With the advent of the internet, many everyday tasks have become infinitely easier… but at what cost? I remember the days where you used to have to scour a cassette tape insert or a CD booklet to try to figure out where to send fan mail for your favorite band. Now you can readily talk to them or comment via twitter, instagram, and facebook. But what has this done to the mannerisms and expectations of artists?
Ash Costello Tweeting
This essentially becomes a two-fold problem. On one hand, you have fans that believe because a musician likes a post on instagram or replies to a tweet they are now best friends. On the other hand, you start to create entitled musicians who believe that certain behaviors are readily acceptable.
Snapshot of Ash Costello’s lengthy wishlist on Amazon.
Ash Costello, lead singer for New Year’s Day, deemed it appropriate to create an Amazon Wish List and share it with her fans. I used to admire Costello for being a female frontrunner in a male driven industry. But this is utterly classless. Most of this band’s fans are teens who work minimum wage jobs (if they even work at all). Most of them rely on their parents to buy their tickets AND drive them to shows. To ask teens to spend their hard earned money on gifts that you have requested is T-A-C-K-Y. If a fan wants to send you a gift, provide them with an address to mail it.
You don’t make adamant requests for items your cat destroyed while you were on tour. You are on tour to make a living. A plumber would never show up at your house, unclog your toilet, and then hand over a shopping list. I mean, really?
It’s even tackier to constantly talk about the gifts that have been purchased on your twitter and instagram account. If you feel the need to be loved and adored, do your fucking job! Don’t ask people, excuse me, kids to spend their hard earned money on shit for you. The fact that these kids admire and look up to you should be the ONLY gift you need. If you are that insecure about your popularity, then maybe you chose the wrong career.
A fan apologizes for not being able to purchase a gift.
Look, I’m not saying you can’t buy a drink for a musician or offer to buy them pizza or give them some home made art. That’s perfectly fine. What I am saying if you need to think long and hard if a musician is handing you a list from on online website asking you to buy him/her decorations and shit.
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