How Not To Treat Your Fans
For the record: I wasn’t there, I’m running on the video footage.
Have you ever heard of Richard Cheese? He’s the guy who takes hard rock tunes like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Down With The Sickness” and turns them into cheesy lounge numbers. It’s his shtick, and he’s made a career out of it. Sort of like Weird Al with no creativity.
It’s like he adds a touch of class to dirty, grungy rock music.
Apparently Cheese proved how completely devoid of class he is at the recent New Media Expo in Vegas. To quote some attendees:
When Richard Cheese started his performance he started complaining about the Audio levels, and from what I heard later he had demanded from the organizer that all other prior performers audio levels be at a lower level then his.
Todd Cochrane, Geek News Central
[Video from the event can be found at this link, assuming Cheese hasn't sued him yet.]
[Too late... you'll have to find video on your own, it seems.]
Okay, I can understand wanting the best sound possible at a show. But I played that gig last year and, considering the crowd was apparently smaller this year in a room twice as large, I would’ve focused more on making a connection with the crowd than the levels.
And on that note, connect with the crowd he did:
Cheese began the assault on some of his biggest fans during the opening song..Cheese ripped a device from the hands of one of the concert’s main sponsors…before shutting the camera off and throwing it back. Several minutes later, Cheese spit water on another fan and his camera. The song closed with a lecture about how he hates people who like to capture fleeting moments with any sort of video device.
After the show concluded, Cheese assaulted one last guest who was talking into his own camcorder.
Matt Gunn, Average Samaritan
To me this is about as futile as walking into South Station in a tiger-striped speedo and yelling, “stop staring at me!”
So what’re the lessons here? Your fans have cameras (fans like Langley). Your fans are what matter. Sure, you want to sell a DVD later on, so do I. Your DVD will be a hell of a lot better quality than anything caught on a Palm Centro, and all those YouTube videos are going to be what sells that DVD in the long run.
And the number one lesson to take away from this? If your show is awesome, people might blog about it. If you’re a total prick, everyone WILL blog about it.
Notice: I usually like to leave my comments unmoderated, but blatant flame-baiting and “bring it on” escalation BS will be deleted immediately.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Probably not the same thing, but doesn’t anybody remember Andy Kaufman?
August 20th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Oh, here’s the footage of him in action- along with what appears to be some New Media commentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzAStYEEY0o
August 20th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Here is what burns me - Brian Ibbott put the show together for his Coverville 500. A show that showcases a lot of his cheese…to bad.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:16 am
How exactly do you go to perform at a new media expo and not expect people to, you know, engage in new media?! He should have spit that water at his agent instead… (head…desk…)
The line between those who are in their art for the love of it (and then happen to make a few dollars) and those in it for just the dollars gets defined better each day it seems…
[climbs down off soapbox]
August 20th, 2008 at 11:24 am
I would have expected no less of someone named Dick Cheese.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Oh, and as the co-founder and organizer of another major new media conference series, I can assure you that at least for the PodCamps that I run, Mr. Cheese will NOT be invited as a performer. Not because I approve or disapprove of his acts per se (though personally I do disapprove) but because he is now…
… an insurance liability.
And that’s an instant ban for any conference which carries a certificate of insurance.
If he had wanted to enforce his contract terms, his ONLY legal recourse would have been to notify the organizers, who would have instructed security to ask anyone violating the contract terms to leave.
By doing what he did, that’s not contract enforcement - that’s assault. Regardless of whether anyone presses charges, as a conference organizer, there’s NO way I’m taking on that liability.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:42 am
not cool.. not cool at all.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:47 am
So, why isn’t anyone railing against the people who booked the entertainer? The organizers of the event know that people will have cameras. Why didn’t they insist that clause was stricken from the contract before they let him perform?
Yeah, the thing he did was slimy. He’s an entertainer. He’s (apparently) not a social media follower, and therefore, doesn’t know the rules of the road.
Shouldn’t we also question the judgment of the people who hired him to do this without informing of the audience and what kind of conference it was?
August 20th, 2008 at 11:56 am
So over at coverville.com (http://www.coverville.com/archives/2008/08/sothere_was_thi.html) there is a post where the organizer mentions that Cheese reminded him of the contract terms before the event.
—————————-
10. I’ve agreed to this, but it should be noted here for anyone else who may have recorded any of Richard Cheese’s performance. From his contract:
“In accordance with our agreement, none of the audio or video from our Las Vegas performance may be used for any purpose without our express written advance permission. So, don’t use anything from our show in your podcast, website, or in any other context.”
—————————-
And also discussed in the comments:
“In defense of Richard Cheese, he has always been generous enough to let me play music from his studio releases on the show. However, his live performances add an extra layer that would lose something if not seen live.”
and
“And don’t be too hard on Richard Cheese. He came here, put on a great show, and simply reminded me of part of his contract which I agreed to at the beginning.”
Now, he has a right to excuse the actions of Cheese, but the fans have a right not to.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Thanks Matthew! True dat!
Also see: Average Samaritan
Edit: That URL is way, way too long, so I shortened it with a link. -ME
I will repeat my comment here:
It is such a shame that the excellent party that Coverville threw at the NME in Vegas had to end as it did. Your account and analysis is appropriate and the actions of named performer - an incredibly unfortunate and inappropriate experience for many people.
There are a number of things I do not understand. If there was a valid reason the performance should not be recorded (other than ego) - Why didn’t Richard Cheese address the crowd with civility and simply say that the show should/could not be recorded and why? Particularly because cameras were involved - why was the response a nasty haphazard tantrum? If the behaviour of the crowd and the organizers was such an offensive violation - why not just walk off and spare us all?
I wasn’t at the party for Richard Cheese and could have left a ticket/merch/cd buying fan. Instead, I found myself among friends who were all but physically attacked by this guy. Luckily tech nerds are a fairly rational crowd and didn’t turn it into a brawl. I didn’t understand/believe that someone performing for a media-related crowd would act Amish… and so I tested the scenario myself about 15 minutes in. I stood against the front of the stage, at times resting my camera on a hand rail in plain sight of Mr. Cheese and the band. I captured nearly 20 minutes of video. There is no complaining or bitching in my video - just what could have been perceived a decent performance. R. Cheese looked directly at me a number of times and even threw me a pair of thong underwear from the stage.
I wondered if maybe the whole unfortunate opening was part of his act until I heard through the grapevine that his tantrum continues by way of threatening legal action via email and ordering videos be removed from the web.
Dear Richard Cheese,
If you know where and who to target your demands of video removal, it is clear that you or your lawyer is following this lil debacle.
I implore you to respond publicly. What is your side of the story?
We’re a reasonable bunch and I think it is only fair for you to have your say.
Until then, I remain a bit baffled.
Sincerely,
Miss Something
August 20th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
“Dick Cheese” That is awesome!
August 20th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
[...] http://matthewebel.com/main/2008/08/20/how-not-to-treat-your-fans http://twitter.com/atizine/statuses/893620306 http://twitter.com/atizine/statuses/893602214 [...]
August 20th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I really don’t think Mr Cheese normally plays at conferences. Here in San Francisco he plays at the Red Devil Lounge and I heard he has enough of a following to play at Bimbos ( a very cool club) I think it was an oversight and basically Mr Cheese is a comic act. I would say laugh at this. Hopefully like any event you put on you hope no lawyers will get involved. After putting on corporate events for more than 18 years I cant see him ever playing one. not sure how he got in the mix at this show. He misses the point totally. He should have welcomed the video but he obviously does not get it.
BUT -I did laugh my ass off watching him though. Crude but funny. He took me by surprise. I wouldn’t hire him but I would go see him again. He is a comedy act.
As for the New Media Expo it was the best one I have been to yet. I encourage you to go to the next one.
here is my recap. http://www.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
oops- my recap of the expo-
http://eventsmedia.blogspot.com/2008/08/review-and-takeaways-of-new-media-expo.html
If thats ok with you matthew….
m
August 20th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Michael Geoghegan has a more balanced view of the situation, in my opinion, and it’s worth reading: http://bit.ly/8MsyD
August 20th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
All I can say is this: 95% of what has been written about this incident is inaccurate, inflammatory, exaggerated, taken out of context, and just plain unfair. Furthermore, the accusing parties have been behaving like children, flinging baseless lies, recklessly breaking the law, violating copyrights willynilly, posting cowardly anonymous crank rants all over the internet, and disregarding common decency, courtesy, respect, and the First Amendment along the way.
I am a performer. I put on a show. At the Coverville500 concert, things did NOT happen the way they have been described; I am innocent, I stand by my actions, and while I would be happy to explain my side of the story, I sense that I will be shouted down regardless. In late September on richardcheese.com, I will post my own blog about this. Until then, below is a link to the only blog which came close to being fair, accurate, and, most importantly, civil.
http://mwgblog.com/archives/2008/08/20/cheese-v-cochrane-et-al-%E2%80%93-new-media-showdown/
If you don’t like me or my act or my show or my music, then don’t listen, don’t watch, and don’t stay. Just leave. You will not be missed.
There were plenty of people at Friday’s performance who LOVED the show, who STAYED for the whole thing, who GOT the joke, and who kindly gave me and my band a nice ovation of applause and calls for encores. None of THOSE people committed felony copyright infringement, and we are grateful to them for their support. Those people are my true fans.
The rest of you can go ahead and continue to call me names and spread lies and make libelous accusations and infringe my copyrights and violate my civil rights and complain that I’m just an awful person. Have fun with that!
I’m done talking about this. All other comments, blogs, videos, and emails will be summarily ignored until September. And, if you distribute any unauthorized recordings of me or my band, my attorney will spit a lawsuit on you.
Adios,
RC
August 20th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
This is awesome, celebrity commits multiple cases of assault on camera and tries to hide behind copyright law. Almost sad that no one thought to press charges.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Placing your hands upon someone else’s person or property without their permission is assault. Nothing ever justifies putting your hands upon another person or their property unless you are sworn law enforcement or in self defense. Anyone whom Richard touched or whose property he damaged have the grounds for an assault case, regardless of if his attorneys (who are probably as big of scumbags as he is) can get him off. It should speak on his character that he (like the fans who he speaks so unkindly of) willy nillly breaks laws regarding assault and battery. I for one am quite disappointed that someone I thought wrote some very bright and witty works of parody turned out to actually be such an asshat. *proceeds to delete all of the RC music he has on his itunes account*
August 20th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
This whole incident has been interesting to watch.
http://is.gd/1MG7
August 20th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
“None of THOSE people committed felony copyright infringement”
Mr. Cheese is worried about copyright infringement because he assaulted someone. He spit on his fans and broke one guy’s camera with his “act”. This is a bit beyond lies and he said/everyone said.
Matthew as a performer is ALWAYS aware that cameras may be on and is very gracious about fans that want to record, so much that he allowed a couple of us to turn some into an album.
If you don’t feel like sharing that’s fine, just don’t assault people and don’t break things and please just announce beforehand that cameras aren’t allowed. After sometime organizing events, I’ve never had anyone deny my request that the rules be followed with a good explanation and civility.
August 20th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Let me take a slightly different perspective… I too was not at the show, but have been curious to what has been going on.
No matter if you feel recording and posting part of the show online is GOOD for the performer, they have the right to demand that you respect copyright based on their contract with the venue. Period. This simply needs to be expressly stated at the beginning. This is why they announce it before a theater performance, display it in the movie theater, etc. Mr. Cheese looks like the jerk even more when HE has to state “you’re not allowed to record”. The venue should have said UP FRONT that this was the agreement, and most of this would have been resolved before it happened.
However, like what Chris said… what Mr. Cheese did could NEARLY be considered assault from a legal standpoint. Kind of a gray area, but he should have demanded that the venue take care of things instead of him getting in their face. Just like the announcement regarding the recording falls to the venue, enforcing the rule should also logically fall on the venue.
What’s really sad is that Brian’s reputation is what gets hurt here. Not only from the idiotic, rude, and totally unacceptable response from Cheese, but also from the unwilling “new media rebels” that think the rules don’t apply to them simply because they feel that “this is what they SHOULD be able to do.”
Of course… how do they know they really aren’t allowed to record if the venue didn’t step the the plate and ANNOUNCE IT UP FRONT?
August 20th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Again, you are simply repeating lies and allowing the truth to be stretched farther and louder.
No one was assaulted.
There was no battery.
I didn’t “lay hands” on anyone.
No cameras were broken.
No property was damaged.
No one complained about anything during the performance.
No charged were pressed against me because nothing illegal occurred.
The individuals who violated my rights by filming my performance without authorization are the ones who started this, they’re the ones who created the problem, and they’re the ones to blame. I am the victim here.
Wanna know why I didn’t ask security to step in, if indeed “enforcing the rule should also logically fall on the venue”? Because there was no security presence at the venue.
Wanna know why I didn’t stop the show? Because I’m a professional and the show must go on.
“How do they know they really aren’t allowed to record if the venue didn’t step the the plate and announce it up front?”
Videotaping an entertainer who is performing copyrighted material is always illegal without express written permission.
“This is why they announce it before a theater performance, display it in the movie theater, etc. ”
And yes, as you just explained, everyone knows that.
I have never met a more immature bunch of disrespectful, selfish crybabies than the whiners who have blogged about this today.
Go look up “The Golden Rule” on the internets (sic). How would you like it if someone came to your workplace and started filming YOU at your desk, and if your polite pleas to stop were blatantly ignored? How would you like it if your copyrighted material was stolen and broadcast? How woud you like it if someone called you a “scumbag” just because you were trying to defend your civil rights?
Please do me a favor and stop listening to my music, and please tell all of your friends that I am awful, okay? Because I really really really don’t want any of you as my fans. You are disgusting, pathetic, sad people.
Goodbye.
RC
Edit: Annoying all-caps removed. Now now, Mr. Cheese, if you can’t type without shouting I’m going to have to give you a time-out.
August 21st, 2008 at 6:27 am
[...] I clicked the link and read Matthew Ebel’s post entitled “How Not to Treat Your Fans“. This gave me the entire story and at this point I was ready to mug Mayor McCheese in the [...]
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:11 am
Well I just learned of this, I follow the Copyright war pretty closely, The only thing I have to say about it is this.
If someone wanted to come to my work and film me I would love it! It means someone is interested in me enough to film me. And if they then put that stuff all over the internet I would say GREAT! It means that there is more of a possibility of someone learning about me, and perhaps want to see more, they would almost assuredly come straight to the source, but perhaps not, but I would think my odds would be more in my favor the more I was plastered on the internet.
But no one is interested in me, or my two cents. That and 5 bucks will get you a cup of coffee (Don’t ya just love inflation?)
I must say the way you’ve handled this Dick Cheese is pretty poor. You’ve made your statements, I just need some clarification… In the interest of posterity.
Did you take someone’s Camera from their hands? Yes or No?
Did you toss it back to them? Yes or No?
Did you spit on another person filming you? Yes or No?
Those are pretty much the only points of interest I have on this issue… I guess those Yes/No answers could clear up a lot about what these people say about you… So how bout just some straight answers to clear this all up?
September 20th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I am just intrigued by rantings of copyright infringement for a so called entertainer who is playing music completely written and copyrighted by other REAL musicians.
September 21st, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Richard Cheese obtains advance permissions from and pays royalties to the original writers and publishers of the songs he performs and records.
September 21st, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Just Passing By-
Yeah, it’s not hard to get permission to play and record cover songs. Harry Fox and PRO’s like BMI and ASCAP have a pretty easy system to work with.
September 21st, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I liked the prologue of your post. Makes me remind of Eddie Izzard, which amazingly didn’t know about, until I stumbled upon a short video of him on youtube, and minutes later I was searching youtube for more videos of him, in the end I ordered 3 videos of him on amazon.
Never thought about it until I read it from you here.
And stupid it is from performers to behave like that.
What a short sight.
Keep up the good work.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:18 am
I have to say that this whole thing is a hoot!
I personally have never heard of this Cheese guy. And I just now ’stumble upon’ this page. So as a passer-by, I’m sitting back laughing and thinking “WTF?”
But give me a half a mo to try to straighten this all out.
All those in the entertainment industry know one of the most obvious rules of stardom… “All publicity, whether good or bad, is great for his/her career”. So regardless of Monsieur Fromage’s rantings about his rights being violated, he should be grateful for the attention! And if you can’t learn to laugh about yourself, you’ll end up in an early grave. Afterall, laughter IS the best medicine.
Rock on, y’all!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:25 am
Oh, one more thing -
Mr. Cheese, as I said, I’ve never heard of you. And despite what was said to have happened in Vegas, I still would have been open to hearing your act. But after your rantings I’ve read here, you can….uhhh…. as they say - fugeddaboudit. From now on whenever I hear your name I’m going to automatically associate it with childish tit for tat boo hooing. So take your ball and go home. The rest of us have more fun people to play with.
Am I right, y’all? Say “AMEN”! LOL
September 25th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Richard, c’mon man… seriously… you don’t think you did anything wrong at all? All of these people are treating you unfairly? Wow. Perhaps you should try LISTENING… just a thought.
Legalities aside, you acted like an asshole. That’s clear. And that makes for good gossip. People like gossip. Just because you didn’t break anything or hurt anyone doesn’t make it okay. People are still going to perceive you as a jerk for the way you acted. You should’ve known better, being a “performer”. Shame on you.
Furthermore, join the technoligical revolution like everyone else already. You’re not going to get away from people recording and taking pictures of your show, and acting like a big baby about it isn’t going to help you sell tickets or CDs. Just ask Lars Ulrich.
If people post crappy cell phone videos on youtube of your performance (assuming it’s a good one), that encourages them to want to see you live, and pay you money and buy your CDs. Don’t you get it? The more videos on the internet there are, the more chances there are that people will see them and the more fans you could acquire… what’s up with the no photos? Nobody else minds. The fact that you do makes you look like a prima donna.
On the other hand, if you’re caught on tape acting the way you did, I wouldn’t want anyone to see them either… so here’s a good solution. Apologize for your behavior and don’t act like that anymore. Pretty simple really.
And to everyone else… can we please stop comparing Dick Cheese to Andy Kaufman? Seriously.
September 25th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I’d also like to add that cheesy lounge singers are unlikely to get away with being a prima donna… same reason accordion players don’t carry beepers.