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| Black Sabbath 2011 |
Take away for a moment that Tony Iommi is battling lymphoma for a moment because by all accounts he is doing well (and I have nothing but prayers and good wishes to send to him and his family through this time). The album and inevitable tour will generate somewhere in the $100 million range for the band. Now, I'm not going to get into the ins-and-outs of the way Black Sabbath operates, but the music to almost every song from the original Sabbath (Black Sabbath-Never Say Die) era is credited to all the members of Black Sabbath. The exceptions are Evil Woman, The Warning, After Forever, Embryo, and Orchid. Evil Woman and The Warning are covers, the other three are credited only to Iommi. Remember, I'm talking only about the music, not the lyrics.
Bottom line is that every band goes through nonsense of writing credit. However, when you're in a band that agrees to credit all members with music writing and arranging, you need to adhere to that agreement. Never Say Die was released over 33 years ago. I understand that the way the band works has changed in that time. Black Sabbath became "Tony Iommi and Friends," for lack of a better term. But this is not about Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, or Bill Ward. This is about the fans, isn't it?
No, it's about money. It is about a band of men in their 60s that can still rock out. It is about four men that made some great music together, and made a ton of money with that music. It is about a record company producing a new album by a well established band and making a ton of money from it. The fans are pretty far down the list of important figures. Take a good look at Van Halen. A Different Kind of Truth has been selling quite well, and Eddie, Alex, Wolfgang, and Dave have been touring. I'm sure their collective wallets haven't been this happy since Wolfgang was just a gleam in his dad's eye. And the truth about the VH reunion is that Michael Anthony has been slapped in the face by not even being invited. Whether Michael Anthony is there or not, fans still pay to see Diamond Dave singing with Eddie on guitar. Just like fans will pay to see Axl Rose and Slash both potentially attend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. Whether Bill signs on or not, fans will still pay to for a Sabbath album, and will still pay to see a tour.
Bill Ward should sign the contract. Not for the fans, but for the money. Even if it is 15% of what Sabbath is to make, he would be foolish to not sign on to earn somewhere in the ballpark of $15 million for playing drums for one of the most popular rock bands of all time. As for the rest of the band, they should be flexible with their share. Quite frankly, if they each made 25% they would EACH make more money from this one album and tour than most people reading this will make in two lifetimes.
Bill Ward should sign the contract. Not for the fans, but for the money. Even if it is 15% of what Sabbath is to make, he would be foolish to not sign on to earn somewhere in the ballpark of $15 million for playing drums for one of the most popular rock bands of all time. As for the rest of the band, they should be flexible with their share. Quite frankly, if they each made 25% they would EACH make more money from this one album and tour than most people reading this will make in two lifetimes.
Bottom line, and I really hope that in some way this gets to the guys: STOP BEING UPTIGHT RICH PRICKS ABOUT MONEY. YOU'RE ALL DOING FINE!!! I would do ten times the work to make 1% of what each of you is going to make out of an original band reunion.
