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Highest paid tribute band?

#61
Billyears IV said:
If this is about numbers/$$$, which it seems to be.. . (god knows why else anyone would want to self flagellate and further flog to death other people's already over familiar music)..... One thing which still confuses me is how such 'performers' are permitted to draw income from other's creative works?

Where are the copyright laws here?
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As long as the check is in the mail(or direct deposited), there usually is not a problem. There is also, depending on how it is structured legally, image as intellectual property. I think a royalty is paid to Gene by every Kiss tribute, even these guys…


But they're hooked up…
 
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#62
Major Seven said:
Was that Gaelic Park? My first and only dead show. $2.50. I literally fell asleep in the bleachers.
I find it amusing and scary that a 20 yr old guy I spoke with recently could tell me what the set list for that show was. And the song keys used.
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Heh, the Archive Heads do know way too many things like that. I saw a number of other bands at Gaelic Park, including some of the Dead sitting in with the Allman Brothers, but the show I was referring to was 04/06/71, Manhattan Center Ballroom. The cut of Playing In The Band on Skull And Roses is from that night and a few more are from other dates on that run. And my best friend fell asleep at that show, which was actually really dangerous since the venue was way oversold and it was GA with no seats. IIRC tickets were like five or six bucks, and our dates left after the first set…smart girls! :roflmao:
 
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#63
Michedelic said:
As long as the check is in the mail(or direct deposited), there usually is not a problem. There is also, depending on how it is structured legally, image as intellectual property. I think a royalty is paid to Gene by every Kiss tribute, even these guys…


But they're hooked up…
Click to expand...

You owe Gene a check for just mentioning his name. Oh crap, now I do too!
 
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#64
Michedelic said:
As long as the check is in the mail(or direct deposited), there usually is not a problem. There is also, depending on how it is structured legally, image as intellectual property. I think a royalty is paid to Gene by every Kiss tribute, even these guys…


But they're hooked up…
Click to expand...

I have heard of Mini Kiss, but never saw them, even on YouTube. It ruined my day that I just realized that they don't really play the instruments. I'm not going to lie, I feel betrayed somehow. What's next? Are you going to tell me that wrestling is fake?
 
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#67
JohnnyBottom said:
Dead and Co...... certainly not the Grateful Dead and certainly a tribute.
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Ha! Yeah... I always like to say that they are, like, my 4th or 5th favorite Grateful Dead tribute band...

Dark Star Orchestra has got to be making a good chunk of change. They tour constantly, including the occasional European tours.

I also noticed, at the last set of shows I went to at the old Buckeye Lake in Ohio, that they have their own, branded, 18-wheel semi truck for their equipment. And their sound is INCREDIBLY impressive. I do believe that they use some equipment that the actual Dead employed.

I've also always heard that KISS tribute bands like Strutter, are subsidized by KISS themselves...

Anyway, some other kick arse tribute bands I've seen:

AC/DShe (all female AC/DC)
Completely Unchained (Van Halen)
Any number of Beatles tributes at Abbey Road On The River
Cutlass Supreme (doing Judas Priest,et al)
Back 2 Mac (Fleetwood Mac)

I would love to see Bjorn Again
 
#69
A tribute act or tribute show.
Probably a fine line but I'm pretty sure a show doing national theatres would need a legal wrap. My friend does Tina and Whitney and although I've not seen them, he is busy and we see him less on our gigs.
(I think he likes to break it up so he'll sub out his show position if we book him first..sort of)
He makes a living but I wouldn't say he is coining it. Not going to ask either, tbh.
Our gtr does a lower key tribute and they are $30 a ticket so might be on $500 per man if sold out and a good theatre.
None of them travel more than 2 hrs unless a very special gig because then you have overnight issues.

So, to earn $60k p.a, you can probably work back from there what they need to be pulling per week
Its tough work for that money..
 
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#70
c-ba55 said:
Not THE highest paid, but a well-paid tribute band I sub for is The Bay Area Bee Gees. They tour locally and sell 500-1000 tickets every week.
www.bayareabeegees.com

Home | You Should Be Dancing

The nation's #1 Bee Gees Tribute band. Experience non-stop dancing, soaring falsettos, three-part harmony, and the most beautiful ballads of all time.
www.bayareabeegees.com www.bayareabeegees.com
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Your band sounds very good, and only we bass guitar players know those are not easy lines to play.
I also like that singers add a dose of humor. It' a bit cheesy but I like it.
 
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#75
Not really followed the Tribute thing... its kind of like 'stolen valour' but can see many people need it to earn a living.
(you could say playing covers is the same too in that sense)

But once you get close to $50 a ticket, I'd expect the bands to give some of thd originals a very close run for the money.
Particularly the older main bands who can't hit the notes anymore...thats if they don't mime them already.
 
#78
Billyears IV said:
If this is about numbers/$$$, which it seems to be.. . (god knows why else anyone would want to self flagellate and further flog to death other people's already over familiar music)..... One thing which still confuses me is how such 'performers' are permitted to draw income from other's creative works?

Where are the copyright laws here?
Click to expand...
They're required to pay a performance royalty. Whether they do or not is anyone's guess
 
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#79
DJ Bebop said:
Beat
The King Crimson tribute band with former members Adrian Belew guitar and Tony Levin bass with guitarist Steve Vai and drummer Danny Carey.
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Uh, that's not really a tribute band. Belew wrote all the lyrics over 30 years of KC and had partial song writing credit on many of KC's compositions, Levin played many of the original bass parts. Fripp is a stickler on crushing bootlegs of rip-off bootlegs of his music, or their live performances, or unauthorized tributes that try to make money off his stuff. These guys have rights to it, totally different story. It's like Genesis Revisited, which only plays the stuff Hackett has rights to. Plus quite frankly that band doesn't care about the early stuff, it didn't make much $$.
 
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#80
BassicJazzy said:
Uh, that's not really a tribute band. Belew wrote all the lyrics over 30 years of KC and had partial song writing credit on many of KC's compositions, Levin played many of the original bass parts. Fripp is a stickler on crushing bootlegs of rip-off bootlegs of his music, or their live performances, or unauthorized tributes that try to make money off his stuff. These guys have rights to it, totally different story. It's like Genesis Revisited, which only plays the stuff Hackett has rights to. Plus quite frankly that band doesn't care about the early stuff, it didn't make much $$.
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IMG_0466.gif


I knew that.

As I said in my comment about the members and their previous forays in King Crimson. I was be funny as Robert is not playing with them but kinda called the shots about the music, band, and suggested the name.

😊
 
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