King Crimson Accused of “Slave Labor” For Asking For Fans to Volunteer to Sell Tour Programs in Exchange For Merchandise. Yes, you read that correctly.
I don’t even know where to begin with this kind of ridiculous news. Before the launch of what is said to be King Crimson’s FINAL North American tour, the band reached out to fans, offering them an opportunity to aid the band in selling tour programs before the start of each show.
Volunteers would have to have a ticket, but in exchange for helping move some tour programs, each volunteer would receive a piece of KC merchandise (shirt, totes, etc.). King Crimson put this message out on their Offical Facebook page on July 21, 2021.
Well, it turns out that some people took offense to this and went on to call out King Crimson for promoting “slave labor.” Yeah, you read that right. King Crimson asking fans to sell tour books for them in exchange for merch willingly is “slave labor.” So let’s look at the definition of slave labor, shall we?
Slave Labor: Labor that is coerced and inadequately rewarded, or the people who perform such labor.
And how about the definition of “coerced?”
Coerce: Persuade (an unwilling person) to do something by using force or threats.
So King Crimson put a bunch of unwilling fans in a dressing room and said, “You will sell these programs, or you will be forced to listen to the entire Motley Crue discography on repeat for 18 hours while water is dripped on your forehead?” Nah. King Crimson needs a little help, like most bands returning to the road after over a year’s loss of touring. So they tried to kick it old school and assemble a street team of sorts.
Remember street teams? When I was younger, I was on the street teams of many bands. Bands would mail out flyers, posters, etc., and I would go all over town posting them on phone polls, record store windows, guitar store bulletin boards, and exchange would sometimes get a shirt, get to meet the band, and/or get a free CD or something. The smaller bands would sometimes put me on the list, but it wasn’t about that. It was about helping your favorite bands. It was spreading the word and answering to a call to arms.
King Crimson may not be a band that is hard up for press or exposure, but the truth is that the band was asking for help, and they did it in a cool way. Unfortunately, this was met with some asinine accusations, and it ended up backfiring on the band. Because of all of the negative backlash, King Crimson received, this message was posted on their official Facebook page today, July 22, 2021:
Thank you to all those who responded online to the question of volunteers helping to sell programmes – both positively and negatively.
A number of people wrote to us as soon as they had bought tickets, asking if they could volunteer to help in some way before the show. We saw no reason not to accept, and wondered if there were others who would like to do the same – offering a free choice from merchandise as a “thank you”.
Having done this, we now find ourselves accused of using “slave labour”. The band and the venues already employ a full roster of merchandise staff. This was an additional role invented purely for those who wished to volunteer.
The willing and happy spirit in which it was offered and accepted has sadly been tarnished. It does not therefore feel appropriate to continue. We are very sorry for all those who were keen to do this. Perhaps another time in a different way. Meanwhile, we look forward to seeing you at the show.
Good goin’ folks. Now I am not going to lie. I am a staunch Liberal to the highest degree. I believe in not accepting or buying into hateful behavior or ideals but come on y’all. To call King Crimson supportive of slave labor isn’t being “woke.” It’s just flat-out stupid. This is why we can’t have nice things, folks.
All that aside, King Crimson’s “Music is Our Friend” tour kicks off tonight in Clearwater, Florida, at Ruth Eckerd Hall and winds down on September 11 in Washington, DC, at The Anthem.
King Crimson 2021 Tour Dates
July 22 – Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
July 23 – Delray Beach, FL @ Old School Square
July 24 – St. Augustine, FL @ St Augustine Amphitheater
July 26 – Orlando, FL @ Dr. Phillips Walt Disney Theater
July 27 – Atlanta, GA @ The Fox
July 28 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
July 30 – Fort Worth, TX @ Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium
July 31 – Cedar Park, TX @ H-E-B Center
August 2 – Greenwood Village, CO @ Fiddlers Green Amphitheater
August 3 – Sandy, UT @ Sandy Amphitheater
August 5 – Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion *
August 6 – Los Angeles @ The Greek *
August 7 – Scottsdale, AZ @ Talking Stick Ballroom
August 23 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ SPAC *
August 24 – Northampton, MA @ The Pines Theater *
August 26 – Canandaigua, NY @ CMAC *
August 27 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Ampitheater*
August 28 – Rochester Hills, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheater *
August 29 – Highland Park, IL @ Ravinia *
August 31 – Milwaukee, WI @ Miller High Life Theatre *
September 1 – Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica *
September 2 – Huber Heights, OH @ Rose Music Center @ The Heights *
September 4 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center *
September 5 – New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl *
September 7 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Mann Center *
September 9 – Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium *
September 10 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion *
September 11 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem *
* = w/ The Zappa Band
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