A serious question for the die hards...

[Rockwriter]

"bugsymalone

When a group is having the level of success Touring Styx has now

What level is that? This band makes no money touring other than from home made cds and tee Shirts,
The level of touring is an F

That's simply not true. The last time I saw the band was just a few months ago, and it was an absolutely A-level production. And while Styx is not earning what it used to, it's still pulling in $30,000 - $50,000 in fees plus merchandising. That pans out to a really nice income from touring any way you look at it. Hell, I wish I was earning that kind of cash.


Sterling

30 thousand split 10 ways . That's about 3000 each . You wanna be on the road for 11 years in a row making 3000 a night more power to ya. You saw the 8 GI tour yea that was when they went all out with the computer screens, Whats going on today?

You are determined to see this the way you want to see it, which everyone knows. That doesn't line up with reality. They don't split anything ten ways. They pay their crew a straight salary that's reasonable but not that bad, and the side men band members a straight show fee as well, and then the profit participants split the rest. Everyone involved ends up doing well enough. If they didn't, guess what? They'd leave and do something else. For some reason you wish not to see the simple logic of that. Why would anyone who is lucky enough to play music he likes with people he likes, and has a guaranteed salary, ever want NOT to do that? Very few players are in that position. The ones that are, are smart enough to count their blessings and shut up about the parts they don't like. No job is perfect and Styx is just a job. That's all it EVER was. That's all ANY band is. The rest of it is just your perception.

By the way, when you book a big tour, you look at production costs and salaries vs. fees and projected merchandise sales per night, and then you see how many dates it takes to make that, and then you book as many more dates over and above that as it takes to make the margins the principals need to make. You can't look at it one night at a time because it does not give a clear picture. You set up tours so that by a certain number of dates in, the entire overhead is paid, and all of the subsequent dates are clear profit for the band.


Sterling

[froy]

"bugsymalone

When a group is having the level of success Touring Styx has now

What level is that? This band makes no money touring other than from home made cds and tee Shirts,
The level of touring is an F

That's simply not true. The last time I saw the band was just a few months ago, and it was an absolutely A-level production. And while Styx is not earning what it used to, it's still pulling in $30,000 - $50,000 in fees plus merchandising. That pans out to a really nice income from touring any way you look at it. Hell, I wish I was earning that kind of cash.


Sterling

30 thousand split 10 ways . That's about 3000 each . You wanna be on the road for 11 years in a row making 3000 a night more power to ya. You saw the 8 GI tour yea that was when they went all out with the computer screens, Whats going on today?

You are determined to see this the way you want to see it, which everyone knows. That doesn't line up with reality. They don't split anything ten ways. They pay their crew a straight salary that's reasonable but not that bad, and the side men band members a straight show fee as well, and then the profit participants split the rest. Everyone involved ends up doing well enough. If they didn't, guess what? They'd leave and do something else. For some reason you wish not to see the simple logic of that. Why would anyone who is lucky enough to play music he likes with people he likes, and has a guaranteed salary, ever want NOT to do that? Very few players are in that position. The ones that are, are smart enough to count their blessings and shut up about the parts they don't like. No job is perfect and Styx is just a job. That's all it EVER was. That's all ANY band is. The rest of it is just your perception.

By the way, when you book a big tour, you look at production costs and salaries vs. fees and projected merchandise sales per night, and then you see how many dates it takes to make that, and then you book as many more dates over and above that as it takes to make the margins the principals need to make. You can't look at it one night at a time because it does not give a clear picture. You set up tours so that by a certain number of dates in, the entire overhead is paid, and all of the subsequent dates are clear profit for the band.


Sterling

5 band members Chuck Panazzo 1 Keith Marks and 1 Charlie Brusco and 1 Dennis DeYoung that's about 9 ways.
Point is 30K for STYX is terrible. Look at what Rush makes and then you can compare.

[Rockwriter]

"bugsymalone

When a group is having the level of success Touring Styx has now

What level is that? This band makes no money touring other than from home made cds and tee Shirts,
The level of touring is an F

That's simply not true. The last time I saw the band was just a few months ago, and it was an absolutely A-level production. And while Styx is not earning what it used to, it's still pulling in $30,000 - $50,000 in fees plus merchandising. That pans out to a really nice income from touring any way you look at it. Hell, I wish I was earning that kind of cash.


Sterling

30 thousand split 10 ways . That's about 3000 each . You wanna be on the road for 11 years in a row making 3000 a night more power to ya. You saw the 8 GI tour yea that was when they went all out with the computer screens, Whats going on today?

You are determined to see this the way you want to see it, which everyone knows. That doesn't line up with reality. They don't split anything ten ways. They pay their crew a straight salary that's reasonable but not that bad, and the side men band members a straight show fee as well, and then the profit participants split the rest. Everyone involved ends up doing well enough. If they didn't, guess what? They'd leave and do something else. For some reason you wish not to see the simple logic of that. Why would anyone who is lucky enough to play music he likes with people he likes, and has a guaranteed salary, ever want NOT to do that? Very few players are in that position. The ones that are, are smart enough to count their blessings and shut up about the parts they don't like. No job is perfect and Styx is just a job. That's all it EVER was. That's all ANY band is. The rest of it is just your perception.

By the way, when you book a big tour, you look at production costs and salaries vs. fees and projected merchandise sales per night, and then you see how many dates it takes to make that, and then you book as many more dates over and above that as it takes to make the margins the principals need to make. You can't look at it one night at a time because it does not give a clear picture. You set up tours so that by a certain number of dates in, the entire overhead is paid, and all of the subsequent dates are clear profit for the band.


Sterling

5 band members Chuck Panazzo 1 Keith Marks and 1 Charlie Brusco and 1 Dennis DeYoung that's about 9 ways.
Point is 30K for STYX is terrible. Look at what Rush makes and then you can compare.

Rush is a different story, it tours only once every few years. If you compared what Styx hauls in overall in a comparable period of time it would be closer than you think, if not more.

3 of the 5 band members in Styx are employees unless things have changed. They earn salaries, not a split. Keith Marks is an employee on a salary. Charlie more than likely earns a percentage, not a split. If they are paying him an equal percentage then they are crazy, but I doubt it. Dennis, the info has never been made public whether he does or does not earn anything from Styx playing live now. If he does it would be really unlikely that it's an equal split.

You are trying to argue 30K as a baseline when it is in fact the lowest fee on the spectrum and they often play for more. You are clutching at straws and making things up to try and prove a point that has no validity. Why does this mean so much to you? Is Dennis your Dad or something? It's been a dozen years - if you don't like the band, who don't you just stop beating yourself and everyone else up about it? It's self-destructive at some point. Wouldn't you be happier spending your time on something else that makes you happy? Do you really not see that?


Sterling

[yogi]

Froy aka Peter Best just cant let it go.

[mr.v]

"bugsymalone

When a group is having the level of success Touring Styx has now

What level is that? This band makes no money touring other than from home made cds and tee Shirts,
The level of touring is an F

That's simply not true. The last time I saw the band was just a few months ago, and it was an absolutely A-level production. And while Styx is not earning what it used to, it's still pulling in $30,000 - $50,000 in fees plus merchandising. That pans out to a really nice income from touring any way you look at it. Hell, I wish I was earning that kind of cash.


Sterling

30 thousand split 10 ways . That's about 3000 each . You wanna be on the road for 11 years in a row making 3000 a night more power to ya. You saw the 8 GI tour yea that was when they went all out with the computer screens, Whats going on today?

You are determined to see this the way you want to see it, which everyone knows. That doesn't line up with reality. They don't split anything ten ways. They pay their crew a straight salary that's reasonable but not that bad, and the side men band members a straight show fee as well, and then the profit participants split the rest. Everyone involved ends up doing well enough. If they didn't, guess what? They'd leave and do something else. For some reason you wish not to see the simple logic of that. Why would anyone who is lucky enough to play music he likes with people he likes, and has a guaranteed salary, ever want NOT to do that? Very few players are in that position. The ones that are, are smart enough to count their blessings and shut up about the parts they don't like. No job is perfect and Styx is just a job. That's all it EVER was. That's all ANY band is. The rest of it is just your perception.

By the way, when you book a big tour, you look at production costs and salaries vs. fees and projected merchandise sales per night, and then you see how many dates it takes to make that, and then you book as many more dates over and above that as it takes to make the margins the principals need to make. You can't look at it one night at a time because it does not give a clear picture. You set up tours so that by a certain number of dates in, the entire overhead is paid, and all of the subsequent dates are clear profit for the band.


Sterling

5 band members Chuck Panazzo 1 Keith Marks and 1 Charlie Brusco and 1 Dennis DeYoung that's about 9 ways.
Point is 30K for STYX is terrible. Look at what Rush makes and then you can compare.

Rush is a different story, it tours only once every few years. If you compared what Styx hauls in overall in a comparable period of time it would be closer than you think, if not more.

3 of the 5 band members in Styx are employees unless things have changed. They earn salaries, not a split. Keith Marks is an employee on a salary. Charlie more than likely earns a percentage, not a split. If they are paying him an equal percentage then they are crazy, but I doubt it. Dennis, the info has never been made public whether he does or does not earn anything from Styx playing live now. If he does it would be really unlikely that it's an equal split.

You are trying to argue 30K as a baseline when it is in fact the lowest fee on the spectrum and they often play for more. You are clutching at straws and making things up to try and prove a point that has no validity. Why does this mean so much to you? Is Dennis your Dad or something? It's been a dozen years - if you don't like the band, who don't you just stop beating yourself and everyone else up about it? It's self-destructive at some point. Wouldn't you be happier spending your time on something else that makes you happy? Do you really not see that?


Sterling

It appears to me as someone that reads the board but seldom posts that this IS what makes FROY happy. It appears his greatest joy is defending someone (Dennis) that does not know or care who he is. Perhaps in Froy's defense he has met Dennis on occasion and has developed a distorted view of his relationship to the man. Maybe he really believes that someday Dennis will come up to him, pat him on the back and congratulate him on his fine job of sticking up for him on these boards. Or it could be that Froy is one of those poor souls that is only happy when he is unhappy, he needs conflict in his life in order to feel self worth. It is obvious to someone that reads his posts that there is some kind of disconnect that drives him to time and again, year after year, insist on spouting the same tired arguments. He has a need to be right all the time in a world where no one cares about his opinion, or at least no one cares anymore. He has become a punch line in a joke that everyone has forgotten, but he still thinks he should get the laugh. It really is quiet sad.

[Rockwriter]

"bugsymalone

When a group is having the level of success Touring Styx has now

What level is that? This band makes no money touring other than from home made cds and tee Shirts,
The level of touring is an F

That's simply not true. The last time I saw the band was just a few months ago, and it was an absolutely A-level production. And while Styx is not earning what it used to, it's still pulling in $30,000 - $50,000 in fees plus merchandising. That pans out to a really nice income from touring any way you look at it. Hell, I wish I was earning that kind of cash.


Sterling

30 thousand split 10 ways . That's about 3000 each . You wanna be on the road for 11 years in a row making 3000 a night more power to ya. You saw the 8 GI tour yea that was when they went all out with the computer screens, Whats going on today?

You are determined to see this the way you want to see it, which everyone knows. That doesn't line up with reality. They don't split anything ten ways. They pay their crew a straight salary that's reasonable but not that bad, and the side men band members a straight show fee as well, and then the profit participants split the rest. Everyone involved ends up doing well enough. If they didn't, guess what? They'd leave and do something else. For some reason you wish not to see the simple logic of that. Why would anyone who is lucky enough to play music he likes with people he likes, and has a guaranteed salary, ever want NOT to do that? Very few players are in that position. The ones that are, are smart enough to count their blessings and shut up about the parts they don't like. No job is perfect and Styx is just a job. That's all it EVER was. That's all ANY band is. The rest of it is just your perception.

By the way, when you book a big tour, you look at production costs and salaries vs. fees and projected merchandise sales per night, and then you see how many dates it takes to make that, and then you book as many more dates over and above that as it takes to make the margins the principals need to make. You can't look at it one night at a time because it does not give a clear picture. You set up tours so that by a certain number of dates in, the entire overhead is paid, and all of the subsequent dates are clear profit for the band.


Sterling

5 band members Chuck Panazzo 1 Keith Marks and 1 Charlie Brusco and 1 Dennis DeYoung that's about 9 ways.
Point is 30K for STYX is terrible. Look at what Rush makes and then you can compare.

Rush is a different story, it tours only once every few years. If you compared what Styx hauls in overall in a comparable period of time it would be closer than you think, if not more.

3 of the 5 band members in Styx are employees unless things have changed. They earn salaries, not a split. Keith Marks is an employee on a salary. Charlie more than likely earns a percentage, not a split. If they are paying him an equal percentage then they are crazy, but I doubt it. Dennis, the info has never been made public whether he does or does not earn anything from Styx playing live now. If he does it would be really unlikely that it's an equal split.

You are trying to argue 30K as a baseline when it is in fact the lowest fee on the spectrum and they often play for more. You are clutching at straws and making things up to try and prove a point that has no validity. Why does this mean so much to you? Is Dennis your Dad or something? It's been a dozen years - if you don't like the band, who don't you just stop beating yourself and everyone else up about it? It's self-destructive at some point. Wouldn't you be happier spending your time on something else that makes you happy? Do you really not see that?


Sterling

It appears to me as someone that reads the board but seldom posts that this IS what makes FROY happy. It appears his greatest joy is defending someone (Dennis) that does not know or care who he is. Perhaps in Froy's defense he has met Dennis on occasion and has developed a distorted view of his relationship to the man. Maybe he really believes that someday Dennis will come up to him, pat him on the back and congratulate him on his fine job of sticking up for him on these boards. Or it could be that Froy is one of those poor souls that is only happy when he is unhappy, he needs conflict in his life in order to feel self worth. It is obvious to someone that reads his posts that there is some kind of disconnect that drives him to time and again, year after year, insist on spouting the same tired arguments. He has a need to be right all the time in a world where no one cares about his opinion, or at least no one cares anymore. He has become a punch line in a joke that everyone has forgotten, but he still thinks he should get the laugh. It really is quiet sad.

Look, I'm not attacking anyone. That's silly. I'm just posing the question, is there nothing better to do with big chunks of one's time? I spoke to Froy on the phone once and he seemed like a good enough guy. I don't hate him, I'm not against him. But at some point a person has to decide what makes him happy and try to focus on it.

You know, I really don't like The Ramones . . . which is why I stay away from websites devoted to that band.

Sterling

[S2M]

Rush is a different story, it tours only once every few years. If you compared what Styx hauls in overall in a comparable period of time it would be closer than you think, if not more.
3 of the 5 band members in Styx are employees unless things have changed. They earn salaries, not a split. Keith Marks is an employee on a salary. Charlie more than likely earns a percentage, not a split. If they are paying him an equal percentage then they are crazy, but I doubt it. Dennis, the info has never been made public whether he does or does not earn anything from Styx playing live now. If he does it would be really unlikely that it's an equal split.

You are trying to argue 30K as a baseline when it is in fact the lowest fee on the spectrum and they often play for more. You are clutching at straws and making things up to try and prove a point that has no validity. Why does this mean so much to you? Is Dennis your Dad or something? It's been a dozen years - if you don't like the band, who don't you just stop beating yourself and everyone else up about it? It's self-destructive at some point. Wouldn't you be happier spending your time on something else that makes you happy? Do you really not see that?


Sterling

Please step away from the crack pipe. RUSH pulls in at LEAST 20X what Styx does. When Styx plays Brazil, and sells it out - let me know.

[Boomchild]

A topic we have covered multiple times, for sure.

When a group is having the level of success Touring Styx has now, and by that I mean money made from touring with other groups, and small shows on their own, coupled with a complete lack of creative mojo, you get the show souvenirs and that is about it.

The one truly creative member left in this band is Tommy and we see that his interest lies in writing and recording music that is decidedly non-Styx in style and content.

My guess is that putting the DY songs on the next Re-re-regeneration album is to spotlight the one, identifiable star and voice left in this band.

I truly believe he is the one member who has an actual fan base, outside the band as a whole, so why not?

Otherwise, touring with even moderate success has bred contentment and satisfaction for still being able to perform live. What is bringing in the money besides their fee is a nice added bonus. Doesn't really matter what it is -- t-shirts, mugs, keychains, re-tread recordings.


Bugsy

With this version of Styx if Tommy were to leave it would be over. I would argue that no one would be interested in coming to see a version of Styx that would only contain JY and a group of replacements.

[Boomchild]

Look, I'm not attacking anyone. That's silly. I'm just posing the question, is there nothing better to do with big chunks of one's time? I spoke to Froy on the phone once and he seemed like a good enough guy. I don't hate him, I'm not against him. But at some point a person has to decide what makes him happy and try to focus on it.

You know, I really don't like The Ramones . . . which is why I stay away from websites devoted to that band.

Sterling

The difference here is that this message board includes all the versions of Styx. So you are going to get the supporters of both the old and new. If people feel that someones posts are not relevant, beating a dead horse etc. then maybe folks should just ignore it. It's not a big deal and maybe if no one is paying attention to those posts the person would just stop posting.

[bugsymalone]

With this version of Styx if Tommy were to leave it would be over. I would argue that no one would be interested in coming to see a version of Styx that would only contain JY and a group of replacements.

Nope. I disagree. I think any incarnation carrying the name could still tour. Probably only as a supporting band in a 3, or more, band show. Plenty of people go to the festival type concerts, or multi-band shows with "name" groups on the bill and enjoy the show, completely oblivious as to who is actually in the bands they are seeing. If they hear the hits they know, they go home happy, I am sure. (Well. That. And the beer.)

The fans in the know would be the only ones likely not interested in seeing a band with JY and a supporting cast, IMO.


Bugsy

[Toph]

Look, I'm not attacking anyone. That's silly. I'm just posing the question, is there nothing better to do with big chunks of one's time? I spoke to Froy on the phone once and he seemed like a good enough guy. I don't hate him, I'm not against him. But at some point a person has to decide what makes him happy and try to focus on it.

You know, I really don't like The Ramones . . . which is why I stay away from websites devoted to that band.

Sterling

The difference here is that this message board includes all the versions of Styx. So you are going to get the supporters of both the old and new. If people feel that someones posts are not relevant, beating a dead horse etc. then maybe folks should just ignore it. It's not a big deal and maybe if no one is paying attention to those posts the person would just stop posting.

Not sure why Sterling is going so pro the current lineup all of a sudden. Historically, he's been pretty balanced between the DeYoung folks and the cover band folks. Not sure what has brought on this attack on Froy.

[Rockwriter]

Look, I'm not attacking anyone. That's silly. I'm just posing the question, is there nothing better to do with big chunks of one's time? I spoke to Froy on the phone once and he seemed like a good enough guy. I don't hate him, I'm not against him. But at some point a person has to decide what makes him happy and try to focus on it.

You know, I really don't like The Ramones . . . which is why I stay away from websites devoted to that band.

Sterling

The difference here is that this message board includes all the versions of Styx. So you are going to get the supporters of both the old and new. If people feel that someones posts are not relevant, beating a dead horse etc. then maybe folks should just ignore it. It's not a big deal and maybe if no one is paying attention to those posts the person would just stop posting.

Not sure why Sterling is going so pro the current lineup all of a sudden. Historically, he's been pretty balanced between the DeYoung folks and the cover band folks. Not sure what has brought on this attack on Froy.

Again, it's not an attack on Froy or me suddenly being pro-current Styx. The band still has all of the strengths and weaknesses it has had. I still don't think it has a sense of forward purpose in the recording side of its career, and I still wish it performed a wider selection of its own hits. But I also wish you could post anything about anything without every thread turning into an assembly line of blah blah blah blah blah. That's all.


Sterling

[pinkfloyd1973]

Not sure why Sterling is going so pro the current lineup all of a sudden. Historically, he's been pretty balanced between the DeYoung folks and the cover band folks. Not sure what has brought on this attack on Froy.

Again, it's not an attack on Froy or me suddenly being pro-current Styx. The band still has all of the strengths and weaknesses it has had. I still don't think it has a sense of forward purpose in the recording side of its career, and I still wish it performed a wider selection of its own hits. But I also wish you could post anything about anything without every thread turning into an assembly line of blah blah blah blah blah. That's all.


Sterling

Then what else would Froy do with his life? (P.S. Sterling....i'm reading your book yet again )

[Rockwriter]

Not sure why Sterling is going so pro the current lineup all of a sudden. Historically, he's been pretty balanced between the DeYoung folks and the cover band folks. Not sure what has brought on this attack on Froy.

Again, it's not an attack on Froy or me suddenly being pro-current Styx. The band still has all of the strengths and weaknesses it has had. I still don't think it has a sense of forward purpose in the recording side of its career, and I still wish it performed a wider selection of its own hits. But I also wish you could post anything about anything without every thread turning into an assembly line of blah blah blah blah blah. That's all.


Sterling

Then what else would Froy do with his life? (P.S. Sterling....i'm reading your book yet again )

Cool! Let me know if anything happens differently this time, LOL.

Sterling

[pinkfloyd1973]

Cool! Let me know if anything happens differently this time, LOL.

Sterling

[sniper16]

I saw an interview with David Coverdale on TMS and was discussing the new album he and Whitesnake released or were releasing at the time of taping. He mentioned that he really had no intention of making a new album. He had so many other things going on that he would have been content to just tour for I guess the remainder of Whitesnake's tenure. The point is that music, especially hard rock music doesn't sell. Tickets maybe, but not albums. As much as I want a new Styx album of original material, I understand why they don't record one. It's a lot to put into something that won't make you money. They make money from touring, like most hard rock acts these days. It pains me to say this, but there is no demand for a new Styx album. I wish things were different...

excellent response, i used to be one that said, if the guitar player or singer are not in the band give it up, but ive enjoyed neal scon without steve perry, david lee roth without evh, foreigner without m jones and dennis deyoung without the others, play until you die or i wont have anybody to see

[sniper16]

i work alot of these shows and 75 % of the people dont know whos in the band when they get to the show, some may care, but as long as the hits are played there happy

[Boomchild]

Look, I'm not attacking anyone. That's silly. I'm just posing the question, is there nothing better to do with big chunks of one's time? I spoke to Froy on the phone once and he seemed like a good enough guy. I don't hate him, I'm not against him. But at some point a person has to decide what makes him happy and try to focus on it.

You know, I really don't like The Ramones . . . which is why I stay away from websites devoted to that band.

Sterling

The difference here is that this message board includes all the versions of Styx. So you are going to get the supporters of both the old and new. If people feel that someones posts are not relevant, beating a dead horse etc. then maybe folks should just ignore it. It's not a big deal and maybe if no one is paying attention to those posts the person would just stop posting.

Not sure why Sterling is going so pro the current lineup all of a sudden. Historically, he's been pretty balanced between the DeYoung folks and the cover band folks. Not sure what has brought on this attack on Froy.

Again, it's not an attack on Froy or me suddenly being pro-current Styx. The band still has all of the strengths and weaknesses it has had. I still don't think it has a sense of forward purpose in the recording side of its career, and I still wish it performed a wider selection of its own hits. But I also wish you could post anything about anything without every thread turning into an assembly line of blah blah blah blah blah. That's all.


Sterling

We all know your not going to get a wider selection of hits. That would mean including songs that the current band feels is not Styx worthy.