Micky & the boys only a phone call away

IN THE first half of this year The Rolling Stones made close to $150 million from touring in the US. The band's A Bigger Bang tour has now hit Europe and already looks like breaking more box-office records.

Even given the Stones' sacrosanct status in rock music circles and their appeal to the baby boom generation, these are still highly impressive figures when you consider that they haven't released a half-decent album in more than 20 years, and most people would be stumped naming one of their songs since their last real hit - Start Me Up in the early 1980s.

The Rolling Stones have turned themselves into a sleek, live operation that can fill out enormodomes within minutes. With most of their current European dates heavily over- subscribed, they've come up with a novel idea to meet the surplus demand.

The Stones are pioneering the use of "Listen Live Now!" technology, where you telephone a number and listen to a seven-minute feed from the show direct from the soundboard for $1.99. The tag line for this new service reads: "We will expand the experience of live performance beyond the immediate venue, offering a when- you-absolutely-have-to- be-there opportunity for fans craving participation in the live events of their favourite acts".

A "when-you-absolutely-have- to-there opportunity"? Are these people on drugs?

The people behind "Listen Live Now!" include Live Nation (a spin-off company from Clear Channel), which sought out The Stones for this dial-a-gig trial run in the expectation that the service will broaden out over the next few months. Up to one million fans can listen in at any given time on the service.

This new venture is, in part, being touted as an anti-bootleg measure. When you dial the number and pay for your seven minutes, a voice breaks in after six minutes to tell you that there is only one minute remaining. You can make as many seven- minute calls as you like, but the idea is that you won't be able to record the show because of the automated voice intruding every six minutes.

Obviously, The Stones are a major live attraction. But it's debatable how many of their fan base - given the demographic that's in it - are interested in using such a new-fangled service. It gives the phrase "phoning in a performance" a new meaning.

One step up from dial-a-gig

in terms of the sophisticated use

of new technologies is the idea

of webcasting an entire tour. There is some resistance, though, not just from traditionalists but from promoters who feel it compromises the uniqueness

of the one-off live show.

Another revered '60s band ploughing on with webcasting their current tour are The Who. They've branded their webcasts as a first, saying that never before have a band broadcast a live concert at every stop on a tour - in The Who's case a 66-date one.

The band employed camera- men, vision mixers, sound crew and even techies from The Lord of the Rings film to get their webcast just right, but it all came crashing down last week. This wasn't down to technical difficulties or legal issues; Roger Daltrey simply didn't want the shows to go up on the web. And since Daltrey is now 50 per cent of The Who, the webcasts have all been cancelled.

Clearly irked, Pete Townshend couldn't quite understand why the singer pulled back from such a brave new technological world of gig-viewing: "I will continue to discuss with Roger what we might be able to do on The Who stage to take advantage of the immense webcast experience I have."

There is nothing not to understand about Daltrey's decision. He is a rock singer in a rock band, not a vehicle for technological implementation. He is absolutely right in calling a halt to this charade. Just because something is technologically possible doesn't mean there is a cultural imperative to use it.

Stop this Dial-a-Gig/Webcast madness now.