say a gig needs to go on for 8 hrs. $1200 already. about another $1000 for equipment. thats $2200 for an 8 hour gig, standard equipment. how i know this? i'll be organising a gig mid 2007. now here's the thing. i'm part of a group or organisers who organise gigs with our money. as in we pool cash organise a gig. bands don't pay a cent. u know what, in January this year, we had about $2000, now we have $0. so we're pooling resources again to organise another gig mid 2007.

what i'm trying to say is, if we independent organisers make a loss, heck its our cash, we don't answer to anyone. where Roy is concerned, he does have to answer to people, for example, the ppl over at Gas Haus (if i'm wrong. please do correct me on this)

dude, seriously man, its not easy to get a gig going, let alone weekly shows, with excellent equipment. bands arent complaining. in fact they're lining up to play. and another thing. Roy himself was playing in the local scene when most of us were just kids. if u didnt know, he's from a well establish local metal band called Dethmute. as a person from a band, in an independent local scene, someone who's been in the Local Scene, you think he'd wanna cheat or manipulate bands? i'm sure he'd know how it would feel rite?

as bernardgoh said, when they are gigs, people aint happy. when there arent any, also not happy. at least Roy's providing new bands a platform. some organisers don't even give new bands a chance to play coz they want established bands to bring in the crowd so they can make money. they're doing the same thing, but in a different way i guess.

haizz, dude, i'm just happy someone is giving new bands a starting point, coz i know how hard it was for my band to get started in the local scene.....now all u have to do is sell a couple of tix, and also get paid to play. just my 2 cents worth man, hope you don't take it personally.

cheers

 

[parablue74]

I still don't understand... how much is the compensation cost??? If that is not defined, what is that to fight about??? $10 or $100??? If it's going to be $100, then that's overkill definately!!!!!!!

 

[Sean]

Maybe we should blame Sesame Street instead of Roy for not teaching kids to read the fine print.

 

[mightymouse]

ah, auditions. that reminds me, in 2003, my band went all the down to *ahem* Queenstown from bedok, paid $50 to REGISTER (yup yup) ourselves with an organiser, auditioned, and were then handed 40 tickets to sell. if thats not manipulation, i dunno what is man.

 

[blank]

=jemeatworld

Hmm, I'm not stupid or blind, but you may be since what you said was exactly what I said.
And yes, getting a job is really relevant to the current topic.

Furthermore, how much do you think Roy is earning per gig? Why don't you give statistics that aren't completely half-assed and people will start taking you seriously?

If say, you included the actual profit (Revenue minus costs), and not just the Revenue, and also maybe you could note that he gets 8 dollars per ticket, and there are half the number of bands you stated, then yea, people would really take you seriously.

I do agree with you on the point that there should be auditions though, so no arguments there.

 

[dopejoint]

Ermm... isit ok if organizers dont really have to some sort of "forcing" to sell tix...? but hey we definitely will sell tix if we are performin for some organization...i mean try not to set up a quota for us to sell, firstly ask how many of ur friends can come down and watch...*shrugs* no offence to anyone here really.. just that its my point of view la, but hey xtreme music really put up a great metal gig yesterday!

btw, music mania 5 gig tix im selling at 7 bucks! if anyone wanna come...come down la support local bands...macam mana singapore nak maju?

 

[budakbone]

Without Roy Ah i wouln't be given a chance to play a gig at gas haus. Why dun u all bunch of fools stop complaining even if he make a profit thats his job wat. Job always make profit. If he make a loss confirm he bankrupt right............ U should always think of ahead. Always keep some change for e rainy day in case u hav to pay for e gig. Haiz ..............anyway i strongly think roy is not evil. Its his job

GO!!! ROY!! GO!!

 

[sshaz-ni]

it's great to have organizers around so that our band could be heard. i've heard of other organizers that are totally ripoff.
Xtreme Music had organized many gigs in the past. It's great to have someone like Roy in the local scene. Without him, there will be lesser gigs and that means, lesser opportunity.
I give my support to Roy, Extreme Music and Dethmute.

 

[soft]

jemeatworld

i would have deleted the whole thread away. simply because i had a thread specially made to discuss this issue. if everyone start a thread about the SAME issue in the forum, then we will be totally wasted.

but i hope that the replies in this thread has made you see the picture clearer.

1. there's nothing wrong with earning from organising gigs. it is a business.
2. if you agree to the rules before commiting to the gig, please honour the rules.
3. if you dont like the way things are done, do something yourself. you will have TOTAL control.


i will lock this thread now. if you have any questions, you are welcome to email me at info@soft.com.sg