Management Madness

Quite possibly a good script for a comedy sketch, unfortunately it is the exact report of the conversation I had by e-mail with the manager of an important American band.

Everyting starts as usual with my standard photopass request:

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From: Valerio Berdini
To: YYYYY YYYYYYYY ,

Dear Sir,

My name is Valerio Berdini, I am a music photographer…
…bla bla…
I am writing to ask for a photopass for the XXXX XXXXXXX concert
…bla bla…

best regards
Valerio
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The Manager of XXXX XXXXXXX, answers with his incongruous preliminary conditions:

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From: YYYYY YYYYYYYY
To: Valerio Berdini

Valerio,

we will check with the venue on available passes. as a preliminary, will you assure to provide us with full rights to use the photos, for no fee, in any manner we opt to use? and provide us with high res images for such purpose?

XXXX XXXXXXX management
c/o YYYYYYYYY@gmail.com
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Incredulous, I answer ironically:

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From: Valerio Berdini
To: YYYYY YYYYYYYY ,

YYYYY,

Thanks for your answer.
I will check to see if my cameras agree with this.
As a preliminary, will you assure to provide me with the full rights to use the XXXX XXXXXXX music, for no fee, in any manner I opt to use? And provide me with high resolution mp3’s and CD’s for such a purpose?

best
Valerio
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From the reply I get, he clearly doesn’t appreciate sarcasm, but manages to be even more offensive:

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From: YYYYY YYYYYYYY ,
To: Valerio Berdini

sorry, is that a question directed to me? if so, I dont follow the last line of your question.

fyi –
you can use the photos in any medium you wish, just so no disfigurement occurs.
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Time to be less ironic, more straightforward and very detailed:

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From: Valerio Berdini
To: YYYYY YYYYYYYY ,

Of course it was for you, YYYYY,

Many thanks to give me permission to use my own images, very appreciated!!!
Can you please let the band know that under the same conditions I will allow them to play their music wherever they want even after I received their CDs with full rights.

Yes, I am being ironic, were you?

As you suppose that I work for free giving full rights to any use of my pictures, for any purpose, to the band, I wondered if bands are doing the same with their music.

Is the band paid for playing?
Are you being paid for your job?
Are you paying the venues, technicians, crew, catering and the tour bus driver?

Are not managers and labels complaining every other day about the damage that donwloading music for free is causing to record industry?
I agree, and I fully support you everyday on this, for the wellbeing of music.

So why should I accept that complains are one way only and then you can behave exactly in the same way pretending to have photographers’ work for free?

I don’t think this is considering me as a professional as I wouldn’t consider you as a professional if you gave your job for free.
I have photographed hundreds of bands and never came across such a pretentious request.

I’d really appreciate if you can explain to me your point.

I am still looking forward to photographing XXXX XXXXXXX gig and, if you are interested, I am available to reach a fair agreement on the use of my pictures.

Let me know,

best
Valerio
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Next 2 e-mails he grows up to become insulting:

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From: YYYYY YYYYYYYY ,
To: Valerio Berdini

let’s see, you want to make money off the band, and for that, you write for a comp.

glad you grasp these things.

sorry, I am too busy for talents like yours. wont see you at this show, unfortunately.
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And five minutes later:

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From: YYYYY YYYYYYYY ,
To: Valerio Berdini

if I knew you, and wanted your work on our dime, I would reach out to you. but when someone wants to comp into a show, and then sell the images, well consider, isn’t that ironic? we know plenty of photographers, thanks, anyways.
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If there is a kind of people I cannot stand are the ones that distort reality manipulating words to say what has never been said to cover their goal. My final extremely exhaustive answer:

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From: Valerio Berdini
To: YYYYY YYYYYYYY ,

Tell me that this is a joke, Dennis.

Because if it is not, you are manipulating the truth, which is quite sad from your band manager position.

To make things clear for the last time.

I asked for a photo-pass, as I have been doing everyday, regularly, for years for hundreds of bands which I am interested in photographing.

You replied to me that, to have the pass, I must agree to some “preliminary conditions”.
Conditions being that I have to give to you, for free, full rights of high resolution versions of my pictures for any use you want to do. Full stop.

Now, even a child realizes that if I reply “Yes” to your conditions, consequence is that you could use my work at no cost for such things as the band websites, band album covers, merchandising, t-shirts, posters, articles, books, press releases, whatever.
Agreeing “for no fee”, I won’t be able to claim any compensation, will I?

Question. Who is the one who wants to make money out of my work, here?
Certainly not me, I am educated enough to understand quite well the meaning of “full rights for free”.

Now, to make this point very clear.

I don’t really care of selling my pictures to you. You don’t want them? No problem at all.
What I do care, and what you don’t seem to consider, is respect for my and any photographer’s work.

The central law of economy, in force worldwide since currency replaced barter some millenniums ago, states that if you want someone’s job, you pay for it.
You may notice you are doing this every day when you buy milk, dine out, book a flight and a tour bus.

The option to give free pictures exists, but is my decision and cannot be anyone’s pretension.
As if someone wants the XXXX XXXXXXX to play for free, such as for a charity gig, you may agree. But you may well not.
No one will be ever so mad to insist that XXXX XXXXXXX must play for free as “preliminary condition”.

The reason why I keep replying and, in vain, I hope you are joking, is to stress that your claim is much worse than a simple “condition”.
That in fact turned out to be a genuine blackmail: “No full rights of pics for free? no shooting”.

So very true, you are not only denying me access to the pit, but you are also using a disrespectful “I am too busy for talents like yours” and hypocritical “unfortunately” behavior.

I don’t debate you can find very many weekend photographers working for your band at no cost; it is just a pity to know such professional musicians are being portrayed by amateurs because of managers’ arrogance.

From my modest position, I know loads of talented professional music photographers that will be very happy to share this e-mail exchange on every music photography forum online.

Thanks for your time, after many years dealing with kind and supportive managers; this has been a revealing first time, unfortunately.

Thanks, anyways
Regards
Valerio
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He hasn’t answered…

Dear friends photographers, professionals and not, I wrote this thinking of you.
Don’t let arrogant people offend you, your work and your dignity.
Never, not just for a photopass.