Great read in the NYT about bands that aren't necessarily the band. It did make me wonder about the Stones and their trademark tongue logo and who owns it, along with would they still go on as the Stones if something happened to one of them. There's a great quote from the late Bob Welch regarding who or what was Fleetwood Mac, along with quotes from other bands (former) members.

[www.nytimes.com]

Never underestimate the power of a brand name. Ian Hunter and the Rant Band played a 400-seat club last time they were in Detroit. Next week, he's playing a sold out 2,500-seat theater, and charging top dollar to boot. And the only real difference is that he's added a couple of peripheral members of his former, semi-legendary band, and has put that band's name on the tickets and advertising materials. Why would anyone allow themselves to be suckered into such a swindle? Well, sometimes it's fun just to suspend disbelief for awhile; to pretend that you're back in 1974 and you're 15 years old again and you're seeing your favorite band, or maybe even your older brother's favorite band. Nostalgia for someone else's nostalgia. Hey, I bought into it. Fourth row center for Mott next Friday night.

I will be going to see Mott next week in Chicago.Im going cause I dug that band back in the early 70s Saw them a few times back then.The main songwriter of that band was Hunter......and theres lots of good rockers he wrote that he doesn't perform with Rant.So Im loookin forward to this maybe for nostalgic reasons I don't know.

people can be conned by a brand.

the beckhams are a brand, enough said.

disney is a brand, i was at eurodisney 2 years ago with kids, it was all gimmick and little substance. full of stressed out parents who have parted with large amounts of cash buying little ones costumes that havent changed for over a few decades, so nothing new on offer.

i think the rolling stones are more than just a brand. they are a legacy of many great songs, concerts and mechandise and have a lot of their history recorded for people to enjoy for many years

The main way to make money in the industry is through live shows. I can't blame people for trying to capitalize on their connections to a former band. As the article points out, it's up to the band members to figure it out while they're still together. There are now a number of tribute bands making a good living playing county fairs and special events. Not many people seem to care that they have no original members if they do a decent job and charge a reasonable fee.