This practice is not always done out of spite or a misguided sense of whimsy. It is often done to provide numerous legal traps in contracts with promoters who are traditionally notorious for cheating and shortchanging artists and welshing on their bills.

Ted Nugent once told a story of how he used aerial photography to prove a promoter had shortchanged him by under-reporting the number of fans at an outdoor concert. The interviewer asked him how could a multi-millionaire be so cheap to go to such lengths for just a few more dollars. Nugent’s answer: “The people paid to see Ted Nugent, Ted Nugent should get paid.”