
Band faked a fanbase, got booked for a European tour that nobody attended - camtarn
http://www.metalinjection.net/its-just-business/la-band-threatin-faked-a-fanbase-got-a-european-tour-booked-that-nobody-attended
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CM30
Is it me or does this sound a lot like a TV show/film plot? The whole idea of
a band pretending they're more popular than they are and then performing to an
empty theatre feels like something from a zany sitcom...

Still, I'm not too surprised it happened. It's quite common for 'influencers'
to fake their popularity online, and I've seen thousands of pseudo celebrities
buy followers/make fake accounts to try and trick advertisers into thinking
they're more popular than they actually are. Happens quite a bit with authors
and books too; the likes of Robert Stanek and Gloria Tesch relied almost
entirely on shills and paid marketing in an attempt to make people think their
works had an actual fanbase/were going to be the next big thing.

Still, guess it's the logical extreme for the whole 'fake it till you make it'
thing. If you can't build a real audience after doing that, this is what
you're left with.

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mcculley
Isn't this what people here refer to as "growth hacking"?

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eaenki
not really

~~~
late2part
No, actually it is. It's just that this one didn't work.

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Luc
They can still turn this around. Shoot some documentary video & turn it into a
Borat-style wry comedy, pretend it was all a commentary on something or other.

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NeedMoreTea
Many of the small venues struggle to survive as it is without some jerk
ripping them off because he thinks it's funny. Yet get a good band in one and
they are almost always the best gigs by miles.

That he goes into a huff because one venue asked him to actually pay their
expenses says it all.

I hope the other venues chase him for costs and lost bar sales.

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rectang
What a crappy thing to do. Most people in the music industry barely get by,
and that includes the people who depend on booked acts bringing paying patrons
to live music venues.

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KaoruAoiShiho
The growth hack is half complete. He can ride this for all it's worth as a
documentary on marketing: [https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/434gqw/i-made-
my-shed-the...](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/434gqw/i-made-my-shed-the-
top-rated-restaurant-on-tripadvisor) or hire fake fans to show up to the
concert like that fake screaming fangirls video that made Justin Bieber an
instant sensation.

~~~
DonHopkins
It worked for Balloon Boy!

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVbV_Sis99o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVbV_Sis99o)

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ISL
Plot twist: a bunch of people turn up to the non-existent shows at the end of
the tour, just to see a non-show...

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rwallace
Okay so my first thought was, why would the venues care, don't they have the
ticket money anyway. Is there something I am missing about how these things
are arranged, such that the venue doesn't get paid if people don't show up? If
so, why?

~~~
trentlott
Well, no:

Article: " _...they told the venue they sold 150 tickets (a sell out) and only
one person actually showed up who bought a ticket._ "

Even if they pay the band only after the show, the venue might get $16 for
several hours of staffed operation.

People attending a show buy tickets, food, and drinks from the venue.

So, the band's payment is typically easily recouped because the venue expects
a minimum guaranteed income (say 40% capacity, average of $6/attendee spent on
incidentals).

If zero people show up, they have the expense without the income, having
sacrificed the night that could have gone to a more popular band, while also
paying workers and incurring utility expenses.

~~~
rwallace
Aha! Yes, that would explain the unhappiness.

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anotheryou
I fear he might have thought to get away with it and jump start a career or
something. That would make it pretty sad and pathetic.

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rurban
And his name is not Tommy Wiseau!

~~~
bambax
Exactly, this is The Artist, the Musical! His youtube channel is him talking
to a mirror or playing with pieces of broken mirror or a mirror frame...

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoAm6zb9ruDaD7Ba7FZQI6g/vid...](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoAm6zb9ruDaD7Ba7FZQI6g/videos)

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SpikeDad
If a band plays in the woods and no one hears them should we talk about it?

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nraynaud
Fake it until you make it. Keep hustling.

