Bruce Dickinson

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The convention or the company that sponsored/brought him there is getting their cut as well.

I also wonder why (I understand why Nicko is doing it). Maybe he thinks it might help with his solo career revival? Is he only doing these in America?
 
So far only in the US.
But he has some free time at the end of the year. Maybe he will be at the German Film Comic Con (5/6 December).
I don't understand why he does it. I don't think it helps his career.
The fans who want autographs or photos are fans of his solo career and Maiden anyway.

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You mean like those rich people who still try to save or earn a few dollars at every opportunity?

I don't usually pay for photos with celebrities, but if the entire Iron Maiden showed up for something like that, a photo and autographs on the first album I ever bought, I wouldn't be able to resist.
 
I assume Bruce part subsidises his solo career from his own pocket? Unlikely it truly breaks even given the costs of touring.

Clear that Harris and Smith must subsidise British Lion and S/K from their own pockets. I’d be surprised if I’m wrong.

That’s what their Maiden millions can help with, and it’s a really great use of their money, spending to allow themselves more musical self expression (look at what other rockstars piss up the wall, so to speak).

Also, Bruce made a recent push to be marketed as a corporate speaker again, but there don’t seem to be lots of these coming up (he must charge six figures or close for a keynote is my guess, I have some knowledge of that industry and it can be very profitable even at different levels).
 
Helmuth Von Moltke said:
I assume Bruce part subsidises his solo career from his own pocket? Unlikely it truly breaks even given the costs of touring.

Clear that Harris and Smith must subsidise British Lion and S/K from their own pockets. I’d be surprised if I’m wrong.

That’s what their Maiden millions can help with, and it’s a really great use of their money, spending to allow themselves more musical self expression (look at what other rockstars piss up the wall, so to speak).

Also, Bruce made a recent push to be marketed as a corporate speaker again, but there don’t seem to be lots of these coming up (he must charge six figures or close for a keynote is my guess, I have some knowledge of that industry and it can be very profitable even at different levels).
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Regarding this, I was wondering about the same thing a few days ago. Now that Bruce has recorded a new album with his current lineup and essentially put it on the shelf while he prepares for the next Maiden tour, it makes me wonder what the other band members are left with in the meantime.

I ended up thinking that Bruce might be supporting them in some way - maybe not covering everything, but perhaps giving some of them a yearly allowance to help them stay afloat and remain part of his band until the right time comes. In my inner monologue, I imagined something like $50,000 per person. Just a guess and pure speculation.

Now that I’ve written it down, I’m starting to doubt he’d actually give away sums that big. Still, it’s an interesting question. When people commit to working with you, don’t you feel some responsibility to help keep things going so they can stay under your wing? On the one hand, they can pursue side projects; on the other, they know Bruce is a high-profile musician, and they’re probably hoping to achieve something bigger with him in the future. It’s all quite complicated.

Okay, maybe not $50,000-but perhaps something like $25,000 each. For a multimillionaire, that wouldn’t be such a huge amount over the course of a year.

Edit: And I’m not really counting Bruce’s money here - I’m more interested in how this sort of thing actually works behind the scenes. How does someone manage relationships with the members of their solo band while they’re busy doing their main job?
 
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Azas said:
Regarding this, I was wondering about the same thing a few days ago. Now that Bruce has recorded a new album with his current lineup and essentially put it on the shelf while he prepares for the next Maiden tour, it makes me wonder what the other band members are left with in the meantime.

I ended up thinking that Bruce might be supporting them in some way - maybe not covering everything, but perhaps giving some of them a yearly allowance to help them stay afloat and remain part of his band until the right time comes. In my inner monologue, I imagined something like $50,000 per person. Just a guess and pure speculation.

Now that I’ve written it down, I’m starting to doubt he’d actually give away sums that big. Still, it’s an interesting question. When people commit to working with you, don’t you feel some responsibility to help keep things going so they can stay under your wing? On the one hand, they can pursue side projects; on the other, they know Bruce is a high-profile musician, and they’re probably hoping to achieve something bigger with him in the future. It’s all quite complicated.

Okay, maybe not $50,000-but perhaps something like $25,000 each. For a multimillionaire, that wouldn’t be such a huge amount over the course of a year.

Edit: And I’m not really counting Bruce’s money here - I’m more interested in how this sort of thing actually works behind the scenes. How does someone manage relationships with the members of their solo band while they’re busy doing their main job?
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There could be some sort of retainer fee involved to keep their schedules open when he needs them, but I would imagine it's fairly small since he likely knows the window of time in 2027 he wants them to be ready to tour. Apart from whatever recording commitments they might have left on the new album, I'm fairly sure they're like Ghost's Nameless Ghouls--they're freelance session musicians, and when Bruce doesn't need them, they're free to pursue other work.

It's hard to say whose money any fees would be coming from. Normally, artists--even wealthy ones like Bruce--the rule is never spend your own money. That said, the record industry has changed drastically, so maybe it is coming out of his pocket rather than the label's.

Unfortunately, contracted freelancers seems to be moving in that direction in recent years in the industry. Ghost, and more recently Cradle of Filth being outed as having no actual members outside of Dani. In the latter case, they were marketed as a traditional-styled band regardless. I would think that is the case here--Bruce is calling them a band, but with so much of his time devoted to Maiden, the most sensible option is to contract them for limited periods of time.
 
If Bruce doesn't want to do things completely differently than usual, his musicians simply have the contractual right to earn money in other projects in order to make a living. Playing, producing, etc. I know a musician who, in addition to what he does for the band he plays in, repairs musical instruments, for example...
 
riff said:
You'd think Bruce would be financially comfortable enough that a handful of $150 photo sessions wouldn't be worth his time.
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But I remember a promo event where he was as a bartender in a pub (before his divorce). And he said that because of his expensive divorce, he would probably be working in pubs more often now. :D

No, seriously: maybe he finds it flattering to see how many people will pay so much money for a photo with him.
 
Helmuth Von Moltke said:
I assume Bruce part subsidises his solo career from his own pocket? Unlikely it truly breaks even given the costs of touring.

Clear that Harris and Smith must subsidise British Lion and S/K from their own pockets. I’d be surprised if I’m wrong.
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So, at this German Film Comic Con in December, it won't just be Bruce, but Bruce, Steve, and Adrian? ;)
 
Yes, please, I want to hear Adrian say “Danke schön!” and “Köln” again.
(I was at the SK show in Köln, very good performance, but I don't find the compositions themselves interesting.)
The way he pronounced the umlauts was not how native English speakers normally sound. He sounded really good!
 
Iron Lurker said:
That's not bad as far as what the bigger celebs bring at conventions.

What's disgusting is what Mark Hamill was charging at an event $700 - $800 IIRC
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He isn't acting much these days though, is he? So that is essentially his job. Taking pics with famous people at conventions, it's like... You either spend the money, or you don't. There's no point in being upset over the prices, as it's something incredibly unnecessary to shell out cash for.
 
Helmuth Von Moltke said:
Also, Bruce made a recent push to be marketed as a corporate speaker again, but there don’t seem to be lots of these coming up (he must charge six figures or close for a keynote is my guess, I have some knowledge of that industry and it can be very profitable even at different levels).
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I think the income from those after dinner corporate events has died out (the "turning customers into fans" probably did not have that much of a lifespan beyond the initial novelty of having a rockstar speaking at your corporate event), hence the need to diversify charging fans for autographed photos.

I am surprised the price tag is not £666 + VAT as it was for the watch or the flight simulator experiences with him...
 
Helmuth Von Moltke said:
I assume Bruce part subsidises his solo career from his own pocket? Unlikely it truly breaks even given the costs of touring.

Clear that Harris and Smith must subsidise British Lion and S/K from their own pockets. I’d be surprised if I’m wrong.
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Steve definitely subsidises the whole British Lion thing, but I doubt that is the case with Smith/Kotzen and Bruce's solo career, which attract many more people to their shows.
 
Black Bart said:
The prices are disgusting.
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It gets more expensive. At Planet Comic Con at the end of March, you can spend up to $500.

Autograph Price: Standard Photos (under 11x14"), CDs & Books - $100
Photo Op Price: $125

Other Pricing: Autographs - Premium Items: Albums, Toys or Large Photos or Posters: $150, Microphones/Harmonica/Drum Heads/Non-Guitar Instruments - $300, Guitars/Pick Guards - $500
 
Yax said:
He isn't acting much these days though, is he? So that is essentially his job. Taking pics with famous people at conventions, it's like... You either spend the money, or you don't. There's no point in being upset over the prices, as it's something incredibly unnecessary to shell out cash for.
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Oh I have no problem paid photo and autograph ops. It's a source of income for a lot of celebs who might be on the downside of their careers. Also many actors on Sci-Fi shows have a rough time finding other work after their shows end their run. I just can't believe that even a diehard SW fan would pay that much for Luke Skywalkers autograph.
 
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