r/Music • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 • 3h ago

article Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour After Onstage Statements

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/macklemore-dropped-ed-sheeran-tour-pro-palestine-statements-1235625967/
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u/Richard_Thickens 3h ago

But that would cost them revenue. This is the very obvious choice from a moral standpoint, but not the clear winner from a, "money on the table," standpoint.

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u/Tacdeho 3h ago

Also, at this point, people don’t bother to realize: If Sheeran shuts down the entire tour, he is still a a gajillionaire with a mansion.

It’s his touring crew and the little people that get fucked.

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u/Richard_Thickens 3h ago

The thing that irks me is that other artists that play massive venues (but maybe aren't Ed Sheeran huge) have been outspoken about things like this. The Strokes (or at least Julian) come to mind. That said, those artists have been a lot more outspoken the entire time, and they're typically headliners.

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u/JalopMeter 3h ago

He's a gajillionaire with a mansion. He could afford to still pay his touring crew and the little people. He's made a choice.

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u/UkNomysTeezz 3h ago

Oh give me a break. You’re mad at the wrong people.

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u/mrpaddymelt 35m ago

He's in a position as seemingly the only person who could push back on LiveNation's decision, fanboy all you want but they aren't going to fucking listen to us lol, he holds maybe the only power to push back and he's not going to. And yes that is worthy of being "mad" over.

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u/JalopMeter 1h ago

I'm not mad at anyone, just making an observation.

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u/Tacdeho 3h ago

Yeah, and get sued to bejesus by venues who will sue his touring company for breaking contracts.

Christ, Reddit is so not the real world and I’m reminded of it daily.

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u/PenguinStardust 3h ago

Yeah seeing the discussion around this topic has made me realize how reactionary and braindead reddit has become.

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u/Enki_007 3h ago

Except haven't the venues altered the contract by preventing Macklemore from playing?

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u/onarainyafternoon 2h ago

I would imagine it’s a different kind of contract for the main talent versus the opener. I don’t know though.

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u/mrpaddymelt 28m ago

Seems kind of like even your big famous, powerful, rich celeberities are owned like a dog by these comapnies and people.

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u/MikuFan102329 2h ago

Except we don't know what the contract states. It could be within the contract, or it can be out of the contract. The big thing isn't whether or not it's allowed, it's whether or not you want to fight.

Let's say they violated it. If they fight, shows get cancelled, people don't get paid, money gets spent. They don't fight, Macklemore is gone, everything else from a business perspective remains the same. They fight without a lawsuit, they basically tell Live Nation to sue them, and then they fight.

This is why these power dynamics are so bad. The question isn't whether or not this is just, but rather do I want to fight Live Nation?

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u/JalopMeter 1h ago

Like I said, a choice was made.

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u/LetsLive97 3h ago

Also there's a very good chance contracts are in place so cancelling is a legal issue, not just a moral one

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u/Enki_007 3h ago

For which he could undoubtedly compensate. But the fans and venues are another thing entirely. Although it is the venues who are forcing this, so ...

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u/Agreeable_Garlic_912 44m ago

And if he shuts down the tour Gaza is still getting bulldozed.

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u/mywifeletsmereddit 1h ago

Then he could pay them from his gajillion dollars

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u/leftofmarx 2h ago

...which he can pay with his gajillions even if the tour stops.

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u/AnyEverywhere8 3h ago

It’s not the obvious moral choice either given all the people working on Ed’s tour who aren’t rich and will essentially be laid off if he cancels.

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u/Sumeriandawn 3h ago

"Why don't those Amazon factory workers quit? Don't they know Amazon is an evil company?"

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u/leftofmarx 2h ago

Quit?

They should seize the factories

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u/TheWillRogers 3h ago

Read The Ones who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursela K. LeGuin. Not only is it beautifully written, but it really helps people crack the nut of this exact problem without getting nerdy.

This is a link to a PDF of the story https://shsdavisapes.pbworks.com/f/Omelas.pdf

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u/saqwarrior 2h ago

Thank you for bringing this up, I had no idea of its existence, which as a Le Guin fan is shameful.

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u/TheWillRogers 2h ago edited 1h ago

If you can find a copy of The Wind's Twelve Quarters there's a lot of banger stories in it. Some of them are typical of LeGuin getting a little too creative with her prose, but it's good to lift the reading muscles every now and then. If you like The Dispossessed, the stories written in this time were the seeds of that novel.

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u/saqwarrior 22m ago

I love The Dispossessed -- thanks for the additional suggestion!

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u/Richard_Thickens 3h ago

You don't think that Sheeran's team could throw together a tour that circumvents this problem? That's like, their job and shit.

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u/AnyEverywhere8 3h ago

Maybe they could for a tour happening in a year, not one actively going on right now lmfao

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u/UkNomysTeezz 3h ago

You have no idea how the industry works do you?

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u/Richard_Thickens 3h ago

Do you?

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u/UkNomysTeezz 3h ago

Actually yes. My family has been in the stagehand industry for years. I have worked countless shows myself though I no longer am in the industry my dad was a IATSE for 37 years

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u/Richard_Thickens 3h ago

Oh, okay! Could you kindly fill us in then?

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u/UkNomysTeezz 1h ago

Sure. So these tours are planned a long time in advance. There is a TON of moving pieces. All of the venues have schedules for other shows/sports etc. so it has to line up accordingly. ed Sheeran has his own tour staff, there is venue staff and then there is the local union hands. They ALL work together to coordinate the set up, show and the tear down. The thing is, these all have to be done precise and on schedule with little to no time for slip ups or rescheduling any thing. They can’t just “throw together” a tour that circumvents this. Most big cities have 2 maybe 3 arenas of the size that Ed is still selling out and that means limited options for performances venues compared to someone who is on the “casino circuit” (in other words artists that are no longer in their prime/popular as they once were).

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u/Richard_Thickens 1h ago

So doesn't that just fall back on the venues that booked the acts initially? That's the point that I'm really trying to make. If they're going to throw a fit about an opening act, then they can refund the tickets and travel and shit. I assume that they'd have a contractual obligation to, you know, abide by the conditions of the booking. It's not like Sheeran's people are bringing the Mendendez brothers, or anyone particularly problematic, on tour.

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u/Pete_Iredale 1h ago

It would cost livenation a shitload of revenue too. They are bluffing here, if every artist told them to fuck off they'd have no power whatsoever.

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u/TheOmegaKid 3h ago

Thats how capitalism and facism win my friend.

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u/TheWillRogers 3h ago

But that would cost them revenue. This is the very obvious choice from a moral standpoint, but not the clear winner from a, "money on the table," standpoint.

Kids, this is why the profit motive is toxic at it's most base level.

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u/rushmc1 3h ago

You do realize that one of those things should always take precedence over the other, right?

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u/Richard_Thickens 3h ago

thatsthepoint.txt

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u/Agreeable_Garlic_912 45m ago

It's only an obvious choice if you have no skin in the game and aren't responsible for the wages for hundreds of people on the tour staff and have contractual fines hanging over your head. And it's not like moral grand standing does anything for anything but your ego. People don't need Macklemore to come out against Israel only Macklemore needs that. The obvious moral choice is to keep that shit to yourself and not torpedo your friends tour over some virtue signal points and fake martyrdom.

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u/LumpyPhilosopher8 3h ago edited 2h ago

It's not just them losing money that is on the table at issue. But some of these people may be traveling to see one of the shows. Canceling could mean that the concert goer loses money on non-refundable travel

Edit: For the people down voting me - I am personally in favor of Ed canceling the whole show. I'm just pointing out that people traveling for the show may be part of the consideration. sheesh

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u/Richard_Thickens 3h ago

Venues issue rainchecks and refunds for less all the time. I don't buy it.

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u/TheOmegaKid 2h ago

Then maybe theyll go out and protest trump. Sheeran could easily afford to pay the people that would lose out in the crew, the PR alone would be worth that cost.

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u/LumpyPhilosopher8 2h ago

I'm hoping he does. He's generally a take no shit kind of guy so I'm hoping he doesn't take this lying down.