why do celebrities charge for autographs

By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Why do celebrities charge for autographs at conventions? At a Star Trek convention in NYC waaay back in 76 they had several of the actors at a table signing autographs. The growth of streaming has had a drastic negative impact on the revenue of mid-level musical artists. As folks were still settling down in the smallish auditorium I noticed him come in and sit down in the first row. amzn_assoc_search_type = "search_widget"; So now when fans ask if theres a charge, I say no, but if they want to throw money in my tip jar then I wont toss it back at them. It was an expected part of celebrity and was included in the price of admission. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; Why do celebrities charge for autographs? rather than as that personal memento, I cant blame the actors at all for getting in on the action. MDS basically wrote this same post at 8:30 this morning. Now, it's expected that each scrawl will be worth a set amount of money as a way to defray the cost of bringing the . Taylor Swift & Arnold Schwarzenegger Are Pioneering Digital Signatures; Whos Doing it Right, Whos Doing it Wrong?11 Chart Topping Artists, A-List Celebrities That Sell Their Autograph [And Three to Avoid]. 3 weeks after the autograph was sent, the celebrity sees that autograph for sale on eBay. There actually are a few movie/TV people who wont charge. I know there are many creators who do not charge for their autographs, but instead have a tip jar where the proceeds go to the CBLDF. Compared to what even the b- and c-listers charge at todays cons, what Mr. Stewart was charging back then was probably quite reasonable! However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. The best thing to do is talk to other people who have attended previous conventions to get a sense of who charges for what, and how much. So its not like these fans are going to sell these on ebay for very much. (Even cooler when an artist includes a sketch!) My firm represents sports and entertainment figures and we have a strong relationship with the NBA Retired Players Association. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 1. Why do some celebrities refuse to sign autographs? If you saw Sylvester Stalloneat New York Comic-Con in 2013 thenthere's a good chance you paidclose to $1,000. Famous Men You'd Want To Have A Beer With, The 50+ Most Beautiful Influencers Of 2023. You were not charging but she was. They should sign full name for a paid and initials for free. In ONE hour. I agree, its completely fine that he charged. I can even recall a time where both an autograph and a picture with a celebrity at his/her table was all lumped into the charge of the autograph. 2 Do celebrities actually sign their own autographs? Sounds like some Republican propaganda about a free society requiring capitalism (which is corporate slavery and therefor not free.). An autograph from Ralph "Karate Kid" Macchio costs $40, while a photo op with Macchio and his fellow "Outsiders" actor C. Thomas Howell runs $80. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. You work for free? Just came back from a local comic book convention and got some autographed DVDs from a few heros of mine though I noticed that autographs are about $20 each. It does not store any personal data. People came to see the stars, and the stars would oblige their fans' reasonable requests. If you went all in on a 2740 poster signed by Steinfeld with a personalization and inscription, youd have to shell out $440.Steinfeld also made some stipulations about what she would and would not sign. Press J to jump to the feed. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". If you saw Sylvester Stallone at New York Comic-Con in 2013 then there's a good chance you paid close to $1,000. I dont go to cons as much these days, and the few I have been to have happened to be anime cons. I lost the autograph a week later. b : a person's handwritten signature. I was shocked to even see that word appear on a price list. For celebrities, attention from autograph seekers can be flattering, annoying or even intimidating, depending on the timing, location and nature of the request. Ive worked as a handler for a number of actors at conventions, and I understand why they charge. Im sure it was a common and run-of-the-mill encounter for him, and that he realized it was anything but for me. These headphones save my life on planes. A couple years ago at the Big Wow! Charge for those pictures and charge for the autographs. The autograph itself became meaningless once I got past the age of proving myself to someone else. The Get Hard actor . When they started to see their autographed photos sold by third parties, they began to realize the value in charging. To Your Name) for $75. For a number of them, this is a source of income. We don't know how many autographs he gave but he could probably buy a yacht from how much he made. Dont care. If you cant get out to meet Fox in person, there are always companies willing to take your items on consignment to get them signed for you. Youre no celebrity, but who cares, right? I just didnt agree with MDS assessment that he was only trying to share in the profits of people whod flip his autograph for cash. 4) Also, if prices seem strangely low for an autographed item, chances are its a fake. as long as its reasonable. Oh, and you were nice too! 4. Michael J. Why do celebrities charge for autographs? It's an exchange, you get an autograph and keepsake, they get some cash. I have always been a big (thats an understatement) fan of Asimovs. Sohow much is a ticket just for the photo with Joe?. I had a Montana picture in a plaque-like display frame that I got around 1990. Why do celebrities charge for autographs? Peter David October 1, 2015. I suppose part of what has changed things is occurred to my young teen self that one would fans who get autographs just to increase the price they can sell the whatever for online. Always check the specific conventions website for how they conduct their autograph sales. Im not paying what I have heard Shatner charges for example. NOBODY charged for autographs at a Star Trek convention, EVER. You could shorten your line wait by purchasing a VIP pass for big bucks to pay for something that also costs big bucks. Some even tried to hand me money anyway. 2) At a convention, I bought three different issues of Fallen Angel for a customer of my shop, to finish his run. But for the one-time highest paid actor in Hollywood and Governor of California, what else would you expect from a super-star of his caliber? Thispractice was quite common before it was curtailed by most celebrities. Hmmmand to think I got Johnny Us autograph for free and he was even gracious enough to throw me a pass before he signed the football..SMH! Freedom to not charge. Drop fillable fields, add text and sign it. Names like Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Lady Gaga have been known to offer signed merch. The higher the fee, the higher the charge and the greater the pressure to cram as many signatures as possible into a three- or four-hour appearance. Artists That Sell Their Autographs: Selena Gomez. This weekend, Long Islands NYCB Live at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum hosts Ace Comic Con,three days celebrating comics, movies, and television showswith artist master classes and 30+ hours of programming. There are also special guests, and the chance to get autographs. Robert Downey Jr. is another first time signer also arranged by Star Wars Autograph Universe. Some may see it as a way to compensate for the inconvenience or the invasion to their privacy. If he was truly doing that, he wouldnt add a $50 fee for personalizing it. The next time was 03; you chided me for not picking up the entire Psi-man set. Therefore, your chances of getting an autograph or a picture are quite low if a celebrity is with their family. The athletes demand an appearance fee for their time, which the promoters seek to recoup by charging for autographs. I think that it's a real big slap in the face to see that X is going to be attending and doing a signing, and then finding out that in addition to ~$75 in train and convention tickets I now need to spend another $50 (Christopher Lloyd.). Large format items like posters start at $440 while add-ons like character name or an inscription will each cost an additional $145. Lets criticize them too. OT: What is this salty discharge emanating from my eyes after reading the last page of Spidey 2099. Of course, I dont know how many people/fans have looked at the autograph prices and thought F that! Answer: As a rule - no. Dealing with piles of fan mail is, however, an administrative burden for most celebrities. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". My only problem with the tip jar approach is that I would not have the slightest idea what is a fair amount for the experience of meeting a favorite author. Paul McCartney made the decision to stop signing autographs for his fans. Some things in life are special. Find your record within your folders or upload a new one. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". That said, you should always make sure that the person you get the autograph from know you appreciate it. $40 to added a signature to something you already own can be a bitter pill to swallow if you dont plan to sell the item afterwards. Overall, however, Cam has the right to charge. Let's say an athlete is getting paid $10,000 for an event for 500 autographs. Some may see it as a way to compensate for the inconvenience or the invasion to their privacy. When they asked me how much the most expensive one cost, I told them $100,000! This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Yes, it was a good deal, and yes, they were hard to find. Depending on the size of the item being signed, Steinfelds autograph alone costs between $135 and $290. Not a member? Its a little disillusioning to see that, but its worth acknowledging how many of those signatures are going to wind up being resold on eBay or elsewhere. Back then, only one actor ever tried to charge for an autograph, and since it was so uncommon at the time, I balked and never even bothered to try getting it. Big-name movie stars didnt show up, except maybe for a panel, and they certainly werent charging $100 or more for signatures or pictures. So, I think its really cool when a creator signs the book. Alex Rodriguez. Heres a list of 20 of your favorite stars from the world of nerdery and their asking price for autographs. In the past when we have tried to collect this information ahead of time, it was deemed "wildly inacurate.". Most will run between $20 and $100 but we have found that many of our celebrities do not even set their price until they see what others are charging. Theysee it as other people making money from their name and . Why do actors, actresses, and most celebrities in general charge money for autographs at conventions? Go figure. Why do they charge? Is there Delhi quota in Lady Hardinge Medical College? They always say they love the fans, and care for them, but have a God complex when their fans show support. Florence Pughs autograph costs $160, but the price can go all the way up to $480 depending on the size of the item being signed and the number of add-ons. Ive gotten a few nice autographs there (Spike Spencer, English dub voice of Shinji from Evangelion; Mari Ijima, original Japanese voice of Minmay from Macross/Robotech; Wantanabe Nabeshin Shinichi, afro-tastic director of Excel Saga) and none of them have ever charged. So when I found out he was speaking at a local college there was no way Id miss the chance to actually see him. So in case youre wondering if celebrities also suffer sticker shock, just hear about his experience regarding his desire to get an autograph from an old time NFL favorite, Joe Montana. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. I'm talking about when celebrities charge money for autographs at conventions, mainly NYCC. There wasnt a book he wrote, fiction or non, that I wouldnt hunt down and devour. I ran several conventions back in the 90s, and, things where much different then. Others may see it as a way for celebrities to make some extra cash. 1 Why do some celebrities refuse to sign autographs? Im told some other creators also have tip jars and they seem to take great pains to explain that its for charity, becauseI dunno. Thats why Im attending cons less and less. (Wait, I hope I dont give the powers that be any bright ideas). Im not paying that., but then pay it anywaylike it or not. Then Ill sign it. Another way of looking at it is if it werent for the fans, there would be no fame. Back in the day, Isaac Asimov (a.k.a. Celebrity Guests set their own pricing for their autographs, photosand merchandise, so we really don't have a way to tell you ahead of time. The main thing is that people pay for autographs because they can. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. 3. If people dont want to pay Newton to sign stuff, they dont have to. Further, pro athletes paid millions per year in addition to that money. Today you pay at the door, you pay for a picture and you pay for an autograph, and, it is getting worse. They would rather give their autograph out for free. However, fame surely isn't free and neither are signatures! These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The main reason, because they can. amzn_assoc_bg_color = "FFFFFF"; Happy Birthday to my Husband Peter David 66 years old today, When people say its gotten too commercial, think about who saved us all. Beyonce. Its a capitalistic society. Last year, Joe Montana was coming to a large mall near me. Dont forget to buy tickets to the games too because you dont know if it will sell out or not. Add numerous signees via emails configure the signing sequence. First its getting paid for signatures, now its NBA players wanting to get paid for playing in the Olympics. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Harrison Ford has one of the most sought after signatures in the autograph collecting hobby. Star Wars Autograph Quiz | Can You Tell Whats Real or Fake? Before anyone criticizes Panthers quarterback Cam Newton for setting up a table and charging more than $100 to sign his name to photos, jerseys, and/or footballs, its important to remember that any athlete who can get paid to give his autograph does. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Or at least a satisfying percentage. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "responsive_search_widget"; Create a signNow account (if you haven't registered yet) or log in using your Google or Facebook. They can sell them at conventions, or to collectors . Would you show up to your job and expect to work for free? Its America. Its a tricky issue. So they have a reason to show up. There is nothing on the horizon at this point, but the next time that a Hamill signing happens, its safe to assume that you will be paying well over $300 per signature. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Each autograph ticket gets you 1 signature on the item of your choice (some restrictions may apply). Some celebrities may allow the fan to take a picture, using the fans camera, of the celebrity signing the particular item the fan is purchasing. Some may see it as a way to compensate for the inconvenience or the invasion to their privacy. The last time that Mark Hamill participated in a signing was in 2017 when he charged $295 per autograph. In the past, the only way to get an autograph from an A-list celebrity was to meet them in person at an event or on the street. 3 What do celebrities do with their fan mail? What is the value of autograph? Now, it's expected that each scrawl will be worth a set amount of money as a way to defray the cost of bringing the guests down. Through the mail (TTM) autograph collecting is where fan mail meets autograph collecting. That means that there is now more of an opportunity to by your favorite celebritys autograph than ever, but its one that many fans cant afford. Do you really think this world is heading in the right direction? It keeps their conscience clear, I guess. Celebrity Autographs - How to spot the legitimate ones - Mymusicarena. It never occurred to me that theyd charge for them, and on reflection I suspect it never would have occurred to them. There was a time where you could do it all at once. No one has been a greater fan of the famed San Francisco quarterback of legend, Joe Montana, than I. I lived in SF from 1981 to 1988 which includes the SF 49er Super Bowl Championships, where Joe worked miracles to win. Hes most known for his portrayal of Klingon Martok who appeared for 4 seasons on DS9. The world we live in, unfortunately. You said in a loud, booming voice, THERE IS A POLICY AGAINST ME SIGNING THESE IN THE AISLES AND I WOULD NEVER DO THAT! as you were signing each and every one of them. I certainly think so. For adults? Fascinating Stories About Sylvester Stallone, Hollywood's Most Macho Star, The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won An Oscar (For Acting), The Best TV Actors And Actresses Of All Time, The Greatest Actors & Actresses in Entertainment History, Famous People You Never Realized Are British, Ranked By How Surprised You Were When You Found Out, The Top Casting Choices For The Next James Bond Actor, Behind-The-Scenes Facts From 'Thor: Ragnarok,' Marvel's Silliest Triumph. The results are varied. Hot off the release of the Disney+ series Hawkeye in late 2021, Official Pix announced a signing with Steinfeld. #bluetooth #noisecancelling pic.twitter.com/0M79GjdsPZ, (Not that Im posting her tweet as a subtle hint.). As chronicled in . I had the pleasure to meet Peter David at a con or two back in the early 90s, and have a few books that he was kind enough to autograph. What a joke this is if he keeps finishing third he will not even be playing in a few years. That said, the ink from today doesnt look like ink that has aged for several decades. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Because people will pay for them, they ave become a marketable commodity. Personalize the autograph for kids To Bill, Good Luck, Cam. Those kinds of autographs arent worth squat. Heres to my freedom in being able to label cam newton as a greedy, classless, sad human being. Also worth noting, RDJ didnt keep the proceeds, but instead donated his earnings to support the Footprint Coalition which focuses on environmental causes. Purchasing a Robert Downey Jr. autograph would set you back $700. Selma Hayek's autograph starts at $225 but can be as expensive as $730 depending on the size of the item being signed and the number of add-ons. Or, maybe the big wigs will catch on to THAT, too! It was an expected part of celebrity and was included in the price of admission. 1) I met Bruce Lee when he played Kato. But who needs gloss or matte when you have your own digital camera or smart phone? Artists can indeed change their signature at any point in their career. If you want a ticket to get your photo taken with my man Jason Momoa in Long Island this weekend, that will cost you $85. Ive even moved into the current century by getting your New Frontier even though I havent yet got an e-reader. Not all celebrities are talk show hosts or kardashians; fame isn't a large part of why they do what they do. I can even recall a time where both an autograph and a picture with a celebrity at his/her table was all lumped into the charge of the autograph. People came to see the stars, and the stars would oblige their fans' reasonable requests. The people are more important enjoy them. Ive even suggested, when the autograph line is small enough, that all the person has to do is sit there and Ill take a photo standing in front of the table with my face and his/her face in the same frame, but the people organizing everything have still said no (which I think is patently ridiculous, its no skin off the celebritys back to sit there like they were already doing and smile for half a second). Thats normally far too rich for my blood, but his was the final Firefly cast member whose autograph my wife & I needed to have all 9 on the DVDs. Was he in the playoffs? Despite looking like a trailer park that grew up in a Coors Lightfactory, Reedusnot only makes a Benjamin per autograph, he's also rumored to make$200,000 per convention appearance. So youre forced into the most expensive option to have a photo taken with a celebrity. Then Id show it off, as proof I met my idol. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. People came to see the stars, and the stars would oblige their fans' reasonable requests. amzn_assoc_placement = ""; This coming from the guy who chastized Aaron Rodgers for not stopping for to autograph something for a cancer patient. At Arnold Schwarzeneggers first ever comic con appearance in San Antonio, fans had to shell out $1250 for a VIP package which included two autographs and a photo op. Two teams from the South did make the playoffs and both were one and done. Why do actors charge for autographs? Some celebrities still enjoy signing autographs for free for fans. I suppose part of what has changed things is occurred to my young teen self that one would fans who get autographs just to increase the price they can sell the whatever for online. If youre interested in learning more about artist signatures, youve come to the right place. You will all laugh because, I am sure everyone and their mother has his autograph I failed at getting Henry "The Fonz" Winkler No photos could perfectly capture the moment. It was an expected part of celebrity and was included in the price of admission. The price of an autograph ranges, generally, from about $30 to about $80 with most in the $30 to $60 range. It would never occur to me to put some price on it. Sounds good. Really man this man is making millions of dollars yet he charges and yes he has every right to but thy doesnt mean he should and you defended him man cmon. Honestly, this seems like a price set to keep autograph seekers at an arm's length. I thought the conventions were the ones charging money, not the celebs themselves. While we try to . If hes paying, he gets the A signature. I first got into cons via comics. She was also not willing to sign custom art or home-printed images. Why didnt we think of that?!. As the star of The Walking Dead, Lincoln probably rakes stacks on stacks in photo money, but hereportedly donates all the proceeds from his convention appearances to charity. If people actually stopped paying these outrageous prices out of protest, these events would probably ease up on things, but I dont see that happening as the cycle has already been perpetuated per the aforementioned quote. Some may see it as a way to limit the crowd. Tebow looked down at his WWJD bracelet and god told him to charge money to kids for just his signature. So go ahead and invest in some scratch off lottery tickets and maybe if you get some matching numbers you will winthe 50 smack-a-roos to garner yourself some expensive crumbs to pay for your fandom. Have a personal gallery or a blog to share with your friends. That's A Spicy Spring Movie Preview! Two things to say about autographs and you, Peter. Now, even more sadly, they are charging for . Yeah, I got them autographed by Peter David. I didnt mention the precise mechanics of how that came about. Just thinking on those books to write this comment I remember how nice it was to get a moment to say hello and thank you to someone whose works Id enjoyed so indescribably much. The value of an autograph depends primarily on the person, but also what was signed, the condition, the availability, and trends that affect supply and demand.Research autograph values in the extensive archives of Heritage . That sounds like a fine policy. So some months back I figured, The hll with it, and added a tip jar to my desk. Is it pretty messed up to do, especially to a 7 year old kid or a father of three making $50,000 a year? After all, these conventions charge $$ for attendance-why should the athlete be expected to work for free? One of them was the one he collaborated with three other authors on, the Next Gen novel Doomsday World, and the other three authors all happened to be at the same con. Batman fans were overjoyed to finally have their masks, posters, and comics signed by Keaton who many consider to be the Batman. Especially for autographs! Overall, however, Cam has the right to charge. dont need an autograph, I got one of those 30 years ago in San Fran. amzn_assoc_default_search_category = ""; In fact look on ebay most autographs without PSA documentation arent really worth that much. And some famous people use signing fees, appearance fees, etc, as a way to cut down on the number of requests. The City of San Francisco was blessed. Im ok with charging an adult to pay the fee, considering some get it just to sell it. These days, my goal is to talk with my idol. Happily winding my way through the crowd of vendors and buyers and fans and artistsI reached the photo-op ticket window. The Star Wars star brought in a healthy revenue from his 2016 appearance at Fan Expo Canada. It was very nice of you. In a sense I would be using ingenuity to make the price more worth it. It may cost you. Was he in the Super Bowl did he win it As a result, he made the decision to stop signing anything altogether, no matter what. local news and culture, Neil deGrasse Tyson Takes On Space Exploration Delusions. The most important factor in valuing a signature is the person who made the autograph the more iconic the individual, the more the autograph can be worth. It isn't all about big movie stars getting a bit of extra spending money, however. Fan mail is simply a way for a fan to reach out to a public figure to express their admiration or share their thoughts.