#my son's disappointment as I had promised him we'd be at the stage

[thisiskatsblog]

Best to you, Kat. Always had respect for you. Harry is a businessman; so is Louis. Your love for the fandom shouldn’t be confused with misplaced love for either artist.

Thank you for the well wishes, anon. I do appreciate that you thought of me, wanted to share that with me, and your respect for the love I have given fandom. It means a lot to me that this is recognized. Really. Thank you.

I am afraid the ask doesn't come across to me as respectful as you believe it is, though. There is judgment in using the term "misplaced love" , making it come off as though you think I am naïve about things and you know better.

I am a lot of things - among others passionate, open, and I tend to place trust in others - but that definitely does not equal naïve.

I know all too well that, if you want to make a living as a musician, you also need to understand, and get involved in, the business side of things.

Having grown up in the nineties, I have seen first hand my fair share of artists who detested the "business", and who - to various degrees - fought it or refused to reconcile with it, in view of maintaining their "integrity" as artists. I have zero illusions about how sustainable such objections are. You cannot keep it out if you want to build a long term career in music and the size of your success will usually have something to do with the compromises you are willing to make. And once the success comes in, even if you have not compromised before, the compromises become inevitable anyway. I have also seen that this doesn't necessarily mean you have to let go of all integrity. Several artists of my youth continue to draw big crowds, and manage to connect with their audience, move me to the core when I go see them, even for the umpteenth time.

What I am saying is that I'm not the type of person who believes an artist should refuse to become a businessman to remain credible and preserve their "integrity" as an artist. I believe that every artist has to decide for themselves where they draw the line between business interests and artistic integrity, between how much they want to earn off the back of their fans, and how much it's "all about the music". It can all be done while still making a real connection with the fans. Without making them feel alienated.

I'm also not an idiot and I know that all the boys in 1D were businessmen before they became somewhat credible as artists. They have all fought to overcome the prejudice that they are businessmen before artists, “pop stars fabricated to make money, with little to say as artists,” even. I also know their fights have had varying, and sometimes limited success.

However, I do believe that several of them DO have something to say. I believe what they have to say could be valuable, and I hope and wish they get to say it. While I wouldn't call that "love" for the artist, I do believe in several of them as artists. Maybe they're not the best artists I know, maybe they are not my favourite artists ever, but I believe they have things to bring to the table, I am interested to hear them.

And yes I have a great love for this fandom, and the people, particularly the LGBTQ+ people, in it. This comes first to me and I'm glad you recognized this.

But, insofar this includes any of the artists who might be LGBTQ+, my love goes out to them as well, not as artists, but as young people who deserve my energy to fight for our rights and wellbeing as a community. And it's also in this respect that I feel that Harry and Louis have earned some of my love and trust. Harry's relentless support to the community, from the start; the many songs / videos in which he is or might be referencing some of what this fandom has created (Sign of the Times, Adore You, Treat People with Kindness, Lights Up, Matilda). The pride flag on Louis' stage during my show in Antwerp; and a beautiful song like Only the Brave that has inspired the community.

That hasn't changed with anything that's happened.

What has changed, is my trust in Harry's integrity as a businessman.

You don't need to keep out business to keep your integrity as an artist. You can, for my part, even be a very successful businessman and keep integrity as an artist. But that does presume you maintain integrity as a businessman as well. And THAT is where the past days' events have disappointed me incredibly.

While I myself, would probably have made decisions about my career more like Louis' than like Harry's (the ticketing prices for Louis are much more democratic, and he has definitely chosen the harder road, trying to go more indie rock with his sound), I am not angry at Harry for "selling out" because he has stuck to pop and clearly wants to be “big”. What I am angry about is the lack of integrity on the business side.

I bought a ticket for a seat which the sales information in 2020 told me was at the B stage. For more than two years I did not know what was going to happen for this concert but I did not ask for my money back. I bought what I bought and I trusted that I would receive what I was promised to get in return. I didn't ask for a refund when the US tour was given priority over the EU one, I held on to my ticket. I didn't ask for a refund when a new record was announced and the setlist was not going to be what I expected it to be with this very different album coming out, I held on to my ticket. At the very least, I would have expected the layout of the room, on which the price of the seats in 2020 was based, to remain the same.

What Harry and his team did to the people with 2020 VIP seat tickets for the EU tour, completely lacks business integrity. We were sold a cat in a bag. So yes I have lost faith in Harry’s integrity as a businessman, and that compromises, in my view, his integrity as an artist.

I continue to support everyone who is bringing rainbows to his tour, in support of LGBTQ+ fans.

I continue support everyone who is bringing rainbows to Louis' tour.

I also continue to support Louis as an artist. It really surprised me anon that you wished to extend my loss of faith in Harry to him. There is no reason for it that I can see at this time. And if and when I can muster the energy I do hope to return from hiatus to follow (some of) his tour. We'll see.

I'm also not a fan of cancel culture. Which is to say Harry could probably win back my support and trust by doing better and surrounding himself with a better team, that cares more about integrity in business, and about the way he connects with his fans, a team that is not up for alienating long term fans over money. A team that doesn’t see his fans a short term cash making machine, but as real people with hopes, expectations and feelings. 

You cannot cater to everyone - OK - those are choices you make - but you are also not above everyone and you need to honor the expectations you raise. It's not a small deal to disregard "a few fans who bought VIP tickets 2 years ago" to "bring in more new fans" (who will incidentally bring in shitloads more of money). I hope he is able to understand how that makes a significant number of very faithful fans, who have stood by him all this time, whom he raised expectations with, whom he promised something, I hope he is able to understand how that makes them feel. Because it feels as if faith and trust in him is not valued.  It feels as even our money isn’t valued. Good businessmen know that this is not doing good business. Integrity does matter, also in business. And it matters for you as an artist, or it should, because it alienates part of your fanbase. This Harry and this team makes us feel alienated on a constant basis.

For me, the alienation didn't start with the layout changes, it has long been going on and it manifests in many different things. It's about catering to the American market and disregarding everyone else (and Europe has the least to complain I know this well). It's about everything that comes with catering to this homophobic American market, so that even rainbow projects are organized by homophobes who give your bi flag a nasty smirk while they are handing you their colored piece of paper, ignoring you with disgust on their faces while you try to thank them for organizing this because "its not about LGBTQ people we just want to make Harry happy" (this is the London rainbowhproject I'm talking about). It's about talking about American political issues but not recognizing the very serious and real political issues in the UK (only encouraging people to vote when it's already too late), it's about making fun of fans who want to hear fine line or medicine (in what upside down world does an artist not appreciate that people want to hear the more obscure songs like Medicine, rather than the hits like Watermelon Sugar). Its's about not really connecting, just giving a semblance. And, now that we are at it, on a personal level, it’s also about mansplaining abuse, and instead of saying something really useful about tit, telling people fairy tales ("I know they won't hurt you anymore if you can let them go") but not giving any real support. 

Back to the ticket scam, maybe Harry can content himself with fans who don't understand what was done to them or who don't give a fuck whether they are treated like cash machines or humans, or with only American fans if he so wishes. In which case: fine. But honestly I don't believe that's what he wants. So I hold out a wee bit of hope that things might change. We'll see. Maybe. Maybe not. I've decided I won't be buying tickets to Harry's shows until that time and I'm also taking a break from here to protect myself from feeling awful every time something like this happens. It breaks my heart - Harry has meant so much to me as a person, and some of his music has meant a lot to me too - but coming to these shows hopeful, positive, and coming home feeling completely alienated for the second time after what happened at the London show, I simply don't have the energy for that anymore. 

Back then I tried to keep going but eventually it led me to staying away for a year and a half. I'm too interested in what Louis does next to stay away that long I think, so I'm taking a break now, and I'll see when I feel zen enough to come back and show some interest in other things.

Thanks again for wishing me well in the meantime, anon.

#hslot #love on tour #harry styles #my son's disappointment as I had promised him we'd be at the stage #is something that really sits very painful with me #I haven't told him this #I just didn't have the heart #to tell him harry scammed us #sold us an expensive seat but didn't deliver what was promised #I just couldn't #i have so many things to say #i am so angry #and so disappointed #and it all just comes down to #with Louis you have the feeling there's a connection #that he's on your level #and he gets it #and we get him #with Harry you get the feeling of someone disconnected from the reality of others #who thinks he knows a lot #and is sometimes painfully aware of his blind spots #and he wants it all #he really wants it all and has cut himself off from what the consequences of that are #because the consequences are and will continue to be continued alienation of the people who made it possible for him to be in this position #in the first place #I hope he realizes that #and is sometimes painfully unaware of his blind spots is how that tag should read of course