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Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Neil Young Declares Concert Touring 'Broken' Due To Ticketmaster Fees

Neil Young has openly criticized ticketing giant Ticketmaster, blaming them for killing concert touring.

Early this month, The Cure announced a North American tour. Even after the band opted out of Ticketmaster's "dynamic" pricing structure, fans were charged exorbitant service fees.

Young responded to the developments in a recent post on his website, titled "Concert Touring Is Broken."

"The old days are gone," Young wrote, reposting an article about the Cure frontman Robert Smith's battle for fair prices. "I get letters blaming me for $3,000.00 tickets for a benefit I am doing . That money does not go to me or the benefit. Artists have to worry about ripped off fans blaming them for Ticketmaster add-ons and scalpers."

Young continued, "CONCERT TOURS are no longer fun. CONCERT TOURS not what they were."

"I am as sickened as you all are by today's Ticketmaster 'fees' debacle," Smith tweeted about the subject on March 15. "To be very clear: The artist has no way to limit them. I have been asking how they are justified. If I get anything coherent by way of an answer I will let you all know."

Ticketmaster eventually agreed to refund some of the cost.

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Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx Reveals Contribution To Dolly Parton's Rock Album

Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx recently revealed that he has contributed to Dolly Parton's upcoming rock album.

Sixx revealed the news on Twitter: "Played bass on a song for Dolly Parton yesterday," he said among other things.

In January, Parton revealed that her upcoming rock album, titled Rock Star, will also feature Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, and several other top stars. The new record is set to feature covers of classic songs by the likes of Prince, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

"If I'm gonna be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame I'm gonna have to do something to earn it," Parton said during an interview on "The View."

Another musician contributing to the album will be REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin, who told Yahoo's "Totally '80s" podcast last month that he and Parton had recorded a "dark duet" version of the band's 1980 hit "Keep On Loving You."

(Photo: pitpony.photography)

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Authorized Devo Documentary In Production

New wave rock group Devo are getting a new documentary. Simply titled Devo, the first-ever fully authorized Devo documentary is currently in production.

The movie will be directed by Chris Smith, popular for American Movie, Fyre, Tiger King.

The documentary will be produced by VICE Studios and Library Films in association with Mutato Entertainment. It will be executive produced by BMG, Fremantle Documentaries, and Warner Music Entertainment.

Devo is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers.

The documentary will feature a mix of interviews and archival footage. It will explore the group's formation in the wake of the Kent State massacre and their breakout moment with "Whip It," among other things.

In a statement, Smith said, "Devo was a huge influence on me. Their approach to music, film, video, and art was something I had never seen before and was one of the truly formative artistic influences that showed me there were entirely new ways to look at things."

(Photo: Jay Spencer)

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