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EPS12 RECAP

FUPP.me is a new platform containing ALL the puns to make you giggle right the way down to their URL. The motherFupping founder joined us this past Monday and gave us a virtual demo of all of the features packed into this app and desktop platform. He also provided us with his own FUPPbuddy code so that those in attendance could join immediately and explained the different levels of membership.

So what the FUPP is FUPP? From the website:

What the FUPP is it?

FUPP runs like a digital ‘members only’ club, offering a private, secure space where you can connect, create and find new opportunities. We are here to help you get back to work, by growing your network of industry connections, managing your contacts, and allowing you to manage jobs and receive job offers INSTANTLY using our bespoke web and mobile apps! 

Inspired  and co-designed by industry insiders, FUPP helps you to:

• Connect to your peers and expand your network to new opportunities
• Manage your jobs, crew and calendars efficiently
• Promote your profile, your business and your projects in style

Who the FUPP are you?

There are 4 main membership ‘identities’.  Are you a…….

• FUPPer – Freelancer looking to make connections, manage contacts, and fill your diary with new work opportunities
• MotherFUPPer – Production/tour managers, producers or anyone managing teams of freelancers, whilst freelancing yourself
• SUPPlier – Service supplier, hire and production companies who need to manage your freelancers as well as promote your business
• PUPP – New to the industry. Here to find opportunities, get involved, learn and be inspired

While it’s important to note that there are other platforms out there that offer similar opportunities for people in the live events world to connect, we’ve done the research and to date, this seems to be the most well rounded platform for you to showcase ALL of your skills.

We at C.R.E.W Coalition, have been stressing the importance over the past several months of highlighting your additional skills and how we will help you hone in on what they are to create a side hustle for yourself during and beyond Covid restricted times, by way of career coaching and certification courses. This doesn’t simply apply to work outside of the industry. Remember, our goal is to keep as many of you IN the industry as humanly possible by allowing you to up-skill, re-skill and add skills to your pre-existing specialties and talents.

Keeping this in mind, we shared stories from backstage and the road when having someone on the touring staff or local staff with certain skills and certifications would be an absolute boon. Bus mechanic, licensed bus / truck driver, massage therapist, construction, set designer, massage therapist, acupuncturist, personal trainer / yoga instructor, nutritionist, video editor, social media manager, app developer, 3D modeling and animation specialist and mental health coach were some of the ideas that were shared based on experiences. Some of these courses have already been added to the list of courses we will be providing for our CREW members. Thanks to your feedback, we will be looking into the ones we hadn’t considered as well.

Stay tuned for more ways that FUPP and CREW plan on integrating to create even more job opportunities for you!

Live Talks EPS13: International Event Purgatory

Step into the world from a management perspective. Whether it’s a self-managed or hands on artist, an artist manager, TM / PM, a venue manager, local promoter or booking agent. We encourage you to join us on Monday, July 5th at 20:00 CEST / 19:00 BST / 18:00 UTC / 2PM EST / 11AM PST as we discuss how our jobs have turned into glorified risk assessment experts as we try to navigate the ever-changing rules and regulations set forth on any given day, for any given location in which air travel is necessary to get from point A to point B, and all of those stops in between that often times conflict with post A and B’s rules.

Trying to navigate projected costs and risks involved in sending a traveling touring party to any one of the festivals taking place outside of their home countries seems to be quite the gamble these days, especially if you are watching the rules of travel change at a moment’s notice, with money already invested.

In the past, I could whip up a budget in 30 minutes. Now I’m spending 2 hours a day of due diligence only to have it change 12 hours later and need to start from scratch, for one single event.

And what does this mean for touring? Pfff….that’s a whole other nightmare.

When will everyone (read:governments) understand that Covid 19 and all of its variant glories are here to stay and that as long as the majority of the population is vaccinated, the health care systems will not be overrun and loss of life will be severely decreased.

Cold, hard fact: People, die from viruses every day. People still die from the regular flu and all of its variants every year, but life has always gone on. In order for our lives to go back to any sense of normalcy, travel testing for vaccinated individuals MUST STOP. The vaccine does not prevent you from yielding a positive PCR test. However it is highly likely that you will not have severe symptoms or be hospitalized or die if you have been able to survive the regular flu all of these years, once you have the Covid 19 vaccine. So once herd vaccination is achieved, while still an extremely debilitating virus to at risk, unvaccinated individuals, the vast majority of then population will be protected from most life threatening effects of this virus.

As long as PCR tests and quarantine rules are still being enforced for the vaccinated population, there will always ALWAYS be the risk of a positive test. And until the governments globally can come to an agreement on a set standard for those vaccinated and those who cannot be vaccinated or choose not to, we’re quite frankly gambling with 50/50 odds, at best.

So what does a positive test mean if you are in a travel party of let’s say 6 people in a world where countries and individual states are changing the rules from one day to the next?

I’m going to break it down for you based on hypothetical fees and some actual costs I’ve been looking into.

Touring Party: 4 band members from the same country, and 2 crew, each from different countries.

Let’s say your fee for a festival is 15.000 EUROS

Management takes 10% – 1500 EUR

Booking takes 10% – 1500 EUR

Fee subject to 15 % local tax – 2250

100% refundable flights for 4 band members – 6000 EUROS, including 2 check in bags per person, which is what they need.

(side bar* – anyone NOT booking 100% refundable tickets at this stage of where we are in the seemingly never-ending Covid drama, is taking a huge risk.)

100% refundable flights for 2 crew members – 1800 EUROS

PCR Tests for 6 people x 6 (that’s hypothetical if testing is mandatory at all stops and there are no direct flights, so you need to account for all stops, at an average of 200 EUR per test) – 3600 EUROS

Crew pay x 2: 700 EUR

I’m already at -4350 EUROS.

So let’s say, due to the costs, I skip crew. As a fellow crew member, this breaks my heart, but as is, I was already cutting it down to bear minimum of lights and sound ONLY.

Let’s say PCR tests are minimized to 2 per person. Now I’m saving some money. But we’re still only saving enough to get us to a 950 EUR profit. Divided by 4 band members.

OK… so the band say, “Fuck it. Put us in, Coach. We want to play a show!”

So I book everything. And the band are set to fly to the closest airport to the festival location. All 4 guys are fully vaccinated, but a negative PCR test is also mandatory. So they test at the airport, because due to the time restrictions and testing availability hours, plus the need to prove a negative test result within 24 hours of flying, this is their only option.

And then it happens…

The bass player is positive for Covid 19.

(It’s always the bass player, isn’t it?)

Meaning there is no gig.

But let’s say I decided to keep the crew and they’re already in the air on their way to the festival. They have given up their time to do this gig. They’re probably going to want to get paid, even if the band will not be flying in and there is now no fee to collect. And even if they are super cool and understanding and don’t demand to be paid, I’ve still now spent 1800 EUR on their flights that we’re not getting back and at the very least, I need to pay them for their travel days.

Or let’s say they need to provide a negative Covid test before boarding their flight home after playing the festival.

You guessed it.

The bass player tests positive.

Now, he needs to stay in a quarantine hotel in that country for 2 weeks. That’s 2 weeks that the band needs to pay for. That’s two weeks that the bass player will not be able to go to work. And good thing I booked those 100% refundable / changeable tickets, right? Because if not, we would have to book another one way ticket for him to get home. But who knows when we’ll actually be reimbursed should flights need to be canceled at the beginning of the journey.

And what if this happened to a crew member instead of the bass player? And as a result, the crew member now is missing 2 weeks worth of work that he or she had scheduled. And who is responsible for paying for that quarantine hotel? The band that are making next to zero profit, if any, due to all of the extra costs involved?

Are you getting the point?

The risks outweigh the benefits. Almost every time. The precautions needed to ensure some sort of guarantee that at least you have the opportunity to eventually be reimbursed for your flights, bring the cost up tremendously. And what if you’re a band who can’t afford those overpriced tickets? You’re at an even bigger risk of paying to NOT play.

Sadly but understandably, insurances aren’t touching this with a 10 foot pole. Yes there is travel / flight / credit card insurance, but it’s iffy at best on what they will cover should you receive a positive test result at any stage during your journey.

Anyway, I could go on and on with different scenarios that need to consider before deciding if it’s worth the multiple risks involved at any point in the journey. And once I’ve gone through all of these scenarios, it was all for naught because the rules will have changed within 5 days anyway.

I think you get the point.

Join us Monday where we will have special guests from different types of management perspectives as we try to wrap our heads around this.

We would also LOVE to hear from you if you are of a different opinion or if you are currently facing the same struggles. Please write us at info@crewcoalition.com so we can add you to the list of speakers.

Here, again, is the link for our Zoom on Monday,July 5th, at 20:00 CEST / 19:00 BST / 18:00 UTC / 2PM EST / 11AM PST. Simply click the blue “JOIN MEETING” link underneath the countdown clock.

Meeting does not exist: 83539368492.

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This is an open forum and we want to hear from everyone who wants to speak. We LOVE the enthusiasm these bring out in everyone, but let’s be respectful to our fellow C.R.E.W members. Please be sure to mute your mic upon entering the Zoom. Once we’re all in, we’ll go through a very brief introduction of ourselves so we know who is in the room. One minute or less. We’ll kick off the conversation with a current topic and let the conversation flow from there. PLEASE use the little “raise your hand” emoji in the reactions bar located at the bottom of the Zoom screen if you’d like to say something and one of our moderators will call on you. Be sure to utilize the chat as well if you’d like to add something or share information with the rest of the participants.

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